# Population Genetics > mtDNA Haplogroups >  Exploring European ancestry among the Kalash population: a mitogenomic perspective

## kingjohn

Zia Ur Rahman, Yu-Chun Li, Jiao-Yang Tian, Qing-Peng Kong

*Abstract

**With a population of around 4 000 individuals, the Kalash people have been living in the Hindu-Kush mountain valleys of present-day northern Pakistan for centuries. Due to their mysterious origin and fairer European complexion, the genetic history of this ethnic group has been investigated previously using different markers. To date, however, the maternal genetic architecture has not been systematically dissected based on high-resolution complete mitochondrial genomes (mitogenomes), making their maternal genetic history, especially their genetic connection with Europeans from a matrilineal perspective, unclear. To unravel this issue, we analyzed mitogenome data of 34 Kalash samples together with 6075 individuals from across Eurasia. Our results indicated exclusive Western Eurasian origin of the Kalash people, represented by eight haplogroups. Among these haplogroups, J2b1a7a and R0a5a (accounting for ~50% of the Kalash gene pool) displayed in situ differentiations in the Kalash and could be traced to the Mediterranean region. Age estimations suggested these haplogroups arose in the Kalash population ~2.26 and 3.01 thousand years ago (kya), a time frame consistent with the invasion of Alexander III of Macedon to the region. One possible explanation for the maternal genetic contribution from Europeans to the Kalash people would be the involvement of women in foreign campaigns of ancient Greek warfare, followed by a founder effect. Our study thus sheds important light on the genetic origin of the Kalash community of Pakistan.


source:

*https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7475010/

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## Cato

They are descendants of the Aryans, I doubt that they have Greek ancestry

Some looks northern_eastern european

https://previews.agefotostock.com/pr...8-1348680.webp
Inviato dal mio POT-LX1T utilizzando Tapatalk

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## Angela

Rather confusing results and conclusions.

ROa certainly isn't very "Aryan". Isn't the highest incidence to be found in Arabia? I somehow doubt it came with steppe people. J2b2a7a specifically, I'm not sure.

On the other hand I can't see Macedonian Greeks having those levels of U4.


Other studies of their mtdna show:
Genetic analysis of Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) by Quintana-Murci et al. (2004) stated that "the western Eurasian presence in the Kalash population reaches a frequency of 100%" with the most prevalent mtDNA Haplogroups being U4 (34%), R0 (23%), U2e (16%), and J2 (9%). The study asserted that no East or South Asian lineages were detected

This studies numbers are a little different:
H2a1a .06
ROa .32
J2b1a .18
T2a1a .03
U2e1h .09
U2e2a1 .03
U4a1 .24
U4b1a4 .06


As for the yDna: looks to be about 43% South Asian?
"Genetic analysis of Y-chromosome DNA (Y-DNA) by Firasat et al. (2007) on Kalash individuals found high and diverse frequencies of these Y-DNA Haplogroups: L3a (22.7%), H1* (20.5%), R1a (18.2%), G (18.2%), J2 (9.1%), R* (6.8%), R1* (2.3%), and L* (2.3%).[48]

Perhaps the best way to describe it is as a mixture of peoples. Greeks might account for some of it, perhaps.

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## kingjohn

well the researcher can't reach conclustion by mtdna line only  :Rolleyes: 
having said that i am pretty sure that autosomaly speaking 
kalash which number only 4000 people 
have some nice % of steppe ancestery 
that they could have got from indo-iranian groups  :Thinking: 
the research connected there mtdna to med region not to aryans 

p.s
but there high % of mtdna u4 is fascinating  :Thinking:

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## Anfänger

Hmm, I doubt that they have any Greek ancestry... IMHO this is not a well done paper

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## Angela

Not only the U4s are from the steppe people; so are the U2e.

My closest match by the way, other than my mother's family. No doubt about it; it's a steppe line when it shows up in Europe.

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## bigsnake49

> Rather confusing results and conclusions.
> 
> ROa certainly isn't very "Aryan". Isn't the highest incidence to be found in Arabia? I somehow doubt it came with steppe people. J2b2a7a specifically, I'm not sure.
> 
> On the other hand I can't see Macedonian Greeks having those levels of U4.
> 
> 
> Other studies of their mtdna show:
> Genetic analysis of Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) by Quintana-Murci et al. (2004) stated that "the western Eurasian presence in the Kalash population reaches a frequency of 100%" with the most prevalent mtDNA Haplogroups being U4 (34%), R0 (23%), U2e (16%), and J2 (9%). The study asserted that no East or South Asian lineages were detected
> ...


Some of them do look South Asian to me. Others look from the Caucasus.
So in the second picture of 3 women, the woman on the left looks Finno-Ugric, the second South Asian, the third Caucasus and so do the women in the third picture.

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## DuPidh

I think the women in the photo look Greek! They could be Alexander the great descendants.

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## Angela

You're on your way to another bye-bye. We don't tolerate t-rolls here. 

Grow up. You do no credit to Albanians.

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