The article New Native American Mitochondrial DNA Haplogroups by DNAeXplained published on March 2, 2017, describes the mtDNA haplogroups attributed to the Native American groups. It mentions the well known ones (A, B, D, and X) and the possibility that M is also a founding lineage (as mentioned in my previous posts). It also suggests that there is a chance that mtDNA haplogroup F is also an Amerindian haplogroup.
mtDNA F
"The Dark Horse Late Arrival – Haplogroup F
I debated whether I should include this information, because it’s tenuous at best.
The American Indian project at Family Tree DNA includes a sample of F1a1 full sequence result whose most distant matrilineal ancestor is found in Mexico.
Haplogroup F is an Asian haplogroup, not found in Europe or in the Americas.
Haplogroup F, according to the Genographic Project, expands across central and southern Asia. According to Doron Behar, F1a1 was born about 10,863 years ago +- 2990 years, giving it a range of 7,873 – 13,853.
Is this Mexican F1a1 family Native? If not, how did F1a1 arrive in Mexico, and when? F1a1 is not found in either Europe or Africa.
...The Genographic project has no results for F1a1 outside of Asia.
I have not yet extracted the balance of haplogroup F in the Genographic project to look for other indications of haplogroups that could potentially be Native."
The homeland of haplogroup F is, effectively, Asian, as you can see in the following heatmap.
It is found from Madagascar (surely taken there by the Austronesian migradion ~2000 years ago) to Central Siberia, China, Japan, and Mongolia. Tenuous presence in New Guinea, The gaps are also interesting. It is not found in India, the Middle East, or Australia, and absent in the eastern tip of Siberia (near Bering, and Kamchakta). It is also said to have been spread by the Mongols or the Huns westwards (notice the hotspot in Croatia!)
Regarding its presence in America, it could have arrived recently through migration of East Asian people to America. Since the early 1500s, Mexico was in contact with South East Asia through the Spanish colony of the Philippines. They also traded with Eastern Asia, so there must have been some admixture.
It could also have reached America in Prehispanic times, and suffered many bottlenecks, and after the effects of the "Great Dying" that took place after the European discovery of America, it probably almost vanished and is found at extremely low frequencies.
Identifying this haplogroup in ancient pre-Hispanic remains would be certain proof of its antiquity. Until then we should assume it it modern.
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