UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones 2009 WWhheenn ddiidd tthhee aanncceessttoorrss ooff PPoollyynneessiiaa bbeeggiinn ttoo mmiiggrraattee ttoo PPoollyynneessiiaa?? TThhee mmttDDNNAA eevviiddeennccee David Lesniewski University of Nevada Las Vegas Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/thesesdissertations Part of the Archaeological Anthropology Commons, and the Genetics Commons RReeppoossiittoorryy CCiittaattiioonn Lesniewski, David, "When did the ancestors of Polynesia begin to migrate to Polynesia? The mtDNA evidence" (2009). UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones. 83. http://dx.doi.org/10.34917/1377307 This Thesis is protected by copyright and/or related rights. It has been brought to you by Digital Scholarship@UNLV with permission from the rights-holder(s). You are free to use this Thesis in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s) directly, unless additional rights are indicated by a Creative Commons license in the record and/ or on the work itself. This Thesis has been accepted for inclusion in UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones by an authorized administrator of Digital Scholarship@UNLV. For more information, please contact [email protected]. WHEN DID THE ANCESTORS OF POLYNESIA BEGIN TO MIGRATE TO POLYNESIA? THE mtDNA EVIDENCE by David Lesniewski C (ASCP)cm Bachelor of Science Kent State University 1997 Bachelor of Science Kent State University 2004 Bachelor of Science Kent State University 2004 A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Arts Degree in Anthropology Department of Anthropology College of Liberal Arts Graduate College University of Nevada, Las Vegas December 2009 THE GRADUATE COLLEGE We recommend that the dissertation prepared under our supervision by David Lesniewski C (ASCP)cm entitled When Did the Ancestors of Polynesia Begin to Migrate to Polynesia? The mtDNA Evidence be accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts Degree Anthropology Jennifer Thompson, Committee Chair Debra Martin, Committee Member Peter Gray, Committee Member Megan Litster, Graduate Faculty Representative Ronald Smith, Ph. D., Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies and Dean of the Graduate College December 2009 i i ABSTRACT When Did the Ancestors of Polynesia Begin to Migrate to Polynesia? The mtDNA Evidence by David Lesniewski C (ASCP)cm Dr. Jennifer Thompson, Examination Committee Chair Professor of Anthropology University of Nevada, Las Vegas The timing and nature of the migration of the ancestors of the Polynesian people is debated by two competing theories. The “Express Train” and “Slow Boat” theories assert that the migration of the Proto-Polynesian people began around 6,000 years before present (BP) or around 10,000 years BP respectively. Through the use of haplogroups and specific genetic mutations a direct relationship between the Proto-Polynesians and modern Polynesians was attempted to test which of these theories was correct. The ancient skeletal remains from the island of Borneo currently housed at UNLV were used in this study as their dates fall within both theories’ geographic and temporal range and so held the potential to provide the genetic material required to test these theories. The aim of this study was to genetically link these ancient skeletal remains to modern Polynesian people. However, the results obtained determined the samples were contaminated with DNA belonging to people outside of the Southeast Asian haplogroup and that any original DNA had become degraded. This meant that no further analysis could take place. These findings lead to the conclusion that collection practices need to be implemented by the excavators and curators of skeletal remains to reduce or eliminate accidental contamination. ii i TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ....................................................................................................................... iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................... vi CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................ 1 Research Questions ....................................................................................................... 3 CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW ................................................................... 12 Express Train Model ................................................................................................... 15 Slow Boat Model ........................................................................................................ 16 Material Cultural Research ......................................................................................... 17 Linguistic Research ..................................................................................................... 20 Physical Research ....................................................................................................... 22 Genetic Research ........................................................................................................ 25 Women and Migration ................................................................................................ 27 Malaria ........................................................................................................................ 30 Malarial Counter Measures ......................................................................................... 31 Using Malarial Diseases ............................................................................................. 33 CHAPTER 3 MATERIALS AND METHODS ....................................................... 44 Cultural Material ......................................................................................................... 45 Decontamination Guidelines ....................................................................................... 47 Decontamination Procedures ...................................................................................... 49 Property of Bone ......................................................................................................... 49 Genetic Material Amplified ........................................................................................ 52 Bone Sample Extraction Procedure ............................................................................ 53 Extraction and Amplification ...................................................................................... 56 CHAPTER 4 RESULTS ........................................................................................... 61 CHAPTER 5 DISCUSSION / CONCLUSION ........................................................ 64 Research Questions Discussion .................................................................................. 67 Implications of Research............................................................................................. 69 Archaeological Recovery Techniques ........................................................................ 70 Sample Viability ......................................................................................................... 