Ancient DNA maps two Papuan migrations into Fiji and a stratified early society

Overview

Updated 1 hour ago

Three thousand years ago, Lapita-associated seafarers from Southeast Asia settled the islands of western Remote Oceania. New ancient DNA from 72 individuals shows who followed them, and when.

Papuan-related movements spread eastward slower than the pioneers, reaching Fiji in at least two distinct pulses and Tonga still later. Around 1,000 years ago, Polynesian voyagers moved back into southern Vanuatu. At Fiji's Sigatoka cemetery, a biological kin group carried more Southeast Asian ancestry and higher social status — possibly preserved through close-kin marriages.

Why it matters

Ancient DNA is rewriting how the Pacific was peopled — slower, multi-wave migrations, and early societies stratified by ancestry.

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Key Indicators

Ancient genomes analyzed

Individuals from the eastern Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Fiji, and Tonga spanning three millennia.

Distinct Papuan gene flow pulses into Fiji

Dated to roughly 2000–1700 BP and 1300–900 BP, both earlier than previously estimated.

3,000

Years of prehistory covered

From initial Lapita settlement about 3,000 years ago to the last millennium.

Generations in the Sigatoka family tree

Reconstructed from the early Fijian cemetery; a higher-status kin group carried elevated Southeast Asian ancestry.

Voices

Curated perspectives — historical figures and your fellow readers.

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People Involved

Michal Feldman

Lead author, human population geneticist at the University of Tübingen

Lead author of the Cell study

Cosimo Posth

Senior author, head of archaeo- and paleogenetics at the University of Tübingen

Senior author of the Cell study

Organizations Involved

University of Tübingen

Research university

Led the ancient DNA study

The University of Tübingen's archaeo- and paleogenetics group performed the genomic analyses for the Cell study.

Timeline

October 2016 c. 950–

9 events Latest: 2 days ago

Tap a bar to jump to that date

c. 950–
Polynesian backflow shapes southern Vanuatu
Upcoming Prehistory

Polynesian-related ancestry arrives, giving rise to Polynesian Outlier communities.
c. 950–1050 CE (~1000 BP)
c. 650–
Second Papuan pulse enters western Fiji
Upcoming Prehistory

A second distinct Papuan-related gene flow event reaches the islands.
c. 650–1050 CE (~1300–900 BP)
c. 50–3
First Papuan gene flow reaches western Fiji
Upcoming Prehistory

Admixture coincides with a shift in vessel forms at multiple Fijian sites.
c. 50–300 CE (~2000–1700 BP)
c. 500
Papuan-related ancestry appears in central Vanuatu
Upcoming Prehistory

Admixture begins a slower eastward expansion of Papuan-related populations.
c. 500 BCE (~2500 BP)
c. 1050
Lapita-associated people settle Vanuatu
Upcoming Prehistory

Southeast Asian-related seafarers reach western Remote Oceania in the first wave of settlement.
c. 1050 BCE (~3000 BP)
October 2026
Cell publishes full ancient DNA study
Latest Publication

Peer-reviewed paper reports 72 ancient genomes, two Papuan pulses into Fiji, and social stratification at Sigatoka.
2 days ago
August 2026
University of Tübingen announces findings
Announcement

Team previews results showing slower Papuan expansion and two pulses into Fiji.
August 2026
September 2022
Contemporary Vanuatu genomes mapped
Research

Study of 1,433 living ni-Vanuatu shows uneven East Asian-related ancestry across islands, suggesting uneven Papuan turnover.
September 2022
October 2016
Early Remote Oceanian genomes published
Research

Nature study finds early Vanuatu and Tonga settlers had little Papuan ancestry, opening the question of when it arrived.
October 2016

Scenarios

More Fijian genomes confirm the two-pulse Papuan arrival

Likely Resolves by End of 2028

Discussed by: The study authors at the University of Tübingen

If researchers sequence additional ancient individuals from Fiji and nearby islands, the two distinct Papuan admixture pulses (about 2000–1700 BP and 1300–900 BP) would either gain tighter dates or be revised. The current study drew on a limited sample, so independent datasets will test whether the two-wave pattern holds across the archipelago.

Fieldwork at Sigatoka expands the kinship and stratification record

Possible Resolves by End of 2028

Discussed by: Co-authors Patrick Nunn, Martin Gibbs, and Fiji Museum archaeologists

The eroding Sigatoka dune cemetery has been excavated in parts over decades. New excavation could test whether the wealth-by-ancestry pattern held across the whole site or was limited to one family plot. The team's five-generation pedigree, with multiple-partner unions and close-kin pairings, is a testable hypothesis for further fieldwork.

A reanalysis challenges the timing of Papuan dispersal into Fiji

Possible Resolves by End of 2028

Discussed by: Population geneticists using alternative admixture-dating methods

Admixture dating is method-sensitive; earlier studies using different tools produced older estimates. A reanalysis with alternative software could argue for a single, earlier Papuan arrival into Fiji rather than two later pulses, mirroring earlier debates over the Skoglund-era dating that this study revised.

Historical Context

2 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

October 2016

Skoglund et al., 'Ancient Genomics and the Peopling of the Southwest Pacific' (2016)

Four ancient genomes from Vanuatu (about 3100–2700 BP) and Tonga (about 2700–2300 BP) showed the first Remote Oceanian settlers had little to no Papuan ancestry. That contradicted the prevailing view that Lapita pioneers were already admixed with New Guinea populations before setting out.

Then

Overturned the model of a pre-mixed Lapita people and set off a search for when Papuan ancestry actually arrived.

Now

Established that Remote Oceania's population history involved large later migrations, not just a single founding event.

Why this matters now

The Cell study directly answers the question Skoglund's work left open: when and how Papuan ancestry spread across the region.

July 2018

Posth et al., 'Language continuity despite population replacement in Remote Oceania' (2018)

Sequencing additional ancient Vanuatu individuals, the team showed Papuan-related ancestry replaced East Asian-related ancestry across the archipelago around 2,500 years ago, while Austronesian languages persisted.

Then

Confirmed a major demographic turnover in Vanuatu.

Now

Showed population replacement does not necessarily mean language replacement, a lasting lesson for Pacific prehistory.

Why this matters now

The new Cell study refines the timing and geography of that turnover, showing it was drawn out and multi-wave rather than a single event.