NPR: In 1492 ... the Polynesians Had Already Gotten Here?

In 1492 ... the Polynesians Had Already Gotten Here?

OK, so we know that the Vikings were here before Columbus. And some believe the Chinese were here before Columbus. And now, thanks to some leftover chicken bones, researchers think the Polynesians were here before him, too.

LiveScience reports that chicken bones dating back to about a century before Columbus came to America were discovered at an archaeological site called El Arenal on the southern coast of Chile. Researchers believe the bones match a kind of chicken found in the Polynesian islands in the South Pacific.

"Chickens could not have gotten to South America on their own - they had to be taken by humans," said anthropologist Lisa Matisoo-Smith from the University of Auckland, New Zealand.

Polynesia was first settled by sailors from mainland Southeast Asia about 3,000 years ago. But researchers aren't really sure which island the New World explorers might have come from -- the DNA sequence found in the chickens matches that of chickens found on several islands.

5:44 PM ET | 06- 6-2007 | permalink

Comments

Maybe the South American chicken was brought to Polynesia? How do they know it wasn't the other way around? They don't.

Sent by Bo K. Ock | 10:01 PM ET | 06-06-2007

Actually, I think they may know that, since the Polynesian chicken's DNA is close to the DNA for chickens in SE Asia, which in turn are closely related to other Eurasian chicken DNA haplotypes. It's possible to examine different DNA patterns for populations around the world to piece together a plausible migration path, not unlike what National Geographic has been doing with its Genographic Project.

Sent by andy carvin | 9:56 AM ET | 06-07-2007

Rumor is the name of this breed of chicken is "Pollo Loco". :)

Sent by Corn Al Sanders | 10:04 AM ET | 06-07-2007

Anyone wanna place bets on how long this comment thread will go before anyone cracks a good "Why'd the chicken cross the Pacific" joke? And why are chickens inherently funny anyway?

Sent by andy carvin | 1:39 PM ET | 06-07-2007

I liked the lead on the LiveScience story: "Which came first--the chicken or the European?"

Sent by Erica Ryan | 3:23 PM ET | 06-07-2007

"Maybe the South American chicken was brought to Polynesia? How do they know it wasn't the other way around?"

Maybe because there have been chickens all over Eurasia and the Pacific islands for as long as anyone can remember, but this is the first pre-Columbian one found in the Americas.

Sent by Mark | 2:01 PM ET | 06-08-2007

Why is it that people believe Polynesians sailed from one island to the next, but that they would miss the hugh land masses on either side of them? It was not Americas to Polynesia because the Poly's had far more navigational and sailing skills then the Native Americans. I am Samoan, so I'm partial!

Sent by Fala | 2:13 PM ET | 06-08-2007

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