Genomic data from present-day individuals illuminate the pre-Columbian migratory routes of Native American populations in Brazil, according to a study. Approximately 900,000 Native Americans, mostly Tupí speakers, lived on the Brazilian coast in the 15th century, but these populations were declared extinct by the end of the 18th century due to decimation by European settlers. The colonization by Europeans concealed critical aspects of Native American history, including how the Tupí arrived on the coast and why this group left the Amazon basin approximately 2,000 years ago. Tábita Hu?nemeier and colleagues generated genomic data for 102 Brazilian Native Americans, including a self-reported coastal Tupí community called the Tupiniquim. The results suggest that the Tupiniquim are the only living representatives of the Tupí branch that settled the Brazilian coast. In addition, the genomic data support the hypothesis that ancient Tupí took a direct route from the Amazon to the Atlantic Coast 2,000 years ago, giving rise to the coastal Tupí, as well as a southern route, giving rise to the Guaraní of southern Brazil and Paraguay. Together with previous findings, the results suggest that ancient Tupí were agriculturalists who left the Amazon to search for new land to cultivate. According to the authors, the study shows how genomic data from present-day individuals can be leveraged to reconstruct the pre-Columbian history of Native American populations.
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Article #19-09075: "Genomic insight into the origins and dispersal of the Brazilian coastal natives," by Marcos Araújo Castro e Silva et al.
MEDIA CONTACT: Tábita Hu?nemeier, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, BRAZIL; e-mail: < hunemeier@usp.br >
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences