Genetic ancestry and indigenous heritage in a Native American Descendant Community in Bermuda

Abstract

Discovered in the early 16th century by European colonists, Bermuda is an isolated set of islands located in the mid-Atlantic. Shortly after its discovery, Bermuda became the first English colony to forcibly import its labor by trafficking in enslaved Africans, white ethnic minorities, and indigenous Americans. Oral traditions circulating today among contemporary tribes from the northeastern United States recount these same events, while, in Bermuda, St. David's Islanders consider their histories to be linked to a complex Native American, European, and African past. To investigate the influence of historical events on biological ancestry and native cultural identity, we analyzed genetic variation in 111 members of Bermuda's self-proclaimed St. David's Island Native Community. Our results reveal that the majority of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and Y-chromosome haplotypes are of African and West Eurasian origin. However, unlike other English-speaking New World colonies, most African mtDNA haplotypes appear to derive from central and southeast Africa, reflecting the extent of maritime activities in the region. In light of genealogical and oral historical data from the St. David's community, the low frequency of Native American mtDNA and NRY lineages may reflect the influence of genetic drift, the demographic impact of European colonization, and historical admixture with persons of non-native backgrounds, which began with the settlement of the islands. By comparing the genetic data with genealogical and historical information, we are able to reconstruct the complex history of this Bermudian community, which is unique among New World populations.

Clan, language, and migration history has shaped genetic diversity in Haida and Tlingit populations from Southeast Alaska

“…As noted above, we identified two branches of haplogroup Q in Southeast Alaskans, these being Q1a*, defined by the MEH2 SNP, and its derivative Q1a3a*, defined by the M346 and M3 SNPs. Q1a* is a paragroup made up of only a handful of individuals, with all other Native Americans falling into the more derived Q1a3* (M346) and Q1a3a* haplogroups (Bortolini et al, 2003; Zhadanov et al, 2010; Bisso-Machado et al, 2011; Gaieski et al, 2011). In Southeast Alaska, Q1a* appeared in only the Tlingit, while Q1a3a* was present in both the Haida and Tlingit.…”

“…All assays were read on an ABI 7900HT Fast Real-Time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) system. Once assigned to one of these basal lineages, the samples were screened for additional SNPs that define specific haplogroups and their subbranches using both custom TaqMan assays and polymerase chain reaction - restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) analysis (Zhadanov et al, 2010; Gaieski et al, 2011). All haplogroup assignments were made using the nomenclature presented in PhyloTree.org (mtDNA Tree Build 12; 07-20-12; van Oven and Kayser, 2009).…”

“…In addition, for each sample, the entire mtDNA CR (1121 bp), encompassing hypervariable regions I and II (HVS1 and HVS2), was sequenced using previously published methods (Zhadanov et al, 2010; Gaieski et al, 2011). All sequences were read on an ABI 3130XL Gene Analyzer, and aligned and edited with the Sequencher 4.9 software tool (Gene Codes Corporation).…”

Y-chromosome analysis reveals genetic divergence and new founding native lineages in Athapaskan- and Eskimoan-speaking populations

“…DNA samples were extracted using QIAamp DNA Mini kits (Qiagen) using the manufacturer's protocol with minor modifications (SI Methods). Samples were characterized using published methods (48,49). An SNP was discovered using the primers originally designated for Q4 in the work by Sengupta et al (32).…”

“…This SNP, named NWT01, is a C to G transversion at np 65 in the amplicon (Y position 2,888,083 in Build 37.2). Comparative data came from published literature (Table S2) (22,27,(48)(49)(50). Statistical analysis included estimates of haplotype diversity, mean pairwise differences and analysis of molecular variance using Arlequin v3.11 (51), and Vp estimates assessed as in the work by Kayser et al (52).…”