New DNA Analysis Supports Ancient Roots of an Unrecognized Tribe


In the Handbook of the California Indiansanthropologist published in 1925 Alfred Kroeber He said the people of Ohlone were “extinct for all practical purposes.” noting that only “a few scattered individuals survived.”

Although the anthropologist didn’t relinquish the declaration of extinction until the 1950s, “the damage has been done,” said Charlene Nijmeh, head of the endangered Muwekma Ohlone Tribe.

The Muwekma Ohlone Tribe is a descendant community of the Ohlone people who originally inhabited 4.3 million acres in the Bay Area. For decades, the Muwekma sought to regain federally recognized status they had lost in the 1920s. Linguists and archaeologists have suggested that the Ohlone people migrated there between 1,500 and 1,000 years ago. But the tribe has long claimed its presence in the region goes back even further.

A study published in March in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences It provides new genomic evidence that Muwekma’s connection to the Bay Area goes back at least 2,000 years. Researchers from several universities working with the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe extracted DNA from 12 ancient people buried in the area up to 2,000 years ago and found biological continuity with DNA collected from present-day members of the tribe.

“Finally verification,” said Monica Arellano, vice-president of the tribe and author of the paper. “This adds to all the information we’ve come up with, taking years of compiling and researching to prove who we are.”

Alyssa Bader, an anthropologist at the University of Colorado Boulder who was not involved in the research, praised how the paper included tribal representatives as co-authors and highlighted community engagement. Dr. “This is considered a really important part of the scientific research method and is not something embedded in additional information,” Bader said. “All of these are exciting directions for genomic research, which includes genomic studies on Indigenous populations and ancestry. ”

In 2014, the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission proposed a construction project at an archaeological site where human burials are likely. The commission reached the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe, the most likely descendants of ancient humans.

The tribe commissioned the Far West Anthropological Research Group, a cultural resources consultancy firm, to excavate the site they named Síi Túupentak (Water Round House Site Site). Located at the confluence of the Alameda Creek and the Arroyo de la Laguna, Síi Túpentak was a lush green place. Far Western archaeologist Brian Byrd said villagers fish in the creeks and manage nearby forests and grasslands with controlled burning.

Far Western also excavated another ancient site nearby called Rummey Ta Kuččuwiš Tiprectak (Stream Place of the Lagoon Field), which was inhabited as early as 2,500 years ago.

The tribesmen led the excavation of the tombs, an emotionally demanding task. “It is unfortunate that we have to carry them,” said Ms. Arellano. “But if anyone has to do it, we take that responsibility very seriously and take it with as much care and love as possible.” Ms Arellano said the tombs were most likely prepared for people of high ancestry, many of them buried with valuable shells such as abalone necklaces.

Dr. According to Byrd, when the tombs were discovered, the excavators gathered under a large tree and talked through the process to ensure everyone’s voice was heard. “Trust has been something that is not the first step for archeology and indigenous communities these days,” he said.

Tribal archaeologist and honorary lecturer at San Jose State University Alan Leventhal said the Muwekma Ohlone tribal council wanted to know if the tombs at the site would help prove the ancient existence of their people in the Bay Area.

Ripan Malhi, an anthropologist at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and Noah Rosenberg, a population geneticist at Stanford University, joined the project to lead the analysis of ancient DNA. The researchers submitted all additional tests to the tribal council for approval. Dr. Byrd said the council has given researchers permission to examine dental plaque for signs of volatile substances such as tobacco, as well as conduct tests to determine the sex of buried children. Dr. “We were able to identify a few examples of really well-preserved ancestors,” Malhi said.

After extracting DNA from 12 individuals who lived several hundred to 1,900 years ago, the researchers compared their genomes with publicly available genetic information about other Indigenous communities in the Americas and ancient individuals around the world. The oldest and newest burials shared distinctive combinations of genetic variants, suggesting that they were from related groups.

The analysis identified a common ancestral component linking people at the two ancient sites to modern-day members of the Muwekma. This lineage can be found in other modern populations, but at a much higher rate in the Muwekma.

Dr. “It was surprising to find this level of continuity, given the many setbacks that the Ohlone people experienced during the Spanish occupation, such as forced displacements and mixing with other tribes forcibly displaced by the Spanish,” Rosenberg said.

Consistent with the principles of indigenous data sovereignty, Muwekma will review requests for genomic data collected from sites and tribe members and retain power over how the data is used. Dr. “It minimizes potential harm to communities,” Bader said. “This is important.”

For members of the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe, these genetic results represent a new set of evidence consistent with their tribe’s oral history. “This is more or less the story we have to prove who we are,” said Ms. Arellano. “We knew who we were, we know who we are, and we’re still here.”

Mr Leventhal said Muwekma could trace his ancestry through various missions in the Bay Area and resided in small settlements called rancherias until the early 1900s.

The tribe was once federally recognized under a different name, the Verona Marching Band of Alameda County. But it lost recognition after 1927, when an inspector from Sacramento determined that the Muwekma and more than 100 other tribal groups did not need the land, effectively ending official federal recognition of the tribe, Mr. Leventhal said. “The tribe was never dissolved by any act of Congress,” he added.

Muwekma hopes the new study and further research will strengthen their case for federal recognition. “The cost of living is throwing us out,” said the head of the tribe, Ms. Nijmeh. “Recognition means we can have a land base and a community village and ensure that our people stay in their rightful place on our land.”

Síi Túpentak will soon open an interpretation center with some artifacts from the excavation, informative signage about the history of the tribal language, and a replica of an eagle, a reference to the Muwekma creation story.

But Ms Arellano said that ancient people once buried in Síi Túpentak will be reburied as close to their original tombs as possible.

“This was supposed to be their final resting place,” he said. “They were never supposed to be moved.”



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