The Origins of Native Americans: Evidence from Anthropological Genetics

326 Pages·1998·11.93 MB·English

by  Michael H. Crawford

Who are the Native Americans? When and how did they colonize the New World? What
proportion of the biological variation in contemporary Amerindian populations was 'made
in America' and what was brought from Siberia? This book is a unique synthesis of the gen-
etic, archeological and demographic evidence concerning the Native peoples of the Americas,
using case studies from contemporary Amerindian and Siberian indigenous groups to unravel
the mysteries. It culminates in an examination of the devastating collision between European
and Native American cultures following Contact, and the legacy of increased incidence of
chronic diseases that still accompanies the acculturation of Native peoples today. This compel-
ling account will be required reading for all those interested in the anthropology of Native
Americans, past, present and future.

The Origins of
Native Americans
Evidence from anthropological genetics

The Origins of
Native Americans
Evidence from anthropological genetics
MICHAEL H. CRAWFORD
Department of Anthropology,
University of Kansas, U.S.A.
CAMBRIDGE
UNIVERSITY PRESS
PUBLISHED BY THE PRESS SYNDICATE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE
The Pitt Building, Trumpington Street, Cambridge, United Kingdom
CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS
The Edinburgh Building, Cambridge CB2 2RU, UK
40 West 20th Street, New York, NY 10011-4211, USA
10 Stamford Road, Oakleigh.VIC 3166, Australia
Ruiz de Alarcon 13, 28014 Madrid, Spain
Dock House, The Waterfront, Cape Town 8001, South Africa
http://www.cambridge.org
© Cambridge University Press 1998
This book is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception
and to the provisions of relevant collective licensing agreements,
no reproduction of any part may take place without
the written permission of Cambridge University Press.
First published in Spanish as Antropologia Biologia de los Indios Americanos,
Editorial MAPFRE, S.A., 1992; revised English version (by the author) 1998.
First paperback edition 2001
Printed in die United States of America
Typeset in Leighton 9.5/13.5 pt. [WV]
A catalog record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication data available
ISBN 0 521 59280 1 hardback
ISBN 0 521 00410 1 paperback
to The native people who made the long journey from Siberia,
and to their progeny who founded civilizations;
and to Marshall T. Newman (1911-1994), a friend and colleague

Contents
Preface xiii
Acknowledgement xvii
1 Origins of New World populations 1
1.1 Introduction 1
1.2 Early theories of origin 2
1.3 Scientific evidence for Amerindian origins 3
1.4 Ecological background 11
1.5 Siberian chronology and New World peopling 14
1.6 Archeological evidence 16
1.7 The new synthesis? 21
1.8 Siberian founders 27
1.9 Settlement of North America 28
1.10 Peopling of South America 30
2 Population size and the effects of European contact 32
2.1 Introduction 32
2.2 Methods of estimation 32
2.3 Estimates of regional population size 33
2.4 Regional variation in depopulation 41
2.5 Evolutionary consequences of population reduction 49
2.6 Impact of Old World diseases 50
2.7 Aboriginal New World diseases 53
2.8 Old World disease imports 61
2.9 Conclusion 62
x Contents
3 Demography of Amerindian populations 63
3.1 Introduction 63
3.2 Demography of pre-Columbian Amerindians 63
3.3 Demography of the living 70
3.4 Conclusion 86
4 Genetic variation in contemporary populations of the Americas 88
4.1 Introduction 88
4.2 Accuracy and reliability of samples 89
4.3 Amerindian and Siberian markers 93
4.4 Traditional markers of the blood 95
4.5 Electrophoretic markers 108
4.6 Immunoglobulins (GMs and KMs) 123
4.7 Histocompatibility systems 128
4.8 DNA polymorphisms 134
4.9 Conclusion 147
5 Population structure of Native Americans 149
5.1 Introduction 149
5.2 Intrapopulation subdivision 150
5.3 Interpopulation subdivision 155
5.4 Display techniques 166
5.5 Admixture and gene flow 177
5.6 Hybridization in the New World 181
5.7 Conclusion 191
6 Morphological variation 194
6.1 Introduction 194
6.2 Racial classifications 196
6.3 Anthropometries 197
6.4 Dermatoglyphics 205
6.5 Dentition 220
6.6 Skin color 229
6.7 Congruence between morphology, genetics and geography 233
6.8 Conclusions 233