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Archiver > GENEALOGY-DNA > 2004-07 > 1090823397


From: David Faux <>
Subject: Origins of R1a, Q and K in Scandanavia - Part 1
Date: Sun, 25 Jul 2004 23:30:37 -0700 (PDT)


Hello Listers:

There has been quite a bit of interest shown in the work that Ellen, Brian and I have been doing, so I will offer an overview of the matter, including what might turn out to be a very controversial thesis. Good luck to those who wish to refute it since the evidence from history, archaeology, and genetics is entirely consistent.

This study began when I noted that my R1a uncle, whose ancestry is from the Norse colony of the Shetland Islands, had 33 close matches with the Altai of Central Asia, and only a scattering of others (e.g., India, China, and very few in Europe). Others from Shetland also had similar match patterns. Then a participant was assigned to haplogroup Q which is found only in Central Asia (Native Americans are Q3 but arose out of the same population). Then another of my participants was placed in haplogroup K, which is found in highest concentations in the Middle East and particularly in Central Asia. Clearly something that had not been previously documented was been observed here.

An extensive analysis of R1a showed a distinct Eastern European motif, and a very different Norse motif. The Norse patterns were bimodal in Norway proper, but in the Norse colonies (e.g., Iceland, Shetland, Faroe Islands, as well as the UK in general) there was a predominence of types that more closely resembled those along the Chinese border than Poland. I have charted the modal haplotype of many groups in Europe. Thanks to access given to me by genetic researchers I have been in the fortunate position of having modal values of most of the tribal groups in Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and groups all the way to Turkey. The highest frequency of R1a anywhere is found among people such as the Kyrgyz, where it reaches a solid 63% of the population. It was spectacular to see my uncle being an almost exact match to most of the groups in Central Asia, but bearing very little resemblance to any group in Eastern Europe. His Altai matches were not just an anomaly.

In addition, I plotted all the available Q signatures from Mongolia to Germany (where there are only a scattering that would be consistent with a sprinkling of Y chromosome left from the documented Hunnish incursions in Europe). None - the - less the highest rate of Q was Iceland, but it is also seen at about 4% in Shetland, Norway, and Sweden. Haplogroup Q has to contain the most diverse haplotypes imaginable - even within a single tribal unit. Q can make up 60% or more of some tribal groups, but 20% or less being much more common. In Europe it is less than 1% except in Hungary where it may reach 3% (the Hun incursions would likely explain this finding).

K is even more rare, although less than 1% in Europe it reaches 12% among Mongolians. In Europe it is very spotty, but is recorded in Norway, Sweden, the Faroe Islands and Shetland.

In my quest to find the best haplotype match to my 3 Shetland participants, the only location which fit all three was the Azeri of Azerbaijan. This will take on great significance as we shall soon see.

There is ample archaeological and historical data on the tribes of Central Asia who moved on horseback in successive waves across the steepes from Kazakhstan to the Black Sea and beyond. There were the Scythians (whose elaborate mound burials were the subject of a 2003 National Geographical special), and subsequent groups of the same cultural backgroud who took the same route, displacing or absorbing their predecessors - the Cimmerians, the Sarmatians (Jagyres, Roxilani, and the Alans also known as the Ases) the Sakas, and the Huns.

(To be Continued)



Dr. David K. Faux, P.O. Box 192, Seal Beach, CA, 90740, USA



www.davidkfaux.org




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