DNA from Guam's indigenous peoples traced to Taiwan (General)

by dan, Friday, December 25, 2020, 10:33 (1212 days ago)

More evidence was published that the Chamorro people of Guam are related to indigienous people of Taiwan, specifically the Ami.

https://focustaiwan.tw/culture/202012240009

https://www.pnas.org/content/118/1/e2022112118

It appears that people from Taiwan had a hand in populating many of the Pacific Islands. This is fascinating research, but some oral history shared with us by our Ami landlord raises a question. Her version of her people's ancestry was that they originated from what is now part of Indonesia, so, possibly very close to the Philippines, where indigenous people have also been linked to Taiwan's original inhabitants.

So, the question is, does that oral history indicate that, indeed, the Ami are originally from somewhere south, and that they then immigrated back a few thousand years ago? Or the other way around? Regardless, I have a feeling we don't have the full picture yet. Maybe we never will.

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Tags:
Anthropology, Guam

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