Southeast Ceramic Dominican Republic

Again, it should be taken with a grain of salt, but our possible descent from an indigenous population of the Caribbean appeared. Using G25 coordinates and the G25 list G25 295728 SNP on this site, we saw our ancestry in this model being reported as about 7.6 DOM_southeast-Ceramic. Well, since the eastern DR was historically linked to Puerto Rico, this is plausible. Perhaps it is based on the sample from the Atajadizo site, an early ceramic site in Hispaniola's southeast that could easily have been at least in part genetically linked to the indigenous peoples of Puerto Rico. Playing around with G25 coordinates on dnagenics also connected us to a ceramic sample from the southeast. 

Target: X_scaled Distance: 1.9033% / 0.01903307
32.0	COG_Kindoki_230BP
16.2	COG_NgongoMbata_220BP
15.0	England_MBA
10.6	HUN_Tisza_LN
7.6	DOM_southeast_Ceramic
5.4	HUN_MA_Szolad_o1
3.8	Baltic_EST_BA
3.0	MAR_Taforalt
2.0	Levant_Beirut_IAIII_Egyptian
2.0	POL_Globular_Amphora
2.0	RUS_Afanasievo
0.4	ITA_Boville_Ernica_IA

More Accounts of Xaragua's Fall

Section of an early map of the island of Haiti

Although they are limited, it is always interesting to read additional sources that mention the end of Anacaona and the Xaragua cacicazgo. In this case, coming across an account from a 1536 will by Diego Mendez, who was present during the massacres orchestrated by Ovando, is useful. While his brief account of this egregious episode in the annals of history did not go into the grisly details, Mendez stated that 84 caciques and Anacaona were killed by the Spaniards. Diego Mendez's testimony may be somewhat limited since he returned to Hispaniola from Jamaica while the Xaragua "campaign" had already started. Moreover, he wrote it several years after the events described therein, so perhaps his numbers are a little off or inaccurate. However, it was interesting to note that he remembered Anacaona as "sovereign mistress" of the island.

Another early mention of Xaragua can be found in a letter by Dominican friars to Fray Pedro Simon de Cordoba, written in 1516 or so. According to this letter, Xaragua was considered by the Indians of the island to be the principal chiefdom due to its great and many caciques, ample food, and beautiful women. In addition, they wrote a version of Ovando's actions which suggest some interesting parts not mentioned in other sources. For instance, they wrote that the Indians of Xaragua were indeed speaking of killing Ovando. Furthermore, when he trapped several caciques inside a caney or large bohio before having them burned to death (supposedly 60, according to the letter), Ovando supposedly wore guanin that he said was meant as a gift to Anacaona. Was this sign of gift-giving or exchange with Anacaona, an example of Spaniards participating in a system of reciprocity and exchange based on indigenous value systems? Either way, it was part of Ovando's plan, which eventually succeeded and led to a slaughter of several caciques. Those who survived or fled were enslaved, including on Guarocuya, a nephew of Anacaona who was later killed in the Bahoruco area. Perhaps Don Enrique or Enriquillo, the later indigenous rebel, was named after or related to this earlier Guarocuya? 

While the letter by the friars is sympathetic to the people of Xaragua, it is also somewhat condescending, alluding to them as easily deceived. What seems more likely is that there may have indeed been some sort of plot or conspiracy to free Xaragua from the Spanish threat, but it was still in its initial stages. Perhaps Anacaona was waiting for a better time or opportune moment to start it, but Ovando decided that quick, decisive and treacherous actions could neutralize the threat right away, although Oviedo wrote that it took 6 months to pacify the western part of the island, finally ending in February of 1504. It even brought in captives or slaves, like the later campaign against Higuey. Indeed, it ensured direct Spanish control over most of what is now Haiti and the establishment of the encomienda system and Spanish towns. Presumably, the captives taken in these campaigns were more easily transferred to the mining areas or Santo Domingo while others fled to Cuba. 

