Ancient genomes reveal distinct human dispersals and social stratification in the settlement history of western Remote Oceania
The settlement of western Remote Oceania, beginning ~3,000 years ago, involved interactions among deeply divergent populations. Initial settlement by Lapita-associated Southeast Asian-related groups was followed by Papuan-related expansions and later sea-voyages from Polynesia. Yet, gaps in archaeogenomic data have constrained reconstructions of these dynamics. We present new genome-wide data from 70 individuals spanning the past three millennia from the eastern Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Fiji, and Tonga. We find that the Papuan-related expansion proceeded at a slower pace than the Lapita-associated one and reached Fiji through at least two distinct human dispersals, starting centuries earlier than previously suggested. We provide direct evidence of Polynesian-related gene flow at around 1,000 years ago, which gave rise to Polynesian Outlier communities in southern Vanuatu. Finally, we examine a Fijian community that lived ~1,500 years ago, revealing social practices that preserved wealth and status within a biological kin group with elevated Southeast Asian-related ancestry. Our findings refine the settlement model of Remote Oceania and highlight the complex interplay of migration and community structure.
The settlement of western Remote Oceania, beginning ~3,000 years ago, involved interactions among deeply divergent populations. Initial settlement by Lapita-associated Southeast Asian-related groups was followed by Papuan-related expansions and later sea-voyages from Polynesia. Yet, gaps in archaeogenomic data have constrained reconstructions of these dynamics. We present new genome-wide data from 70 individuals spanning the past three millennia from the eastern Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Fiji, and Tonga. We find that the Papuan-related expansion proceeded at a slower pace than the Lapita-associated one and reached Fiji through at least two distinct human dispersals, starting centuries earlier than previously suggested. We provide direct evidence of Polynesian-related gene flow at around 1,000 years ago, which gave rise to Polynesian Outlier communities in southern Vanuatu. Finally, we examine a Fijian community that lived ~1,500 years ago, revealing social practices that preserved wealth and status within a biological kin group with elevated Southeast Asian-related ancestry. Our findings refine the settlement model of Remote Oceania and highlight the complex interplay of migration and community structure.
Institute for Archaeological Sciences