Reconstructing history: the Amazonian Mura Indians.
We studied demographic characteristics of two Mura Indian villages. Two-hundred six inhabitants of these villages and another population were tested in relation to 30 blood and 4 saliva genetic systems. These groups exhibit high mobility and exogamy rates and high fertility but relatively low mortality and variance in number of children per woman. Hb J Oxford and albumin Maku were observed, and they show high prevalences of GPT*1 and RH*R1 but low of HP*1 compared to other South American Indians. Four electrophoretic saliva systems are reported here for the first time in a predominantly Amerindian group. The amount of polymorphism was more limited than that found in Caucasian, black, and Oriental populations. The Mura are still predominantly Indian (82%) but have African (11%) and Caucasoid (7%) admixture. Using these values, the putative ancestral Mura gene frequencies were assessed. Problems related to quantitative estimations of admixture and the factors that influence the process are discussed.
Salzano
F M
FM
Departamento de Genética, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
Callegari-Jacques
S M
SM
Mestriner
M A
MA
Weimer
T A
TA
Franco
M H
MH
Schüler
L
L
Harada
M L
ML
Schneider
H
H
Hutz
M H
MH
Freitas
M J
MJ
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005075:Biological Evolution; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004641:Emigration and Immigration; D005260:Female; D005298:Fertility; D005787:Gene Frequency; D005819:Genetic Markers; D006801:Humans; D007199:Indians, South American / Q000235:genetics*; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008393:Marriage; D009026:Mortality; D010641:Phenotype
D005819:Genetic Markers