Maternal Archives - New Historian

Popular Archeology, adding, “This is unlike people anywhere else in the world and provides compelling support for the remarkable Aboriginal cultural connection to country. We’re hoping this project leads to a rewriting of Australia’s history texts to include detailed Aboriginal history and what it means to have been on their land for 50,000 years – that’s around 10 times as long as all of the European history we’re commonly taught.” This research is the first phase of a 10-year project intended to allow people to trace their Aboriginal heritage and regional ancestry in order to construct a family genealogical history. Additionally, it will also help with the return of Aboriginal artifacts. “Aboriginal people have always known that we have been on our land since the start of our time,” said Mr. Lewis O’Brien, a Kaurna Elder who was among the original hair donors and is a member of the study’s advisory group. “But it is important to have science show that to the rest of the world. This is an exciting project and we hope it will help assist those of our people from the Stolen Generation and others to reunite with their families.” The research will be further extended to study paternal Aboriginal lineages and obtain additional information in the nuclear genome. Team member Dr. Ray Tobler, a postdoctoral researcher who has an Aboriginal heritage from his father’s side, was granted an Australian Research Council (ARC) Indigenous Discovery Fellowship to continue the AHP research, and investigate how the longevity of the Aboriginal populations in various habitats in different regions of Australia has helped form the amazing physical diversity found in today’s Aboriginal Australians. The research findings have been published in the journal Nature. ]]>

Nature Communications, the researchers note that the crypt was purposefully constructed for a high status member of the community. The initial burial was for a man in his forties killed by a blow to the head. His burial is the richest ever found in the southwest USA, his grave goods including 11,000 turquoise beads and 3,300 shell beads alongside other artifacts including abalone shells and a conch shell trumpet originating from the Gulf of California. The other thirteen burials in the building had taken place over the course of the following 300 years. This led the team to wander if the fourteen people had all been related. DNA analysis found that all of the individuals shared the same mitochondrial genome sequence. Inherited only from the mother, matching mitochondrial DNA not only suggests a group of individuals were from the same family, but that the inheritance was matrilineal. Once the matrilineal connection had been established, the team looked to determine specific relationships among the individuals. “Using DNA sequences from the nuclear genome combined with the radiocarbon dates, we identified a mother-daughter pair and a grandmother-grandson relationship,” said Kennett. “For the first time, we’re saying that one kinship group controlled Pueblo Bonito for more than 300 years,” said Steve Plog, Professor of Archaeology, University of Virginia, who worked with the team to radiocarbon date the remains. “This is the best evidence of a social hierarchy in the ancient Southwest.” The study is available at Nature Image: Selection of turquoise and shell artifacts found in Room 33 of Pueblo Bonito (Chaco Canyon, New Mexico, USA), courtesy of Roderick Mickens ©American Museum of Natural History]]>

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