We have to start rethinking what is an African and who is not an African. There are light skinned Africans that has ***no*** relation to Europeans. And Tunisian are one of them. Saharawis are another group of North Africans that are extermemly pure Africans. But if you ask them they may tell you that they are Europeans. Based upon eye-balling. They may also tell you they are admixed. They are NOT. In the blood they are as African as Yorubans.
Don’t believe me? Here is another Study. They are using Alu/STR. As I sad STRs don’t lie!!!! SNPs are deceptively used by modern racialist geneticist because they know STRs/Alu tell the true story. That is why they published the SNP frequency of the Abusir and NOT the STRs like with the Amarnas. They are not going to make the same mistake twice. But the paper by Hollfielder et al put a wrench in that wheel because although Abusir paper excluded the Sudanese, Kenyans, Tanzanians, Ethiopians, Ugandans to deceive us …fortunately the Hollfielder paper came right after which included these SSA from East Africa and proved that Abusir were indeed the Kenyans, Sudanese, Tanzanians, Ethiopians etc. Great Lakes Africans.
Check this out…
------
From…
Mixed origin of the current Tunisian population from the analysis of Alu and Alu/STR compound systems -Wifak El Moncer1,
INTRODUCTION
The Neolithic Age was present in North Africa through three cultural periods.1
The first, Neolithic with Sudan origins, started about 9000 years before present (YBP) in the
extreme south of North Africa, where the current Saharan regions of Algeria are, and is characterized by
an ethnic contribution from Sudan. The second, Neolithic with Capsian origins, started about
7000 YBP, represents the continuity of the local Capsian culture (10 000–8000 YBP) and is considered to be the source of ‘proto- Mediterranean’ peoples. The third, Mediterranean Neolithic, embraces
the northern coastal regions and very likely represents the continuity of the local Oranean culture (17 000–10 000 YBP.
Finally, Tunisia received additional, less important contributions,
such as that of the Ottoman Turks during the sixteenth century.Small effective sizes, founder effects and variation of sub-Saharan African traces in their gene pool could be the
These particular markers have been selected for two main reasons. The first is the widely contrasted informative nature of the Alu polymorphisms9 because of their stability, low
mutation rate and known ancestral state. The second is the high degree of qualitative information provided by an STR linked to an Alu marker. Information from haplotype Alu/STR frequencies has been
successfully used to estimate fine genetic relationships in the Mediterranean region.10–12
Blood samples of 268 autochthonous Tunisian individuals were collected: 120 from north-center regions and 148 from the south
In the second dimension of the plot, the particular position of our Tunisian samples and the Middle Atlas Berbers probably underpins the
genetic differentiation between north and south Mediterraneans.Sub-Saharan African and Berber contribution to the Tunisian genetic background
As stated in previous anthropological studies,11,19
three CD4 Alu/STR haplotypes (100(+), 85( ) and 115( )) present a clear sub-Saharan African origin. In fact, they are absent or present in negligible frequencies in Europeans and Asians, whereas they are often present in high frequencies in sub-Saharan African groups and in relatively low frequencies in some of their neighboring populations.
These haplotypes are also present in our two Tunisian samples with a
remarkable quantitative difference: the total number of different sub-Saharan African haplotypes in the north-center sample was four times higher (7%) than that of the south (1.7%).
Concerning autosomal data,11,12 the usefulness of the combined use of Alu and STR markers to detect fine population relationships has been clearly shown through the study
of a wide population set of Mediterranean samples.
Such discrepancy of results could be attributed to the effect of the different number of markers compared (16 vs 3). However, the nature of the markers involved, with remarkably
different mutation rates, could also provide an explanation for the above observations: previous studies11,12 have proposed that
Alu loci are more suitable to detect ancient relationships, whereas Alu/STR
haplotypes perform better in quantifying ancestral genes or gene flow thanks to some population specific combinations. Thus, the presence of Berber and sub-Saharan African-specific combinations in remarkably
higher frequencies (10.5%) in north-center Tunisia, as compared with the southern sample (3.1%), suggests a certain degree of genetic heterogeneity also for the Alu/STR data.
