| Abstract: |
Introduction: The Lapita cultural complex, now dated between 3600 and 2500 years B.P., represents the initial, and relatively rapid, colonization of Polynesia and the neighboring regions of the Pacific by Austronesian-speaking peoples (Bellwood 1979, 1985
Green 1979
Kirch 1988). The distribution of Lap ita sites extends from the Bismarck Archipelago region in Papua New Guinea through Melanesia to the island nations of Fiji, Tonga, and Samoa in the east. Although some of the earliest sites are located in the western portion of this distribution, the immediate origins of the Lapita culture and people remain elusive. Indigenous development from cultures already present in Melanesia (Green 1979
Spriggs 1984
Allen 1984) and an Island Southeast Asian origin (Bellwood 1979, 1985) represent two contrasting archaeological interpretations. While the evidence from archaeology for documenting the Lapita Cultural Complex and its origins is substantial, there are relatively few skeletal remains for investigating the biological origins of these people. Recent excavations in Rakival Village on Watom Island, East New Britain Province of Papua New Guinea, have increased the total number of Lapita skeletons from this site to eight, making this one of the largest Lapita-associated skeletal samples now available. This paper briefly summarizes the results of univariate and multivariate comparisons of the Watom and other Lapita remains with more modern skeletal populations from Asia and the Pacific. Biological relationships and the origins of the Polynesians are assessed in light of this new information.
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