Refuting the existence of Indonesian Homo erectus neurocranial affinities in Maré (Loyalty Islands, New Caledonia): evidence of Polynesian influence through linear morphometry
During an expedition in Maré (Loyalty Islands, New Caledonia), Father Marie-Joseph Dubois conducted anthropological studies that led him to postulate the presence of inherited Indonesian Homo erectus neurocranial features and biological Polynesian influences. To test these hypotheses, five archaeolo...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Société d'Anthropologie de Paris
2025-04-01
|
| Series: | Bulletins et Mémoires de la Société d’Anthropologie de Paris |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://journals.openedition.org/bmsap/15869 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| Summary: | During an expedition in Maré (Loyalty Islands, New Caledonia), Father Marie-Joseph Dubois conducted anthropological studies that led him to postulate the presence of inherited Indonesian Homo erectus neurocranial features and biological Polynesian influences. To test these hypotheses, five archaeological crania from Maré were analysed by linear morphometry to: 1) assess the presence of affinities with Indonesian H. erectus, 2) determine biological affinities with a heterogeneous sample of modern H. sapiens, and 3) contextualise the results in the light of current knowledge and oral traditions about the peopling of the Pacific region. The results show no evidence of affinities with Indonesian H. erectus neurocrania, so that the hypothesis postulated by Dubois has to be refuted. The Maré crania present morphometric affinities with the Australo-Melanesian and Chinese-Micronesian-Polynesian population clusters. The Chinese-Micronesian-Polynesian affinities provide new evidence of Polynesian influence in Maré. The LMA001 archaeological site offers the earliest evidence of Polynesian presence in Maré about a millennium ago. The morphometric diversity within the sample evokes certain aspects found in oral traditions, such as the presence of Polynesians and their admixture with the Maré population. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 1777-5469 |