The presence of a sub-Saharan component in the gene pool of the Tunisians was first shown by the GM and immunoglobulin Cg gene polymorphisms.22 The autosomal markers analyzed here have
allowed the quantification of
sub-Saharan gene flow for the Alu/ STR haplotypes. Sub-Saharan African contribution in our samples reached 39%.This value is comparable to, and even slightly higher than, other gene flow estimations previously
described11 in several North African populations ranging from 16.8% in Moroccan northeast
Atlas Berbers to 37.7% in Mozabite Berbers from Algeria. The presence of noticeable sub-Saharan African traces in present-day Tunisians is in agreement with mtDNA data23 reporting a higher
number of sub-Saharan L lineages in Tunisia (48%) as compared with Morocco (25%).The qualitative information provided by some particular Alu/STR combinations of the CD4 locus, such as 100(+), 85(_) and 115(_),
could be another indication of sub-Saharan gene flow. In this case,
north-center Tunisia attained a value (7%) considerably higher than that observed in the south of the country (1.7%). These frequencies range from 2.9% in northeast Atlas to 12.3% in Middle Atlas Moroccan
Berbers, but they have also been found in Algerian Mozabites (5.8%). The observed fluctuations of sub-Saharan gene flow in North Africa could be related to particular demographic events that may have
enhanced the
effect of genetic drift on a single locus. Whatever the case,
the existence of trans-Saharan African gene flow through the Maghreb is obvious, and has been reported by other genetic
studies,12,23,24 as well as in archeological and historical records.1 Notwithstanding, it is important to ask whether this sub-Saharan gene flow is relatively
recent or more ancient. Our results are
compatible
with the latter alternative.
All these data
considered TOGETHER suggest that the sub-Saharan component found in Tunisia is rather ancient and could be traced back to the first stage of Neolithic Age
(around 9000 YBP), characterized by an ethnic contribution from present-day SudanOur
Tunisian samples did not show any close genetic affinity with either the Sicilians or the Turks, two Mediterranean populations that had
historical ties with Tunisia. The Tunisian samples cluster together with the Berber groups from Morocco and Algeria, in agreement with recent works based on other
genetic data.26–28 The close genetic relationship of the two Arab speaking populations with the Berber-speaking samples could be explained assuming a small number of Arabs coming from the
Arabian Peninsula, as compared with that of the autochthonous
In conclusion, the results discussed here allow us to postulate that the general
ancient genetic profile of the native North Africans—the
Berbers—is not very different from that of the present-day North African populations, despite some admixture with other peoples,
particularly Arabs, during successive historical periods.
The populations of the Maghreb seem to share a substantial genetic background,
regardless of culture and geography.
----
What is all that mumbo jumbo about? What is the researcher telling us?
Indigenous North Africans like Berbers are as African as they come. ALL carry substantial Sub-Saharan genetics markers. I said ALL!!! ALL indigenous North Africans(which do not include Ottoman Turks)!! “Modern “ North Africans originated in the Sudan(I personally believe it may be further south – see Malawi_Hora 8200bp who carried SRADINIAN ancestry, but that is a different discussion)
These author uses Alu/STR for their study and NOT SNPs. STRs are much more reliable. This Sudanese migration started 9000years ago. These Sudanese migrants met another set of AMH in North Africa 9000years ago. WHG!! That is why North Africans carry a high frequency of WHG. There is no genetic proof of “Arabs” migrating to Africa regardless to what the history books said. All lies or misunderstanding. “Moslem” customs may have exist in Africa …and Europe before mohammed was born.
The author is “assuming” a small Arabian group brought Islam to Tunisia and North Africa because there is no genetic evidence for migration from Arabia during the Islamic period. But As I said the custom/culture existed long before “mohammed”. Don’t believe everything you read in “history books”.
The male marker that came from Eastern Africa(Sudan area) is yDNA E1b1b and most like J1. But it was not male only. The female line had to be a combination of R0 and it subclades like H1/H3. And of course L2/L3. L1b has a Paleolithic presence in North Africa and Europe.
Can you please explain in more detail about no evidence for migration from" Arabia" during Islamic period; & if there might have been a much earlier migration from the" middle east " including fauna & flora ?