71 APPENDIX 1 BURIAL AGES AND REMAINS ..................................................... 74 APPENDIX 2 BURIALS AND ARTIFACTS .......................................................... 76 APPENDIX 3 DESCRIPTION AND WEIGHTS ..................................................... 77 BIBLIOGRAPHY ............................................................................................................. 79 iv VITA ................................................................................................................................. 88 v ACKNOWLEGEMENTS I would like to thank my thesis committee members, Dr. Jennifer Thompson, Dr. Debra Martin, Dr. Peter Gray, and Dr. Megan Litster, for helping me complete my thesis. A special thank you goes to Dr. Jennifer Thompson my committee chair for without her help I would have never finished. I would be remiss if I did not thank whole heartedly the efforts of Dr. Haak and Dr. Cooper and the rest of the staff at the University of Adelaide, Australian Centre for Ancient DNA without their generosity this project would have never been realized. Thank you to Dr. Walter Goldstein and Tracy Welch formerly at the Shadow Lane Campus of UNLV. They were instrumental in my initial understanding and development of the specific decontamination and extraction techniques I used in the final study. Thank you to James and Michelle Munkres who aided me in my endeavor to complete my manuscript. Last but not least I would like to thank my wife Amy Miracle who throughout all the ups and downs of the thesis process kept encouraging me. Once again thank you to everyone involved in the thesis. v i CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION Great migrations of the human species have occurred multiple times over the course of prehistory. These migrations demanded the traversing through large tracts of land, open ocean, and the crossing of numerous habitats with varying environmental conditions. Through the use of multiple lines of anthropological evidence, migration theories have been developed to place a frame of reference for dealing with questions concerning where and when people began spreading out around the world. It is thought that the first major migration of members of the genus Homo began before the appearance of Homo sapiens. Paleontological evidence documents a great migration of Homo erectus out of Africa around 1 million years ago or more (Fleagle & Gilbert, 2008; Stoneking, Sherry, Redd, & Vililant, 1992; Wolpoff, Hawks, Frayer, & Hunley, 2001; Wolpoff, Tishkoff, Kidd, & Risch, 1996). This migration episode of Home erectus spanned the continents of Asia and Europe. Much more recently, Homo sapiens migrated out of Africa 55,000 to 85,000 years ago to populate the globe (Forster & Matsumura, 2005; Goebel, Waters, & O’Rourke, 2008; Stringer, 2003; Stringer, 2002). Archeological evidence indicates early humans migrated into the extreme North West corner of Asia 40,000 to 45,000 years ago (Goebel et al., 2008) Humans continued their easterly movement from Siberia over the land bridge created by lower sea levels during the last ice age. This migration of people occurred within the last 28,000 to 30,000 years (Goebel et al., 2008). Human movement has been tracked through the recovery of archeological artifacts. These artifacts have been found on the eastern and southern edges of the North and South 1 American continents connecting humans to this region of the world at a time depth of at least 10,000 to 12,000 years ago (Goebel et al., 2008). Human remains have been unearthed around Lake Mungo on the southeastern end of the Australian continent (Forster & Matsumura, 2005). These have been dated to 50,000 years before present (BP). The discovery of human remains in the most distant regions of Australia suggests a much earlier initial migration to this continent (Barker, 2005; Bowler et al., 2003; Forster & Matsumura, 2005; Hudjashov et al., 2007; O’Connell & Allen, 2004; Roberts, Jones, & Smith 1990). The distances and environments covered by the human species 50,000 years ago were immense. Environments ranged from the Siberian arctic, to equatorial Indonesia, to a more temperate climate in Australia. The distances traversed and occupied by the human species from Siberia to Australia is in excess of 9,000 miles entailing large movements over vast stretches of land as well as across open ocean. The open ocean voyage of people to Australia was a great navigational feat that would not be surpassed by any human populations until 6,000 to 10,000 years ago by the ancestors of modern day Polynesian people who sailed out into the remote regions of the Pacific Ocean. The last great human diaspora, prior to the 15th century’s age of exploration, was the populating of the Polynesian islands. There are two competing models for the timing of the migration and original homeland of the Proto-Polynesians (these competing models will be discussed in more detail below). The widely accepted view of this 8,000 mile epic journey has the origin of the Proto-Polynesians, the ancestors of modern Polynesians, in Southeast Asia (Southeastern China and Taiwan) (Diamond 1988; Friedlaender et al., 2007; Melton et al., 1995; Oppenheimer & Richards, 2001). The migration is thought to have begun 6,000 years ago as a rapid spread through Taiwan and the islands of 2 Southeast Asia to their ultimate destination, 1,000 years ago at Easter Island the most remote of all the Polynesian islands. An alternative theory places the origins of the first Proto-Polynesians on the Island of Borneo (modern day Indonesia and Malaysia) 40,000 years ago, where they lived for tens of thousands of years prior to any further migration events (Friedlaender et al., 2008; Friedlaender et al., 2007; Matisoo-Smith & Robins, 2004; Oppenheimer & Richards, 2001). Within the last 10,000 years these Proto- Polynesians began to move out in all directions, but specifically into the eastern islands of the Pacific. Research Questions The focus of this thesis addresses the timing of the migration as well as the place of origin for the Proto-Polynesians. When did the Proto-Polynesian people reach the region of Eastern Indonesia and, more specifically, the island of Borneo (Cox, 2005; Diamond, 1988; Friedlaender, Gentz, Green, & Merriwether, 2002; Hurles, Matisoo-Smith, Gray, & Penny, 2003; Oppenheimer, 2004; Oppenheimer & Martin, 2001; Redd et al., 1995; Richards, Oppenheimer, & Sykes, 1998; Whyte, Marshall, & Chambers, 2005)? A common factor in the two opposing migration theories is that this general region (Southeast Asian Islands) acted as the spring-board for the Proto-Polynesian peoples to make their way east into the islands of Polynesia. The question arises as to which of the specific Islands of Southeast Asia were populated (Borneo or Taiwan) by the Proto- Polynesian people this is a matter of debate between these competing models. In addition, there remains the issue of the timing of the migration. Between the two models there is a difference of some 6,400 years as to when the migration first occurred. Therefore, the 3