Henderson Island crania and their implication for south eastern Polynesian prehistory

The origin, migration and evolution of Polynesian populations, in particular of the Easter Islanders (Rapa Nui), have been a centre of controversy for many years, and it is demonstrated that the Easter Island language displays many linguistic features lost or replaced in all other Eastern Polynesian languages and represents an isolate indicative of an extremely early divergence. With the revised concept of a regional 'eastern East Polynesian homeland' and a 'central East Polynesian interaction sphere', three possible routes of settlement to Easter Island are proposed based on the understanding of seasonal patterns of winds, currents and weather, and Polynesian marine technology.

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