Study to read DNA from a viewpoint of the cultural anthropology

2019 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 17K18525
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Research (Exploratory)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Geography, Cultural anthropology, Folklore, and related fields
• Research Institution: Nagoya University
• Principal Investigator: ITO Nobuyuki 名古屋大学, 人文学研究科, 助教 (40273205)
• Project Period (FY): 2017-06-30 – 2020-03-31
• Keywords: 文化人類学 / エルサルバドル / チャルチュアパ / ピピル / DNA分析 / ナワ語 / 集団遺伝学 / グァテマラ

Outline of Final Research Achievements

we constructed a phylogenetic tree using the data published from worldwide 200 populations including the four populations in this study. As a result, their topologies were almost concordant with their geographical locations and historical events. Furthermore, with a focus on the Pipil populations, the SDG population was distributed in the same cluster with 4 indigenous populations in south-western Mexico, which belong to Core Nahuan speakers in Southern Uto-Aztecan languages.
The monumental sculpture has been studied to analyze the material culture. During the periods Late Classic and Postclassic, there are some monumental sculptures from the central highland of Mexico to El Salvador. It indicate a possibility that we had a cultural exchange between the central highland of Mexico and El Salvador.
The result revealed genetically that Pipil people is an indigenous group descendant from Nahua migrants that came to Central America from Mexico as same as confirmed archeologically

Free Research Field

メソアメリカ考古学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

世界で初めて、エルサルバドル国内の先住民（ピピル族）集落３か所でのDNA分析用試料からDNAを抽出後、常染色体上の15座位のSTRs を解析した。作成したエルサルバドルのデータベースと世界中のデータベースの公表データと併せて集団遺伝学的解析を行った。その結果、ピピル族は、メキシコ南部のナワ語系先住民と遺伝的に近縁であることが示唆された。
物質文化に関する研究では、ピピル族のエルサルバドルへの移民の時期に相当する古典期後期から後古典期に至る時期の石彫文化の経路を解明した。DNA分析結果と共にエルサルバドルの先住民ピピル族の起源が解明され、先住民社会にも有意義な結果を示すことができた。