Deep ancestry of Bornean hunter-gatherers supports long-term local ancestry dynamics

• DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.113346
• Publication Date: 2023-11-02T08:15:33Z
• Authors: Pradiptajati Kusuma; Murray P. Cox; Graeme Barker; Herawati Sudoyo; J. Stephen Lansing; Guy S. Jacobs
• Keywords: Mainland; Genetic genealogy; Hunter-gatherer; Hominidae

Borneo was a crossroad of ancient dispersals, with some the earliest Southeast Asian human remains and rock art. The island is home to traditionally hunter-gatherer Punan communities, whose origins, whether subsistence reversion or long-term foraging, are unclear. connection between its past present-day agriculturalist inhabitants, who currently speak Austronesian languages have composite complex genetic ancestry, equally opaque. Here, we analyze ancestry northeastern Bornean Batu (who still practice mobile hunting gathering), Tubu, Aput. We find deep connections, shared signal outgrouping modern Austronesian-ancestry proxies, suggesting time depth more than 7,500 years. They also largely lack mainland signals agricultural Borneans, themselves genetically heterogeneous. Our results support inhabitation by ancestors reveal unexpected complexity in origins dispersal Austronesian-expansion-related ancestry.