A genetic history of the pre-contact Caribbean (original) (raw)
Where are the Caribs? Ancient DNA from ceramic period human remains in the Lesser Antilles
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 2014
The identity and history of the indigenous groups who occupied the Lesser Antilles during the ceramic periods remain highly controversial. Although recent archaeological evidence has challenged hypotheses concerning the organization of human groups in this region, more biological data are needed to fully inform the discussion. Our study provides, to our knowledge, the first palaeogenetic data for Late Ceramic groups of the Guadeloupe archipelago, yielding crucial information concerning the identities of these groups. Despite the generally poor DNA preservation in the tested remains, we were able to retrieve Hypervariable Region 1 sequences from 11 individuals and mitochondrial single-nucleotide polymorphisms from 13 individuals. These novel data provide interesting preliminary results in favour of a common origin for all Saladoid Caribbean communities, i.e. the first ceramic groups of the region, as well as for a local continuity between the Saladoid and post-Saladoid groups. A combination of the genetic data obtained and several pieces of cultural evidence allows us to propose that two different groups inhabited the Guadeloupe archipelago during the Late Ceramic period, with the possible occupation of the La Désirade and Marie-Galante islands by groups affiliated with the Taíno communities. The working hypotheses proposed here appear consistent with recent archaeological evidence.
Ancient DNA Reconstructs the Genetic Legacies of Precontact Puerto Rico Communities
Molecular Biology and Evolution, 2019
Indigenous peoples have occupied the island of Puerto Rico since at least 3000 BC. Due to the demographic shifts that occurred after European contact, the origin(s) of these ancient populations, and their genetic relationship to present-day islanders, are unclear. We use ancient DNA to characterize the population history and genetic legacies of precontact Indigenous communities from Puerto Rico. Bone, tooth, and dental calculus samples were collected from 124 individuals from three precontact archaeological sites: Tibes, Punta Candelero, and Paso del Indio. Despite poor DNA preservation, we used target enrichment and high-throughput sequencing to obtain complete mitochondrial genomes (mtDNA) from 45 individuals and autosomal genotypes from two individuals. We found a high proportion of Native American mtDNA haplogroups A2 and C1 in the precontact Puerto Rico sample (40% and 44%, respectively). This distribution, as well as the haplotypes represented, supports a primarily Amazonian South American origin for these populations and mirrors the Native American mtDNA diversity patterns found in present-day islanders. Three mtDNA haplotypes from precon-tact Puerto Rico persist among Puerto Ricans and other Caribbean islanders, indicating that present-day populations are reservoirs of precontact mtDNA diversity. Lastly, we find similarity in autosomal ancestry patterns between precontact individuals from Puerto Rico and the Bahamas, suggesting a shared component of Indigenous Caribbean ancestry with close affinity to South American populations. Our findings contribute to a more complete reconstruction of precontact Caribbean population history and explore the role of Indigenous peoples in shaping the biocultural diversity of present-day Puerto Ricans and other Caribbean islanders.
Shipwrecks and founder effects: Divergent demographic histories reflected in Caribbean mtDNA
American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 2005
During the period of the Atlantic slave trade (15th–19th centuries), millions of people were forced to move from Africa to many American destinations, changing dramatically the human landscape of the Americas. Here, we analyze mitochondrial DNA from two different American populations with African ancestry, with hitherto unknown European and Native American components. On the basis of historical records, African-Americans from Chocó (Colombia) and the Garífunas (or “Black Carib”) of Honduras are likely to have had very different demographic histories, with a significant founder effect in the formation of the latter. Both the common features and differences are reflected in their mtDNA composition. Both show a minor component (∼16%) from Native Central/South Americans and a larger component (∼84%) from sub-Saharan Africans. The latter component is very diverse in the African-Americans from Chocó, similar to that of sub-Saharan Africans, but much less so in the Garífunas, with several mtDNA types elevated to high frequency, suggesting the action of genetic drift. Am J Phys Anthropol, 2005. © 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Genomic insights into the early peopling of the Caribbean
Science, 2020
The Caribbean was one of the last regions of the Americas to be settled by humans, but how, when, and from where they reached the islands remains unclear. We generated genome-wide data for 93 ancient Caribbean islanders dating between 3200-400 cal. BP and find evidence of at least three separate dispersals into the region, including two early dispersals into the Western Caribbean, one of which seems connected to radiation events in North America. This was followed by a later expansion from South America. We also detect genetic differences between the early settlers and the newcomers from South America with almost no evidence of admixture. Our results add to our understanding of the initial peopling of the Caribbean and the movements of Archaic Age peoples in the Americas.
