Comoros Islanders. African, Asian, Middle East or….?

[djoser-xyyman]

I may have to rethink your proposal of a now sunken land mass …or these people were doing some serious navigation across the Oceans during pre-historical times. I am not sure how they did it but apparently they did.


This study is fascinating in that the authors make inferences about genetic connection and migration but provided no direct proof. In addition they do not apply the same hypothesis across the board. Eg within some haplogroups they suggest no connection because of dis-similar haplotypes. But assumed Persians were travelling to the Islands even though the haplotypes were different between the two regions.

Nevertheless there is some really interesting information disclosed.


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Genetic diversity on the Comoros Islands shows early seafaring as major determinant of human biocultural evolution in the Western Indian Ocean. - Said Msaidie 2011



Quotes:
GenBank: HM565257-HM565275). Choice of markers and branch designations was based on published data20 and trees presented at www.ianlogan.co.uk.


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The low incidence of E-M293 (0.8%) and A-M91 (0%) on the Comoros contrasts strongly with the frequency of these haplogroups in East African populations. E-M293 is found mainly in East Africa, Kenya and Tanzania (18%).38 Furthermore, on the African mainland M293 chromosomes carry either 10, or 13 and more repeats at the DYS389I STR locus,38 while, on the Comoros, they have 12 repeats. Haplogroup A has a frequency of 14% in Kenyan Bantu and 7% in Tanzania.13 Other haplogroups of likely sub-Saharan African origin on the Comoros are ESRY4064( xM2,M35,M75) (1.3%) and B2a (1.6%). B2a has a low frequency in southern Iran and Qatar,27,39

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Compatible with a Shirazi origin, we found that, at 9 Y-STR loci (DYS19, 389AB, 389CD, 390-393, 438 and 439), 42% of the Comoros Northern chromosomes DIFFER by 0-1 mutation from chromosomes in Southern Iran.48,49


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All but one of the Comorian O1 chromosomes are O1a-M50 (5.8%). The O1a-M50 Y chromosome has its highest incidence in SEA: Borneo (10-20%), Sulawesi (4%), Taiwanese aborigines (0-59%, mean 14%) and the Philippines (3-12%).5,52,53 It has not been detected in the Middle East or the Indian subcontinent.5,27,39,45 We performed an MDS with our STR data for the Y haplogroups O, C* and K* together with available STR data from candidate SEA populations (Figure 2b). The Comoros show a low affinity to the populations selected, even when C* and K* are not included (not shown), suggesting that these populations are not the source of SEA chromosomes on the Comoros.

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The remaining 15.3% of the Comoros sample is composed almost exclusively of haplogroups that can either be unambiguously identified as SEA (B4a1a1-PM, F3b, and M7c1c - 10.6%),25 or fall into the paragroup M(xD,E,M1,M2,M7) (4%) (Figure 3). The latter haplogroups are probably also originally from Southeast Asia, but of the 12 different M* HVS-I sequences on the Comoros, ONLY two match published sequences: two M(xM7) mitochondria found on Madagascar.8 We found no haplogroups that could be assigned to the Middle East.

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Male-biased gene flow from the Middle East
There are no mitochondrial lineages on the Comoros that are frequent in the Middle East (Figure 3). We have tested for, but did not find, the R haplogroups, H, J, T, U and V, or N(xR) that represent 80% of the mitochondria in Iran.56


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An opposite female gene flow from Africa to the Middle East, is clearly evident in Yemen (34% mt-Hg L; 4% Y-Hg E-M2), Iraq and the Levant.57 However, no mt-Hg L has been found in Iran (n=712),56 despite the presence of Y-Hg E-M2 (1.7%),27 supporting the idea that the elevated mt-Hg L frequency in the western Middle East is not exclusively a consequence of the Arab slave trade, but also of geography.58



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Interestingly, there are a number of similarities between the genetic profile of the Comoros islanders and the Lemba of South Africa, a Bantu speaking people whose Semitic origins are evident at both the cultural and genetic level.15,59 The Lemba have high frequencies of the Middle Eastern Y chromosome HgJ-12f2a (25%), a potentially SEA Y, Hg-K(xPQR) (32%) and a Bantu Y, E-PN1 (30%) (similar to E-M2), raising the possibility that the Lemba and Comorian populations are consequences of similar demographic processes. The high-resolution genotyping of the Lemba Y chromosomes and mitochondria will elucidate this question

[djoser-xyyman]

To the newbies. Several points needs to be highlighted in this study.

1. This is the first I have seen where the Lemba also carry South East Asian (SEA) YDNA hg K
2. The author is suggesting that the peoples of the Comoros although similar is of a DIFFERENT genetic background to Madagascar
3. They also conclude that the African mtDNA haplotype found in Yemen is unique and not due to “slavery”, just as DNATribes, Underhill et al and many others. Yemen is indeed an extension of Africa.
4. Infact that extension may reach as far as Persia since YDNA M2 and B is also found in Persia.
5. The authors made the ridiculous and absurd inference that ONLY “Persian” males made the sea trek to the Comoros during “documented historical” times but the pre-historical hunter gathers (savages) Male AND Femal made the Indian Ocean trek from far away as the Borneo/Taiwan to the Comoros.
6. Note: within a haplogroup, the haplotypes found IN Comoros is NOT a subset of those found in SEA or Persia meaning they are a DIFFERENT population. The author preferentially used that hypothesis. That is why you need to pay close attention to the inferences drawn by the authors when you read these papers. ONLY PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO THE FACTS/DATA and ignore the BS explanation given by these prejudicial and ignorant authors. They write these inferences like a bad Hollywood script.


To add further. Keep in mind you cannot assume that all populations that belong to a specific haplogroup are closely related. 7-10ya that was the science available. CURRENT technology with high resolution analysis that is no longer valid. Haplotypes(and other high resolution analysis) can now parse out/distinguish within haplogroups. And there is more to come. We are only just getting started.

This technology allowed DNATribes to conclude that Bantu like people existed in Yemen BEFORE the Neolithic/Saharan farmers entered Yemen. Also proved the Bantu expansion NEVER occurred. East African Bantus speakers are older than West African Bantu. Kefi showed Africa has MORE unique mtDNA hgH haplotypes than Europe and Europe is a sub-set of Africa. And I can go on and on and on.

Hit me up with any questions for or against…I got this.

[djoser-xyyman]

To clarify things for newbies, ie haplogroups vs haplotypes.. Think of marbles you play with as a child. They come in different colors. Marbles = haplogroups.

What the author is saying is that although the populations of the Comoros have the same haplogroups as SEA they are of a “different” type. In other words SEA carry red, blue, green and orange marbles. But Comoroians carry red, black, white and purple marbles. If the SEA migrated to Comoros BOTH groups will carry essentially the SAME colors which is NOT the case.


This is the advantage of MODERN high resolution technology and looking at haplotypes within a haplogroup.



To those who are ….slow. The inexplicable thing is the genetic makeup of the people is EXACTLY where it should be……. geographically. At the cross-roads between Africa, Middle East and SEA!!!! But their genetic connection is not really close to either.

Explanation, hypotheisis?