Tracing Arab-Islamic Inheritance in Madagascar: Study of the Y-chromosome and Mitochondrial DNA in the Antemoro

Mélanie Capredon,François-Xavier Ricaut,Jean-Michel Dugoujon,Valérie Choesmel-Cadamuro,Andriamihaja Bakomalala Rakotondrabe,Mamisoa Adelta Ratolojanahary,Bernard Champion,Nicolas Brucato,Laure Tonasso,Harilanto Razafindrazaka,Louis-Paul Randriamarolaza

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0080932

Abstract

Madagascar is located at the crossroads of the Asian and African worlds and is therefore of particular interest for studies on human population migration. Within the large human diversity of the Great Island, we focused our study on a particular ethnic group, the Antemoro. Their culture presents an important Arab-Islamic influence, but the question of an Arab biological inheritance remains unresolved. We analyzed paternal (n=129) and maternal (n=135) lineages of this ethnic group. Although the majority of Antemoro genetic ancestry comes from sub-Saharan African and Southeast Asian gene pools, we observed in their paternal lineages two specific haplogroups (J1 and T1) linked to Middle Eastern origins. This inheritance was restricted to some Antemoro sub-groups. Statistical analyses tended to confirm significant Middle Eastern genetic contribution. This study gives a new perspective to the large human genetic diversity in Madagascar.

Highlights

Many population movements took place across the western Indian Ocean, notably for colonial and commercial purposes, and these have been highlighted through linguistic, crop, cattle, archaeozoological and commensal archaeological data [1,2,3,4]
The Ampanabaka (h = 0.98 ± 0.014; 36 haplotypes based on 17 Y-STR) and the Antalaotra (h = 0.98 ± 0.009; 35 haplotypes based on 17 Y-STR) have population genetic diversities within the same order of magnitude as those found generally in populations from southern Madagascar (0.95 ≤ h ≤ 0, 99) [30]
If we assume that early migration across the Indian Ocean involved regions from in Southeast Asia (ISEA), the African eastern coast and Southwestern Asia (Middle East) [1,4], the fact that only two genetic Y-haplogroups in the Antemoro population have Middle Eastern genetic origin can lead to three hypotheses: (1) A sampling bias: more samples from Antemoro groups enable the discovery of other representative haplogroups of this geographic region

Summary

Introduction

Many population movements took place across the western Indian Ocean, notably for colonial and commercial purposes, and these have been highlighted through linguistic, crop, cattle, archaeozoological and commensal archaeological data [1,2,3,4]. We were interested in a group inhabiting the southeast coast of the Great Island, which have known Arab-Islamic influence. Three major migrations have occurred in this part of the island that could be linked to this Arab-Islamic influence. It is probable that the Onjatsy settled first, followed by the ZafiRaminia around the 13th century, and the Antemoro. This last migration may have taken place around the last quarter of the 15th century. The Antemoro would have been able to root their beliefs and traditions in the region as they shared cultural and social similarities with the first migrants in the area [9,10,11]

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion