Amazing stuff!
Unfortunately, the Nature research article mixed political/ideological bias and science. The abstract contains following language: "Indigenous groups often encounter significant challenges when asserting ancestral claims and cultural affiliations based on oral histories, particularly in the USA [???] where such narratives have historically been undervalued. ... longstanding disregard for Indigenous sovereignty and beliefs led many Indigenous communities to distrust DNA studies ... This work prioritizes Indigenous control of genetic data ..."
"A thousand years ago, New Mexico’s Chaco Canyon was the cornerstone of cultural life for the ancestral Puebloan people. Around 1150 C.E., new construction there slowed and eventually—for mysterious reasons—its occupants migrated away. Oral histories of many modern Native groups, including multiple Diné (Navajo) clans and Pueblo tribes across the U.S. Southwest, trace their roots to those who left Chaco Canyon. Now, scientists have used genomic analysis to connect a federally recognized tribe—the Picuris Pueblo in northern New Mexico—to their Chacoan ancestors.
The Picuris used to be among the largest Pueblos but the tribe is now the smallest. ... they partnered with geneticists. Researchers sequenced genomes from 13 living Picuris people, then compared them with ancient DNA obtained from the remains of 16 individuals buried at the Picuris Pueblo between 500 and 700 years ago. The genomes revealed a strong genetic connection, reaffirming the tribe’s continuous presence in the region. The work also revealed they were closely related to ancient individuals buried at Chaco Canyon ..."
"... The Picuris’ oral history, cultural practices, and artifacts strongly link them to Chaco Canyon. Since approximately 900 C.E., they’ve lived some 275 kilometers to the canyon’s east, in the heart of New Mexico’s Sangre de Cristo mountains. ..."
From the abstract:
"...
Although ancient DNA offers a tool to complement traditional knowledge and address gaps in oral history ... Earlier research often focused on repatriation claims, whereas more recent work has increasingly moved towards enhancing Tribal histories.
Here we present a collaborative study initiated by a federally recognized Native American tribe, the sovereign nation of Picuris Pueblo in the Northern Rio Grande region of New Mexico, USA, to address gaps in traditional knowledge and further their understanding of their population history and ancestry.
We generated genomes from 16 ancient Picuris individuals and 13 present-day members of Picuris Pueblo, providing genomic data spanning the last millennium.
We show genetic continuity between ancient and present-day Picuris, and more broadly with Ancestral Puebloans from Pueblo Bonito in Chaco Canyon, 275 km to the west. This suggests a firm spatiotemporal link among these Puebloan populations of the North American Southwest. Furthermore, we see no evidence of population decline before European arrival, and no Athabascan ancestry in individuals predating 1500 ce, challenging earlier migration hypotheses.
This work prioritizes Indigenous control of genetic data [???] and brings together oral tradition, archaeology, ethnography and genetics."
DNA traces Picuris Pueblo Tribe’s ancient ancestral ties to Chaco Canyon "The project could bolster tribal land rights and serve as a model for partnership between scientists and Indigenous communities"
Pueblo Bonito, pictured here, is one site within Chaco Canyon, the cultural hub of ancestral Puebloans.
Fig. 1: Map of the Four Corners region of the US Southwest, naming sites and rivers discussed in the text.
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