Distinct positions of genetic and oral histories: Perspectives from India
Arjun Biddanda,
Esha Bandyopadhyay,
Constanza de la Fuente Castro,
David Witonsky,
Jose A. Urban Aragon,
Nagarjuna Pasupuleti,
Hannah M. Moots,
Renée Fonseca,
Suzanne Freilich,
Jovan Stanisavic,
Tabitha Willis,
Anoushka Menon,
Mohammed S. Mustak,
Chinnappa Dilip Kodira,
Anjaparavanda P. Naren,
Mithun Sikdar,
Niraj Rai,
Maanasa Raghavan
Affiliations
Arjun Biddanda
Department of Human Genetics, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
Esha Bandyopadhyay
Department of Human Genetics, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
Constanza de la Fuente Castro
Department of Human Genetics, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA; Programa de Genética Humana, Instituto de Ciencias Biomédicas, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
David Witonsky
Department of Human Genetics, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
Jose A. Urban Aragon
Department of Human Genetics, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
Nagarjuna Pasupuleti
Department of Applied Zoology, Mangalore University, Mangalagangothri, Karnataka 574199, India
Hannah M. Moots
Department of Human Genetics, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA; Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures Museum, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
Renée Fonseca
Department of Human Genetics, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
Suzanne Freilich
Department of Human Genetics, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA; Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Vienna, Vienna 1090, Austria
Jovan Stanisavic
Department of Human Genetics, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
Tabitha Willis
Department of Human Genetics, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
Anoushka Menon
Department of Archaeology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3DZ, UK
Mohammed S. Mustak
Department of Applied Zoology, Mangalore University, Mangalagangothri, Karnataka 574199, India
Chinnappa Dilip Kodira
PureTech Health, 6 Tide Street, Boston, MA 02210, USA
Anjaparavanda P. Naren
Division of Pulmonary Medicine, Cystic Fibrosis Research Center, Department of Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA
Mithun Sikdar
Anthropological Survey of India, Mysore, Karnataka 570026, India
Niraj Rai
Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences, Uttar Pradesh, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh 226007, India; Corresponding author
Maanasa Raghavan
Department of Human Genetics, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA; Corresponding author
Summary: Over the past decade, genomic data have contributed to several insights on global human population histories. These studies have been met both with interest and critically, particularly by populations with oral histories that are records of their past and often reference their origins. While several studies have reported concordance between oral and genetic histories, there is potential for tension that may stem from genetic histories being prioritized or used to confirm community-based knowledge and ethnography, especially if they differ. To investigate the interplay between oral and genetic histories, we focused on the southwestern region of India and analyzed whole-genome sequence data from 156 individuals identifying as Bunt, Kodava, Nair, and Kapla. We supplemented limited anthropological records on these populations with oral history accounts from community members and historical literature, focusing on references to non-local origins such as the ancient Scythians in the case of Bunt, Kodava, and Nair, members of Alexander the Great’s army for the Kodava, and an African-related source for Kapla. We found these populations to be genetically most similar to other Indian populations, with the Kapla more similar to South Indian tribal populations that maximize a genetic ancestry related to Ancient Ancestral South Indians. We did not find evidence of additional genetic sources in the study populations than those known to have contributed to many other present-day South Asian populations. Our results demonstrate that oral and genetic histories may not always provide consistent accounts of population origins and motivate further community-engaged, multi-disciplinary investigations of non-local origin stories in these communities.
