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Early Lapita skeletons from Vanuatu show Polynesian craniofacial shape: Implications for Remote Oceanic settlement and Lapita origins

Valentin Frédérique, Détroit Florent, Spriggs Matthew, Bedford Stuart. 2015. PNAS.
Early Lapita skeletons from Vanuatu show Polynesian craniofacial shape: Implications for Remote Oceanic settlement and Lapita origins
ARTICLE, (2015 ) - PUBLISHEDVERSION - English (en-GB)
PNAS
OPENACCESS - .
Audience : RESEARCHERS, STUDENTS, TEACHERS

Subject
Pacific Islands peopling, Polynesian origin, early Lapita, skull, morphometric analysis
Domains
Archéologie, Histoire
Description

With a cultural and linguistic origin in Island Southeast Asia the Lapita expansion is thought to have led ultimately to the Polynesian settlement of the east Polynesian region after a time of mixing/integration in north Melanesia and a nearly 2,000-y pause in West Polynesia. One of the major achievements of recent Lapita research in Vanuatu has been the discovery of the oldest cemetery found so far in the Pacific at Teouma on the south coast of Efate Island, opening up new prospects for the biological definition of the early settlers of the archipelago and of Remote Oceania in general. Using craniometric evidence from the skeletons in conjunction with archaeological data, we discuss here four debated issues: the Lapita–Asian connection, the degree of admixture, the Lapita–Polynesian connection, and the question of secondary population movement into Remote Oceania.

Keywords
Language
English (en-GB)
Creators
Valentin Frédérique, Détroit Florent, Spriggs Matthew, Bedford Stuart
Contributors
Sources
PNAS, 113(2): 292-297
Coverage
Name of newspaper
PNAS