A "Great Migration": Using Measures of Dental Affinity to Retrace the Bantu Expansion(s)

在国家科学基金会的支持下，乔尔·爱尔兰博士将分析前现代非洲的骨骼遗骸，以研究古老的大陆范围的“班图扩张”。通过欧洲和非洲各地同事的合作，这项调查是可能的。目标是双重的。首先是历史问题，即提供关于这一移民的更多信息，其对非洲语言、文化和遗传景观的影响至今仍很明显。第二个目标涉及环境，环境影响人类的适应，而环境又受人类的影响。最初，极少的资源可能是鼓励班图移民的原因。随之而来的是对新土地的开发和过度开发，迫使人们继续迁徙。几千年后，撒哈拉以南非洲人的现代分布就出现了。“班图”一词指的是大多数撒哈拉以南非洲人所说的一种语言。然而，早期的人种学研究表明，说班图语的人对这一地区来说是相对较新的。语言和考古证据将他们的故乡定在西非。它们的“扩张”被认为始于4,000-3,000年前。大多数研究人员接受这一假设。然而，占班图研究最多的语言学、考古学和遗传学领域经常产生相互矛盾的假设：移民的规模(S)、数量、路线、时间以及对移民和该地区原居民的影响。提出了另一种方法来提供新的见解，即使用亚利桑那州立大学牙科人类学系统(ASUDAS)来评估种群变异。ASUDAS将类似的发现返回给基因研究，通常产生比其他骨骼分析更好的结果，并且经过时间测试。具体地说，与班图研究的传统领域相比，牙科研究拥有一个关键优势--能够检查主要证据。样本将包括参与迁徙或受迁徙影响的前现代个体的遗骸，以及他们生活在最近有害和混合之前的后代。其他方法在这方面也有潜力(例如aDNA)；然而，ASUDAS结果可以以成本的一小部分获得，而且该方法是非破坏性的。特征将首先记录在原班图、班图和非班图样本(4,000个个体)中，并添加到爱尔兰人已经收集的样本中(n=845)。这些数据将识别出已知的以外的特征频率。下一步，距离统计将评估性状变异，以估计样本间的相关性。结果将被用来解决特定地区的假设并制定新的假设。最后，研究结果将与已发表的语言学、考古学和遗传学数据进行对比，以评估方法间的一致性。除了班图特有的问题，数据分析还可以在更广泛的范围内回答有关人类亲和力和迁徙的理论和方法问题(包括全局)。可能会实现几个更广泛的好处。除了为爱尔兰博士的学生提供培训和经验外，他还与非洲同事合作。他还将培训非洲学生，接触感兴趣的非专业观众--包括希望更好地了解自己过去的非洲人--并在非洲机构发表公开演讲。所有调查结果都将通过同行评议的出版物以及国际和国家论坛传达。这些成果将增加关于一个重要历史问题的知识库，并有助于提供关于环境/人类互动的信息。

With National Science Foundation support, Dr. Joel Irish will analyze premodern African skeletal remains to investigate the ancient continent-wide "Bantu expansion." This investigation is possible through the cooperation of colleagues across Europe and Africa. The goals are twofold. The first is historical, i.e., to provide additional information about this migration, whose effects on Africa's linguistic, cultural, and genetic landscapes remain evident today. The second goal involves the environment which affects human adaptation and in turn is affected by humans. Minimal resources may have initially encouraged Bantu migration. Exploitation and over-exploitation of new lands followed, compelling continuing migration. After several millennia, the result was the modern distribution of sub-Saharan peoples.The term "Bantu" identifies a language group spoken by most sub-Saharan Africans. However, early ethnographic studies revealed that Bantu-speakers were relative newcomers to this region. Linguistic and archaeological evidence sets their homeland in western Africa. Their "expansion" is believed to have begun 4,000-3,000 years ago. Most researchers accept this scenario. However, the fields of linguistics, archaeology, and genetics, which account for most Bantu research, often yield conflicting hypotheses concerning: the scale of migration(s), number, routes, timing, and influence on the migrants and the region's original inhabitants. An alternate approach is proposed to provide fresh insight, i.e., using the Arizona State University Dental Anthropology System (ASUDAS) to assess population variation. The ASUDAS returns analogous findings to genetic research, often yields superior results to other skeletal analyses, and is time-tested. Specifically, dental study holds a key advantage over traditional fields of Bantu research -- the ability to examine primary evidence. Samples will comprise remains of premodern individuals involved in or influenced by the migrations, along with their descendants who lived before recent detribalization and admixture. Other methods also have potential in this regard (e.g. aDNA); however, ASUDAS results can be obtained at a fraction of the cost, and the method is nondestructive. Traits will first be recorded in proto-Bantu, Bantu, and non-Bantu samples (n4,000 individuals.), and added to those already collected by Irish (n=845). These data will identify trait frequencies beyond that already known. Next, distance statistics will assess trait variation to estimate inter-sample relatedness. Results will be used to address region-specific hypotheses and formulate new ones. Finally, findings will be contrasted with published linguistic, archaeological, and genetic data to evaluate inter-method concordance. Beyond Bantu-specific issues, data analysis can also answer theoretical and methodological questions about human affinity and migration on a broader scale (incl. global). Several broader benefits may be realized. Beyond training and experience for Dr. Irish's students, he is collaborating with African colleagues. He will also train African students, reach out to an interested lay audience -- including Africans who wish to better understand their past, and give public talks at African institutes. All findings will be communicated through peer-reviewed publications, and international and national fora. These results will add to the knowledge base on a vital historical issue, and contribute information on environment/human interaction.