It's been pretty suspected for awhile due to the presence of sweet potatoes in Polynesia. This, however, gives a range of years for when that contact occurred,

It's been pretty suspected for awhile due to the presence of sweet potatoes in Polynesia. This, however, gives a range of years for when that contact occurred, and that's big. However, the ecocide theory of Rapa Nui has been so popular that, in some ways, finding evidence that that simply did not occur is bigger news.