New analysis of DNA from some of the islands historic residents tells a very different story.
Previous archaeological research had shown that Rapa Nui was first settled by Polynesian people around the year 1250 CE.
That resulted in a population of just 3,000 by the time Europeans arrived.
The prevailing narrative of what happened to the people of Rapa Nui may be completely false.© my LifeShow via Flickr
The new DNA analysis,publishedinNaturetoday, adds further support to the growing counternarrative.
There was no population explosion, the scientists wrote.
Rather, there was just steady growth, from the first settlers until Europeans got there in 1722.
Another finding presented in the new paper was just as surprising.
Previous DNA analysis of ancient Rapanui remains hadnt found any signs of Native American genetics.
In total, around 10% of the DNA could be traced to people indigenous to coastal South America.
What remains unclear is exactly how those people from the American continent got there.
Though technically a part of Chile, its 2,290 miles (3,686 kilometers) from the mainland.
One important caveat to the study is how the researchers obtained the samples.
The DNA was taken from human remains that had been sent to a Paris museum in the 19th century.
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