New DNA analysis shows that Polynesians introduced chickens to South America well before Christopher Columbus first set foot in the New World. The evidence supports the theory that the Americas were visited by sea-faring groups from the East prior to the arrival of Europeans.
Who brought chickens to America?
Polynesians
Europeans arriving in North America found a continent teeming with native turkeys and ducks for the plucking and eating. Some archaeologists believe that chickens were first introduced to the New World by Polynesians who reached the Pacific coast of South America a century or so before the voyages of Columbus.
Did Polynesians bring chickens?
Beginning ≈1500–1000 B.P., the settlement of East Polynesia began, probably from Samoa, with colonization of Hawai’i by 1000 B.P., Easter Island by 800 B.P. and New Zealand by 700 B.P. Polynesians introduced dogs, pigs, rats and chickens to many of the islands they settled (8).
What did Polynesians bring to America?
Polynesian voyagers frequently traveled between islands and could have journeyed to South America and back, perhaps multiple times, Fox says. “In the process, these Polynesians bring back the sweet potato, and they also bring back a small fragment of Native American DNA” from relationships on the mainland.
When were chickens introduced to the USA?
Carried west over the centuries by Harappan merchants, Persian caravans, and Roman armies, the chicken finally arrived in the New World in 1493 as a passenger on Christopher Columbus’ second voyage to the Americas.
Are chickens indigenous to the Americas?
New DNA analysis shows that Polynesians introduced chickens to South America well before Christopher Columbus first set foot in the New World.
Did Maori have chickens?
However, sources of large native animals had become depleted by the time Captain Cook introduced chickens in 1773, after which chickens became readily integrated into Māori livelihoods, and were moved around New Zealand by Māori at this time.
Did Polynesians bring chickens to Hawaii?
Polynesians brought red junglefowl with them when they settled Hawaii, and only cross-bred them with domestic chickens following Captain Cook’s landing on the archipelago in 1778. So the Hawaiian chickens are pretty recently developed from their wild form.
Is there Polynesian DNA in South America?
And while South American DNA is found in Polynesia, no Polynesian DNA is found in South America.
Where did chickens come from originally?
The chicken is one of the most ubiquitous domesticated animals; it is bred for both its egg and meat, and is thought to have originally been domesticated from the red junglefowl (Gallus gallus) native to multiple regions from Southeast Asia to Southwest China3,4,5.
Do Native Americans have Polynesian DNA?
Polynesians and Native Americans paired up 800 years ago, DNA reveals. About 800 years ago, long before dating apps existed, Polynesians from the South Pacific and Native Americans from what is now Colombia hooked up, creating a genetic signature that still exists in some Polynesians today, a new genetic study finds.
Where does Polynesian DNA originate?
Today, people on Rapa Nui, also known as Easter Island, and four other Polynesian islands carry small amounts of DNA inherited from people who lived in Colombia about 800 years ago. One explanation: Polynesians came to South America, and then took South Americans onto their boats to voyage back out to sea.
What race are Polynesians?
Polynesians, including Samoans, Tongans, Niueans, Cook Islands Māori, Tahitian Mā’ohi, Hawaiian Māoli, Marquesans and New Zealand Māori, are a subset of the Austronesian peoples.
Did Europeans bring chickens to the Americas?
According to Storey and colleagues, the domestic chicken came to the Americas by multiple routes. One of those routes was from Europe, when Dutch and Portuguese slave traders brought chickens over from Africa in the 16th century.
Are chickens native to Hawaii?
Feral chickens, which are not native to Hawaii, have become a bit of a fixture on the islands of Oahu and Kauai.
Who domesticated chickens first?
The first, published this month in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), found that the chicken’s domestication began in rice fields planted by Southeast Asian farmers 3,500 years ago, reports Bruce Bower for Science News.
Did Mayans have chickens?
The Yucatec Mayas originally used kaax (pronounced kaush) for chickens, which definitely were introduced by the Spanish in Mexico. Most Mayas now use the Spanish word, pollo.
Are eggs native to North America?
The Romans found egg-laying hens in England, Gaul, and among the Germans. The first domesticated fowl reached North America with the second voyage of Columbus in 1493.”
What came first the chicken or the egg?
Back to our original question: with amniotic eggs showing up roughly 340 million or so years ago, and the first chickens evolving at around 58 thousand years ago at the earliest, it’s a safe bet to say the egg came first. Eggs were around way before chickens even existed.
Did Māori come from Hawaii?
Hawaiki is the traditional Māori place of origin. The first Māori are said to have sailed to New Zealand from Hawaiki. And in Māori mythology Hawaiki is the place where Io, the supreme being, created the world and its first people.
What do New Zealanders call chickens?
Chook: Chicken. Funnily it can also be an endearment! Your guide for understanding the way we speak on your New Zealand trip! Eh: Pronounced ‘ay’.