Where did the Polynesian ancestors come from?
The direct ancestors of the Polynesians were the Neolithic Lapita culture, which emerged in Island Melanesia and Micronesia at around 1500 BC from a convergence of migration waves of Austronesians originating from both Island Southeast Asia to the west and an earlier Austronesian migration to Micronesia to the north.
Are Melanesians related to Polynesian?
Now, a new comprehensive genetic study of almost 1,000 individuals has revealed that Polynesians and Micronesians have almost no genetic relation to Melanesians, and that groups that live in the islands of Melanesia are remarkably diverse.
What is the origin of Melanesians?
Rather the people of Melanesia are the result of an extremely ancient and long lasting flow of people from the Asiatic mainland into the islands of the Southwest Pacific. During the latter part of their history they have in addition maintained sporadic contact with people inhabiting island groups to the north and east.
What is the difference between Melanesian and Polynesian?
Melanesia includes the islands from Papua New Guinea to Fiji. Micronesia includes small islands located north of Melanesia. Polynesia includes island groups from the Hawaiian Islands to the Pitcairn Islands.
Are Micronesians related to Polynesians?
Traditionally, the lines between Micronesia, Melanesia and Polynesia never existed. We were all connected by the ocean of Kanaloa, or as my kupuna would say, the womb of Hina-i-ka-moana. They, like other Pacific Islanders, are our cousins.
When was Melanesia founded?
The term “Melanesia” was first used by Jules Dumont d’Urville in 1832 to denote an ethnic and geographical grouping of islands distinct from Polynesia and Micronesia.
Where did Polynesian Y chromosomes come from?
All Polynesian Y chromosomes can be traced back to Melanesia, although some of these Y-chromosome types originated in Asia. Together with other genetic and cultural evidence, we propose a new model of Polynesian origins that we call the ‘slow-boat’ model: Polynesian ancestors did originate from Asia …
Are Polynesian K-M9 chromosomes of Melanesian origin?
Thus, Polynesian K-M9 chromosomes are likely to be of Melanesian origin. Overall, 7 NRY haplogroups found in Polynesia are of Melanesian genetic origin: C-M208, C-M38, K-M9, K-M254, M-M4, M-P34, and M-M104 ( fig. 1 ).
How many Y-chromosome haplotypes do Polynesians have?
We found that all Polynesians belong to just three Y-chromosome haplotypes, as defined by unique event polymorphisms. The major Y haplotype in Polynesians (82% frequency) was restricted to Melanesia and eastern Indonesia and most probably arose in Melanesia.
Are Polynesians Melanesian or Asian?
Overall, we classified 94.1% of Polynesian Y chromosomes and 99.8% of Polynesian mtDNAs as of either Melanesian (NRY-DNA: 65.8%, mtDNA: 6%) or Asian (NRY-DNA: 28.3%, mtDNA: 93.8%) origin, suggesting a dual genetic origin of Polynesians in agreement with the “Slow Boat” hypothesis.
