ABSTRACT
The exploration of the social structure and spatial organization of the prehistoric inhabitants of Rapa Nui is an example of how molecular studies can be integrated with detailed archaeological approaches and fine-scale geographic mapping. Well-studied archaeological populations offer the opportunity to test the utility of molecular approaches to reconstructing population structure and history. Three main sources of information have traditionally been marshaled to explain the apparently high degree of social competition, monumental construction, and overall "esoteric efflorescence" on Rapa Nui. These are ethnographic evidence, biological studies, and archaeological remains. Ethnographic accounts of indigenous Rapa Nui culture have been used to reconstruct the prehistoric and protohistoric social hierarchical and kinship system. To understand the specific lineage histories and evolution of genetic divergence in Rapa Nui, tests of population structure must be sensitive to nonrandom gene flow in any form predicted from prior anthropological or archaeological observations.
