Munda peoples

Austroasiatic DNA

Mitsuru Sakitani has suggested that Haplogroup O1b1, which is common among Austroasiatic-speaking peoples and some other ethnic groups in southern China, and haplogroup O1b2, which is common among today's Japanese and Koreans, may have been bearers of a Yangtze civilization (Baiyue).^[5] The authors of another study have suggested that haplogroup O1b1 is the major Austroasiatic paternal lineage and O1b2 the “para-Austroasiatic” lineage of the Yayoi people.^[6]

Migration into India

According to Chaubey et al., "Austro-Asiatic speakers in India today are derived from dispersal from Southeast Asia, followed by extensive sex-specific admixture with local Indian populations."^[7] According to Riccio et al., the Munda people are likely descended from Austroasiatic migrants from Southeast Asia.^[8][9]

According to Zhang et al., Austroasiatic migrations from Southeast Asia into India took place after the last Glacial maximum, circa 10,000 years ago.^[10] Arunkumar et al. suggest Austroasiatic migrations from Southeast Asia occurred into Northeast India 5.2 ± 0.6 kya and into East India 4.3 ± 0.2 kya.^[11]

Tätte et al. 2019 estimated that the Austroasiatic language speaking people admixed with Indian population about 2000-3800 year ago which may suggest arrival of south-east Asian genetic component in the area. Munda-speaking people have high amount of East Asian paternal lineages O1b1 (~75%) and D1a1 (~6%), which is absent from other Indian groups. They found that the modern Munda-speaking people have about 29% East/Southeast Asian , 15.5% West Asian and 55.5% South Asian ancestry on average. The authors concluded that there was a mostly male-dominated migration into India from Southeast Asia. Modern people in Laos, Cambodia and Malaysia were found to represent the ancestral group, which migrated into India, and spread the Austroasiatic languages.^[12] Munda peoples are genetically closely related to Mah Meri and Temuan people of Malaysia.^[13]

Munda lady

Munda man