Radiocarbon and DNA evidence for a pre-Columbian introduction of Polynesian chickens to Chile Alice A. Storey*†, Jose´ Miguel Ramı´rez‡, Daniel Quiroz§, David V. Burley¶, David J. Addisonʈ, Richard Walter**, Atholl J. Anderson††, Terry L. Hunt‡‡, J. Stephen Athens§§, Leon Huynen¶¶, and Elizabeth A. Matisoo-Smith*† *Department of Anthropology and Allan Wilson Centre for Molecular Ecology and Evolution, University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland 1142, New Zealand; ‡Proyecto Dipuv-Reg No. 26/2005, Universidad de Valparaı´so,Chile; §Direccio´n de Bibliotecas, Archivos y Museos-Proyecto Fondecyt, 1020272 Santiago, Chile; ¶Department of Archaeology, Simon Fraser University EBD 9635-8888 University Drive, Burnaby, BC, Canada V5A 1S6; ʈInstitute of Samoan Studies, American Samoa Community College, Pago Pago, American Samoa 96799; **Department of Anthropology, University of Otago, 2nd Floor Sir John Richardson Building, Castle Street, P.O. Box 56, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand; ††Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, Australian National University, Canberra ACT 0200, Australia; ‡‡Department of Anthropology, University of Hawai’i-Manoa, 2424 Maile Way, Honolulu, HI 96822; §§International Archaeological Research Institute, 2081 Young Street, Honolulu, HI 96826-2231; and ¶¶Institute of Molecular BioSciences and Allan Wilson Centre for Molecular Ecology and Evolution, Massey University, Albany, Auckland 0632, New Zealand Communicated by Patrick V. Kirch, University of California, Berkeley, CA, May 1, 2007 (received for review February 10, 2007) Two issues long debated among Pacific and American prehistorians Some prehistoric contact between the Americas and Polynesia are (i) whether there was a pre-Columbian introduction of chicken is evident from the presence of South American sweet potato (Gallus gallus) to the Americas and (ii) whether Polynesian contact (Ipomoea batatas) in pre-European archaeological sites in with South America might be identified archaeologically, through Polynesia (6, 12, 13), most notably from Mangaia, Cook Islands, the recovery of remains of unquestionable Polynesian origin. We where it is dated indirectly to ϷAD 1000 (13). Linguistic and present a radiocarbon date and an ancient DNA sequence from a archaeological evidence suggest that the bottle gourd (Lagenaria single chicken bone recovered from the archaeological site of El siceraria), also from the Americas, was present in Eastern Arenal-1, on the Arauco Peninsula, Chile. These results not only Polynesia before AD 1200 (14, 15). Voyaging from Polynesia to provide firm evidence for the pre-Columbian introduction of chick- the Americas has been proposed (16), and debated (17) recently ens to the Americas, but strongly suggest that it was a Polynesian in relation to linguistic and archaeological evidence for the introduction. occurrence of some watercraft, namely sewn plank canoes, and fishhook forms found in southern California which resemble ancient DNA ͉ Gallus gallus ͉ Polynesia Polynesian types. Sewn plank canoes have also been documented in Chile by ethnographers (18) and claims have been made rgument about the origins and date of introduction of the suggesting artifactual and linguistic evidence for Polynesian Adomestic fowl or chicken (Gallus gallus) to the Americas has influence in the Mapuche region of south central Chile (3). raged for over 30 years. Despite claims that it might be native to Computer simulations suggest that voyaging eastward from the region (1), it has never been recovered or reported from Polynesia in the southern hemisphere where the mid-latitude paleontological, Paleo-Indian, or, until now, prehistoric archae- westerlies are more accessible, is a more likely prospect than a ological contexts in the Americas. A Portuguese or Spanish northern route to the Americas (19). These southern hemisphere introduction to the east coast of South America around AD 1500 voyages would have brought landfalls in the central and southern has been suggested (2), but when Pizarro reached Peru in 1532, regions of Chile and could have introduced the Polynesian he found that chickens were already an integral part of Incan chicken to South America. However, no securely dated pre- economy and culture, suggesting at least some history of chick- Columbian chicken remains or unequivocal archaeological evi- ens in the region. Consequently, there have been numerous dence for Polynesian contact with the Americas has been suggestions of a pre-European chicken introduction to the west reported until now. coast of South America (3–5), in which both Asian and Polyne- The archaeological site of El Arenal-1 (see Fig. 1), first sian contacts have been proposed (1, 4, 6). Here, we provide the excavated in 2002, is three kilometers inland on the southern side first unequivocal evidence for a pre-European introduction of of the Arauco Peninsula, south central