THE JARAWA : EXTREMELY DARK, NON-AFRICAN $ ENDANGERED. (Are They Black or Asian? )
#jarawa #andamanese #blackAsians
The Jarawa people are part of the Negrito ethnic group and have lived in the Andaman Islands for up to 60,000 years. Today, approximately 400 Jarawa continue their nomadic lifestyle in small groups of 40-50 people, known as chaddhas.
History.
The Andamanese are often associated with one of the earliest waves of migration that left Africa. Around 70,000 years ago, small groups of anatomically modern humans began migrating out of East Africa along a southern coastal route. As small populations reached various parts of Asia, some continued migrating, while others settled along the way. This movement coincided with a period when lowered sea levels allowed migration over what were once land bridges.
Phenotype.
The Jarawa exhibit distinct physical characteristics associated with Negrito groups, who are believed to be among the earliest inhabitants of South and Southeast Asia. They are generally short-statured, with an average height of around 4.9 feet. Their skin is extremely dark (almost like the South Sudanese), their hair is tightly coiled and curly, and they have distinct facial features.
Genetics.
Genetic studies show that the Great Andamanese, Onge, and Jarawa people share a unique origin, distinct from other Asian populations, and have been genetically isolated for thousands of years. The Jarawa, have high frequencies of mtDNA haplogroups M and N, some of the oldest lineages outside Africa. While these haplogroups appear in other parts of South and Southeast Asia, the specific lineages in the Andamanese are unique, showing minimal overlap with nearby regions. Unique subclades within haplogroup M suggest long-term isolation and limited mixing, implying that the Jarawa descend from early human migrants to this region. Similarly, the Jarawa’s Y-DNA has a high frequency of haplogroup D, specifically D-M174—a rare marker found in isolated populations such as the Andamanese, Tibetan groups, and the Ainu of Japan.
Genetic studies