Indigenous Caribbean Ancestry

Again, playing with G25 coordinates (non-simulated ones, this time) and different calculators or Illustrative DNA revealed some degree of genetic continuity from the pre-Columbian Caribbean and modern populations in the region. For example, using my G25 coordinates and Tomenable's calculators for the world in the 6th century BC and 1st century BC, I received the following results: 

Target: Yo Distance: 1.7369% / 0.01736942
46.0	Africa(West)_Niger_Congo_Peoples
22.0	Europe_Northwest
15.2	Europe_Southwest
6.6	America_Cuba_Guanahatabey
5.0	Europe_South_Central
3.2	Africa(Central)_Foragers
0.6	Africa_Garamantians
0.6	America_Ancestral_Puebloans
0.4	America_Amazon_Foragers
0.4	MENA_Judah_Kingdom

Of course, this is only slightly accurate, in that it's using our G25 coordinates to match with select ancient population samples. The sub-Saharan African category is about right, but probably based on mostly modern samples. Europe is probably generically accurate, although most of our European ancestry was probably from southwestern Europe (overwhelmingly the Iberian peninsula, which, over 2000 years ago, had populations genetically related to northwestern European groups). The Garamantian connection is probably a reference to other admixture calculators assigning us some minor degree of North African ancestry (and the Garamantian sample had sub-Saharan ancestry). Intriguingly, the indigenous Americas ancestry, a total of about 7.6 percent, is overwhelmingly linked to this calculator's archaic Cuba sample. Of course, reducing the number of populations to 5 and following other recommendations erases the Guanahatabey. It also reclassifies European ancestry as just Roman Empire-Europe.

Interestingly, Illustrative DNA's Three Way modeling does come slightly close to our ancestry with a best fit of Medieval ancestry as 43.6% Medieval Iberian (Girona), Lucayan Taino (7.2%) and Bantu (49.2%). Obviously, this is only roughly useful, but comes closest to approximating our ancestry as a split of 3 major populations: indigenous Americas, sub-Saharan Africa, and Europe (mainly Iberian peninsula). It's a shame sub-Saharan Africa isn't properly broken down and analyzed, but the difficulty of finding ancient DNA samples makes it somewhat understandable. Regardless, it does seem like our Indigenous ancestry, usually always linked to South American groups, was at least partly based on indigenous populations in the Caribbean. 

Mound-Builders

Enjoying a dated but interesting documentary on Cahokia and related mound-building sites in North America. Featuring Leonard Nimoy as narrator, it serves as a nice overview or introduction to a complex of indigenous civilizations in the continent.

Pictograms at Potoo Hole

Just a brief video on pictograms at Potoo Hole in Jamaica made by indigenous peoples.

Simulated G25 Coordinates and Ancestry

Although using G25 coordinates from different admixture calculators and then using Vahaduo to run that information against G25 coordinates for various populations, past and present, is fun, it's probably not very reliable. However, using simulated coordinates from MDLP with a 1st Century BC calculator by Tomenable did match our data with a sample from Hispaniola, from Macorix Ciguayo. Using other simulated scaled G25 coordinates did not detect this, only calling it Amazon Farming Tribes. And, if we are being honest, about 2000 years ago was around the time when agriculturalists who likely spoke Arawakan languages were migrating in the Greater Antilles. Needless to say, none of this should be taken too seriously, but interesting to see nonetheless. The other set of G25 coordinates, which only listed Amazon Farming Tribes, was more accurate in other ways.

On the Huecoid

 

Watching this old but interesting documentary on the Huecoid on the Youtube channel of Gerardo M. Piñero Cádiz was quite interesting. Luis Chanlatte Baik himself appears in this, explaining his work on the first Huecoid site identified back in the 1970s. While his theory of an Andean origin for the Huecoid needs more evidence, it is interesting to noe the amulets or pendants with a condor-like bird holding a human head does have a long pedigree in Andean cultures. Perhaps the Huecoid really were of Andean origin or were influenced by Andean cultures to some extent, before migrating to Puerto Rico and Vieques over 2000 years ago? And if evidence from the lithics can be relied upon, the Huecoid truly were a distinct tradition from the Saladoid who appear to have Arawakan speakers from Venezuela. Were the Huecoid representatives of another language family besides Arawakan?