Genomic insight into the origins and dispersal of the Brazilian coastal natives

• DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1909075117
• Publication Date: 2020-01-14T01:25:28Z
• Authors: Marcos Araújo Cas...; Kelly Nunes; Renan Barbosa Lemes; Àlex Mas-Sandoval; Carlos Eduardo Gu...; Jose Eduardo Krieger; José Geraldo Mill; Francisco Mauro S...; Maria Cátira Bort...; Alexandre da Cost...; David Comas; Tábita Hünemeier
• Keywords: Population Density; 0303 health sciences; Genome, Human; Indians, South American; Population Dynamics; Tupí speakers; Genetic Variation; Genomics; 03 medical and health sciences; Native Americans; Brazilian natives; Genetics; Humans; Peopling of South America; Brazil

In the 15th century, ∼900,000 Native Americans, mostly Tupí speakers, lived on Brazilian coast. By end of 18th coastal native populations were declared extinct. The arrived east coast after leaving Amazonian basin ∼2,000 y before present; however, there is no consensus how this migration occurred: toward northern Amazon and then directly to Atlantic coast, or heading south into continent migrating Here we leveraged genomic data from one last remaining putative representatives branch, a small, admixed, self-reported Tupiniquim community, as well Guaraní Mbyá population Southern Brazil three other region. We demonstrated that American ancestry not related any extant already studied, thus they could be considered only living extinct branch used settle Coast Brazil. Furthermore, these show evidence direct Northeast in pre-Columbian time, giving rise Coastal populations, single distinct southward originated people Paraguay. This study elucidates dynamics diversification natives at level, which was made possible by recovering through genomes mestizo individuals.