Talk by Pavel Flegontov

Abstract:According to the three-wave model of settlement of the Americas, a majority of modern Native Americans come from the first migration wave. Two migrations of smaller scale occurred around 5,000 and 1,000 YBP, bringing Paleo-Eskimos (nowadays extinct) and modern Eskimos/Inuits, respectively, to the north of the continent. While modern descendants of the first and third waves are clearly identifiable, this is not the case for the second wave. Ethnic groups speaking Na-Dene languages have been suggested as possible candidates, but that has been disputed recently based on genomic data. The second wave of migration may have transmitted Siberian languages into America, giving rise to the putative Dene-Yeniseian language family. As ancient Paleo-Eskimos represent the only native group bearing substantial Siberian ancestry in America, finding a Siberian signal in Na-Dene would suggest that they are descended from the second wave. We have analyzed Beringian and Siberian ancestry in Native Americans, relying on rare SNP allele and autosomal haplotype sharing patterns. Using the Rarecoal approach, we have also modelled a population tree with admixture events. Our results speak in favor of the Paleo-Eskimo ancestry in Na-Dene.