Ancient DNA analyses were then applied to the other Pacific
commensal animals. Analyses of ancient pig mtDNA indicate that
only a single lineage was introduced to the Pacific, and that lineage
could be traced back to the coast of Vietnam (Larson et al., 2007).
Ancient DNA analyses of archaeological dog remains from the Pacific
indicate at least two mtDNA lineages were introduced, both of
which are distinct from the introduction of dogs/dingoes to
Australia and New Guinea (Savolainen et al., 2004). The earliest
evidence of dog bones in the Pacific region comes from Australia,
where dingo remains date to about 3500 years BP (Milham and
Thomson, 1976). Interestingly, however, when the archaeological
evidence for dog remains in Lapita sites was investigated, therewas
little to no evidence for dog bones in early contexts. While dog bone
does appear in reasonable numbers in archaeological sites in the
Pacific that date from about 2000 years BP onwards, dog bone has
never been identified in pre-European archaeological sites in
Vanuatu or New Caledonia. This evidence suggests that perhaps
dogs were not part of, or certainly not a significant part of, the
Lapita cultural complex (Matisoo-Smith, 2007). It also raises some
interesting questions regarding the introduction of dogs to Polynesia.
Dog bone appears in many early sites in Central and East
Polynesia (though dogs were not introduced prehistorically to
Easter Island) but how did those dogs get to Polynesia, and from
where, given that they did not appear to pass through New Caledonia
or Vanuatu?