Chile (lat 37°22Ј15ЉS, chickens to South America and indicate, through ancient DNA long 73°36Ј45ЉW). Analyses of pottery and other artifacts show evidence, that the likely source of that introduction was Polyne- that the site belongs to the El Vergel Cultural Complex of sia. This evidence has implications for debates about ancient horticulturalist communities dating to the period between AD Polynesian voyaging capabilities as well as those addressing 1000 and 1500 (20). Three thermoluminescence dates on ceram- prehistoric population interactions and exchange. This study also ics from the site place the occupation between AD 700 and 1390 presents the first published ancient DNA sequences for chickens (D.Q. and L. Contreras, unpublished data). Most importantly, providing valuable data for researchers concerned with the loss excavators recovered 50 chicken bones from the site, represent- of genetic variation in modern domestic stocks (7). ing a minimum of five individual birds. These remains provide The Indo-Pacific origins of the Polynesians are linked to South- east Asia through the Austronesian expansion and particularly to the Lapita culture that first appears in the Pacific Ϸ3300 years Author contributions: A.A.S., J.M.R., and E.A.M.-S. designed research; A.A.S., L.H., and before present (B.P.). Lapita colonists moved rapidly through E.A.M.-S. performed research; J.M.R., D.Q., D.V.B., D.J.A., R.W., A.J.A., T.L.H., and J.S.A. Ϸ contributed new reagents/analytic tools; A.A.S. and E.A.M.-S. analyzed data; and A.A.S., ANTHROPOLOGY eastern Melanesia to Samoa and Tonga by 2900 B.P. Beginning J.M.R., D.Q., D.V.B., D.J.A., R.W., A.J.A., T.L.H., J.S.A., L.H., and E.A.M.-S. wrote the paper. Ϸ 1500–1000 B.P., the settlement of East Polynesia began, probably The authors declare no conflict of interest. from Samoa, with colonization of Hawai’i by 1000 B.P., Easter Data deposition: The sequences reported in this paper have been deposited in the GenBank Island by 800 B.P. and New Zealand by 700 B.P. Polynesians database (accession nos. EF535236–EF535249). introduced dogs, pigs, rats and chickens to many of the islands they †To whom correspondence may be addressed. E-mail: [email protected] or settled (8). Chicken remains first appear in Vanuatu and Tonga [email protected]. between 3000 and 2800 B.P., where they are associated with Lapita This article contains supporting information online at www.pnas.org/cgi/content/full/ sites (9, 10), in Niue (11) from Ϸ2000 B.P. and in early occupation 0703993104/DC1. layers throughout most of East Polynesia (8). © 2007 by The National Academy of Sciences of the USA www.pnas.org͞cgi͞doi͞10.1073͞pnas.0703993104 PNAS ͉ June 19, 2007 ͉ vol. 104 ͉ no. 25 ͉ 10335–10339 Downloaded by guest on September 27, 2021 Fig. 1. Map of the Pacific showing locations mentioned in the text. the earliest evidence for the presence of chicken in the Americas. between these South American chickens and ancient Oceanic Direct dating and ancient DNA analyses of these remains were populations and to identify the likely origins of the El Arenal therefore essential for identifying the origins and pre-Columbian bone. provenience of chickens in Chile. These were compared with A total of 37 chicken bones obtained from prehistoric archae- ancient mtDNA obtained from chicken bones from archaeolog- ological sites dating from between 2900 and 500 years B.P. from ical sites in Polynesia and with modern Araucana chicken five Polynesian archipelagos were obtained for use in our study. materials. Positive PCR amplification and DNA sequence was obtained for 12 of the 37 ancient samples attempted, resulting in a success rate Results and Discussion of 32%, which is consistent with the degraded nature of biomol- The radiocarbon date obtained for the El Arenal chicken bone ecules in ancient remains (24). The variable sites identified in the was 622 Ϯ 35 B.P., resulting in a calibrated age range of AD archaeological chicken bones, modern Araucana chicken feath- 1321–1407 with two intercepts. At two sigma (AD 1304–1424) ers and modern chicken sequences obtained from GenBank are the sample still lies within the pre-Columbian era, and thus shown in Table 1. In the most variable area of the D-loop, the provides directly dated evidence for pre-Columbian chicken in common SNPs (25) are observed. In ancient material, these South America. Chicken first occurs in Pacific archaeological include an additional four sites that identify two haplogroups in sites Ϸ3,000 years ago in the Reef/Santa Cruz (22) and shortly prehistoric chickens. In total, SNPs were most common between thereafter in Vanuatu (9), but people did not reach Central and sites 199 and 339. Therefore, the most interesting section of the East Polynesia for another 1,500–2,000 years. The direct dating D-loop was Ͻ150 bp long creating an ideal target length for of chicken bones from the El Arenal-1 site in Chile falls within ancient DNA studies.