A population history of indigenous Bahamian islanders: Insights from ancient DNA
American Journal of Biological Anthropology, 2022
Objectives: The Bahamas is an archipelago in the western Atlantic Ocean that stretches over 1000 km, just north of Cuba and east of the Florida Peninsula. Modern DNA studies show that contemporary Bahamians are genetic descendants of European and African ancestors, unlike Cuba, Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico, where Indigenous descendancy is well documented. For The Bahamas little was known about the genetic ancestry of the Indigenous Lucayans (AD 700-1600) and their relationship to other Indigenous Caribbean populations. In this study, we investigated genetic diversity in Indigenous Lucayans from the Bahamas Archipelago to better understand the phylogeography of their genetic lineages, and to determine their relationship with other Indigenous Caribbean populations. We characterized genetic diversity across two uniparental markers in 31 ancient individuals from burial sites on seven Bahamian islands. We observed significant homogeneity in Lucayan paternal lineages, with only two haplogroups (Q-M902 and Q-Z781) found among them. Mitochondrial lineages were more diverse, with individuals belonging to haplogroup A2, B2, C1b, and C1d1. Four were assigned to a previously unidentified C1d lineage. Of the B2 samples, 7 of 11 belonged to the rare South America/Caribbean haplogroup B2e. This haplogroup was the most prevalent in the Northwest Bahamas while C1, particularly C1d, was more prevalent in the Central and Southern Bahamas. Discussion: These findings document a complex genetic history with an initial migration from Hispaniola beginning 1300 years ago, and possible gene flow from Cuba to Andros in late Bahamian prehistory.
2003
To assess the genetic affinities of extinct Ciboneys (also called Guanajuatabeys) from Cuba, 47 pre-Columbian skeletal samples belonging to this group were analyzed using ancient DNA techniques. At the time of European contact, the center and east of Cuba were occupied by agriculturalist Taino groups, while the west was mainly inhabited by Ciboneys, hunter-gatherers who have traditionally been considered a relic population descending from the initial colonization of the Caribbean. The mtDNA hypervariable region I (HVR-I) and haplogroup-specific markers were amplified and sequenced in 15 specimens using overlapping fragments; amplification from second extractions from the same sample, independent replication in different laboratories, and cloning of some PCR products support the authenticity of the sequences. Three of the five major mtDNA Amerindian lineages (A, C, and D) are present in the sample analyzed, in frequencies of 0.07, 0.60, and 0.33, respectively. Different phylogenetic analyses seem to suggest that the Caribbean most likely was populated from South America, although the data are still inconclusive, and Central American influences cannot be discarded. Our hypothesis is that the colonization of the Caribbean mainly took place in successive migration movements that emanated from the same area in South America, around the Lower Orinoco Valley: the first wave consisted of hunter-gatherer groups (ancestors of the Ciboneys), a subsequent wave of agriculturalists (ancestors of the Tainos), and a latter one of nomadic Carib warriors. However, further genetic studies are needed to confirm this scenario. Am
Origins and genetic legacies of the Caribbean Taino
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2018
The Caribbean was one of the last parts of the Americas to be settled by humans, but how and when the islands were first occupied remains a matter of debate. Ancient DNA can help answering these questions, but the work has been hampered by poor DNA preservation. We report the genome sequence of a 1,000-year-old Lucayan Taino individual recovered from the site of Preacher's Cave in the Bahamas. We sequenced her genome to 12.4-fold coverage and show that she is genetically most closely related to present-day Arawakan speakers from northern South America, suggesting that the ancestors of the Lucayans originated there. Further, we find no evidence for recent inbreeding or isolation in the ancient genome, suggesting that the Lucayans had a relatively large effective population size. Finally, we show that the native American components in some present-day Caribbean genomes are closely related to the ancient Taino, demonstrating an element of continuity between precontact populations a...
The Pre-Columbian Caribbean: Colonization, Population Dispersal, and Island Adaptations
Once considered a backwater of New World prehistory, the Caribbean has now emerged from the archaeological shadows as a critical region for answering a host of questions related to human population dispersal, Neotropical island adaptations, maritime subsistence, seafaring, island interaction networks, and the rise of social complexity, among many others. In this paper, I provide a review of: (1) what is currently known about the antiquity of Pre-Columbian colonization of the Caribbean using archaeological, biological, and oceanographic data; (2) how these data inform on the dispersal of what appear to be many different population movements through time; and (3) the subsequent adaptations (e.g., technological, subsistence, and economic) that took place across the islands after initial contact. Results of more than a century of research demonstrate that the Antilles were settled much earlier than once thought (ca. 7000 cal yr BP), in multiple waves that show strong linkages to South America, but possibly originated from more than one source location. Dispersal was patchy, with several intriguing chronological and spatial disparities that scholars are now investigating in more detail. Beginning ca. 2500 cal yr BP, and accelerating around 1500 cal yr BP, the frequent transport and exchange of goods, services, animals, plants, knowledge, and spiritual ideologies between the islands as well as mainland areas — particularly South America — testify to the interconnected nature of Pre-Columbian societies in the region. The use of more advanced analytical techniques, including ancient DNA, archaeobotany, stable isotopes, and various approaches to geochemical and mineralogical sourcing of artifacts, which until recently have been largely underused in the Caribbean, is opening new avenues of research that are creating exciting opportunities for examining ancient Amerindian lifeways.
Faces divulge the origins of Caribbean prehistoric inhabitants
2020
The origins of the first peoples to colonize the Caribbean Islands have been the subject of intense debate for over 30 years. Competing hypotheses have identified five separate migrations from the mainland with a separate debate concerning the colonization of The Bahamas. Significant differences in the facial morphology of the pre-Columbian inhabitants of Hispaniola and Cuba led to the present study of Lucayan skulls from The Bahamas. The goal was to determine which group the native Lucayans more closely resembled to resolve this long-standing dispute. The results indicate that they are related to groups from Hispaniola and Jamaica and not to Cuban inhabitants. This study clarified the larger picture of Caribbean migrations and supports evidence for a Carib invasion of the Greater Antilles around AD 800.