jarawas & onges are migrated from bengal

Jarawas and Onges may have migrated from Bengal, Odhisa

Jayanta Gupta, TNN | May 21, 2012, 06.55PM IST

KOLKATA: Believe it or not, the Rajbonshis of Bengal are genetically connected to the Jarawa,Onge and Great Andamanese tribes. So is the Pauri Bhuiya tribe spread across Odhisa. Research carried out by the Anthropological Survey of India (AnSI) has brought to fore this evidence. After the study that went on for several years, researchers have arrived at the conclusion that the genetic group to which theAndaman tribes belong, evolved in the Indian mainland and then migrated to the Indian Ocean chain of islands between 40,000 and 10,000 years ago. 

"This was a research that was carried out by AnSI. We were trying to show that similar groups of people can exist at different places that are far from one another. This is a speculative study as conclusive evidence is not available. It is very difficult to get any conclusive evidence but the results of the research are certainly very interesting," said Prof K K Misra, director, AnSI and theIndira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya, Bhopal. 

Researchers say that this study has far reaching implications, not only for the Indian population but also the world of archaeology where the debate is still on about how the human race spread across the world. 

"The results of our research reveal that haplogroup M31 - the genetic lineage assigned to the Andaman tribes - evolved on the Indian mainland and populated the Andaman Islands during Upper Paleolithic times. Genetic links with Indian populations like the Rajbanshi (Rajbonshi) and Pauri Bhuyia supports the 'Southern Route' dispersal of humans from Africa," AnSI officials said. 

DNA analysis from contemporary populations belonging to the primitive tribes in the mainland and the Jarawa of Andaman has revealed genomic footprints in the Indian subcontinent dating back to the first 'Out of Africa' migration, dating back 70,000 years. This adds further credence to the 'Southern Route' hypothesis that suggests that the first humans moved out of Africa and inhabited the world. Scientists believe that this study will leave a mark on genome diversity studies and have implications on further research on health. 

For quite some time now, AnSI has been involved in the DNA study of skeletal remains and contemporary Indian populations. "Recent advances in DNA technology provide an opportunity to resolve various issues relating to the origin of ancient skeletal material, their place of origin and distribution. After completing study on the skeletal remains available with AnSI, we moved to contemporary populations to help unravel the mystery of movement that occurred during human evolution," a researcher said. 

AnSI researchers carried out mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) genome screening on the the Pauri Bhuiya tribe, the Rajbonshis and the Jarawa, Onge and Great Andamanese. The Andaman tribes were assigned the code haplogroup M31 and samples collected from the mainland population were matched with this. It was found that the Pauri Bhuiya tribe shared seven mutations of haplogroup M31. Among the Bhuiyas, the Pauris or Pahariyas are the ones who have held on to their customs and traditions. Unlike other Bhuiyas who live in the plains and have started keeping swords or axes, the Pauris have continued with the Danghy or wooden carrying-pole that used to be the tradition. 

"The M31 haplogroup was redefined by four coding mutations. These four mutations were shared by the Rajbanshis of West Bengal. Though the Rajbanshis and Pauri Baurias are today considered ones that live far from the coast, from an anthropological viewpoint, they are coastal populations. By coastal populations, one would mean a people who would be in a position to migrate. During the Upper Paleolithic period, these populations may have lived much closer to the coast than now," AnSI indicated.

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