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Archiver > GENEALOGY-DNA > 2003-06 > 1054575111


From: "Malcolm Dodd" <>
Subject: [DNA] Admixture matters NA and East Asian etc
Date: Mon, 2 Jun 2003 18:31:55 +0100


I was rereading the excellent book "The Seven Daughters of Eve" by Bryan
Sykes (which is a must for all DNA/Genealogy buffs) and thought that a
particular passage might possibly add a new dimension to the DNAPrint NA
discussion.
Discussing the great sea voyages across the Pacific by the Polynesian Dr
Sykes reports that in French Polynesia he found two mTDNA sequences that
matched sequences from Chile. He speculates that Polynesians on their way
back into the Pacific from South America may have taken some women. Everyone
now knows that the Kon Tiki "proved" the reverse of the truth, i.e that
after 40,000 years the inhabitants of New Guinea travelled south and east to
populate the Pacific Islands, eventually arriving in New Zealand around
1,200 years ago. (Note that their neighbours the Australians arrived around
60,000 years previously).

There are three known mtDNA "clans" in Native Americans (NA) that are found
universally and probably date to the earliest arrivals around 12,000 years
ago across the land from Siberia to Alaska.
Dr Sykes speculates that the mtDNA Ina clan which is virtually absent from
Siberia and Alaska (but is found in South and Central America) and is
closely associated with the colonisation of the Polynesian Islands from
South-East Asia may represent a sea borne colonisation of the Pacific coast
of North America - but only in temperate latitudes.

If the results of the DNAPrint "ethnic" test were to be correlated with the
mtDNA results by "clan" data it would be interesting to ascertain whether it
shows up anything of interest regarding the NA/IE EA/IE.

That there was (albeit minor) admixture from Americans travelling to the
area described as "East Asia" (which I believe includes the Pacific Islands)
is of some interest. Although the defining variant 247 of Polynesian mtDNA
is not found in the Americas.

The subject of NA and EA origins and admixture resulting from wondrous world
travel across large oceans links to the subject of the (Biblical)cemetery
names in the Shetland Isles.
Sykes tells of two fishermen on a small island off the west coast of
Scotland with similar but unusual DNA. They share a common Siberian
ancestor.
One has a close match with sequences found in Portugal, which match those in
South America. His ancestors had crossed into America from Siberia and then
down to Brazil, a Portuguese colony and from there his ancestors had found
their way (via Portugal?) to Scotland.
The other fisherman's DNA went the other way round the world. His ancestors
in Siberia moved west to Finland, along the Arctic Ocean and hence
(probably with the Vikings) to the same Scottish island.
In my family tree I have 19th century Australian born ancestors and yet I as
a well travelled 21st century person have never visited Australia.
Malcolm Dodd
with an ancestor with the lovely Biblical name of Esther Cain 1739-1821.



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