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Oppiliappan List Archive: Message 00157 Nov 2005

 
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Y- Chromosome's and 'Gothra'

Recently, US President (& Author of Declaration of Independence of
United States) Thomas Jefferson's paternity of his slave Sally
Fleming's children has been in news. For nearly 200 years, since US
president Thomas Jefferson's time, many traditionalists maintained
that Jefferson did not cohabit with Sally. But some descendents of
Sally maintained otherwise and claimed to be progeny of the
ex-president. This old historical controversy has now been resolved
using modern genetic DNA analysis methods (Reference - Founding father
by Eric S Lander & Joseph J Ellis and Foster et al, Nature | Volume
396 | 5 November 1998 | pages 14, 27-28).

The genetic DNA study of descendents of Jefferson family and Sally
Fleming's family, has confirmed with very high probability that, US
President Thomas Jefferson was indeed the father of at least one of
the sons of Sally Fleming.

How was this genetic work done? Geneticists used a scientific fact,
that most of the male Y-chromosome is passed intact from father to
son. Females do not carry the Y-chromosome. With modern advances in
genetics, this fact has been used to trace paternal lineage, and
resolve stories like Thomas Jefferson's.

Thomas Jefferson did not have surviving sons from his legal wife. But
his paternal uncle's male lineage is in tact to present time. The
genetic Y-chromosome of these persons (eight generations down from
Thomas Jefferson's paternal uncle) living at present time was used as
the reference. This was compared with intact male line persons from
(Five generations down from) Sally Fleming living presently. The
geneticists used polymorphic markers so that Y-chromosome can be
distinguished by haplotypes. They found that Sally Fleming's son
Eston's male line progeny had same haplotypes as Field Jefferson who
was paternal uncle of Thomas Jefferson. Using other physical and
living proximity factors, the geneticists have concluded with high
probability that Eston Fleming was the son of Thomas Jefferson and
Sally Fleming.

This class of human male lineage research is now very active and is
being conducted in native populations of Wales, England, in Iceland
and to establish uniqueness, paternity, historical lineage, medical
issues and intellectual issues of heredity etc amongst various
population groups.

Does this not ring a bell amongst traditional Hindus who believe in
'gothra' identification carried down from Sanathana-dharma orthodoxy?.
'Gothra' is an identity carried by male lineage in India from time
immemorial. Most people have gothra chain names traceable to Rig Vedic
Rishis like 'Gowthama', 'Vasishta' 'Viswamithra' and to first sons of
Vaivaswatha Manu like Angirasa & Bhrigu. Purana such as Vishnu Purana
refer to individual identity through 'Gothra'. Listings of more than
250 Gothra chains have been explicitly listed. I have heard of
instances of Muslims converted from Hinduism still keeping track of
their 'Gothra'.

For example we know that Buddha, named Siddhartha was of 'Gowthama
Gothra'. It means that his Y-chromosomes were probably from Rig-Vedic
Rishi 'Gowthama Rahoogana'.

How did the people of 3000-4000 years ago realize that genetically
there was transference of some unique characteristics only from father
to son (in the form of Y-chromosomes)? In recent past when it was
fashionable to condemn all Indian traditional systems as of no value,
non-believers have referred to 'Gothra' as archaic, unscientific,
irrelevant and male chauvinistic!

Modern DNA & genetic research has confirmed male line Y-chromosomal
transference, through 8 generations in case of Thomas Jefferson.
'Gothra' in essence really stands for Y-chromosomal identity.

Nearly 2500 years have passed since death of Buddha, but many
Gowthama Gothra' individuals exist now also. They can claim genetic
relation to Buddha. Typically 4 generations occur in 100 years and in
2500 years nearly 100 generations are complete. Other 'Gothra' chains
may have run 100-200 generations from Vedic period if male lineage did
continue unbroken. Do Y-chromosomes remain intact after, say 100
generations of unbroken male issues? Genetic mutations may or may not
have changed some Y-chromosomes.

This appears to be a very interesting field of research for future to
see if persons of same 'Gothra' in the present generations have common
and unique Y-chromosomal features.

– Dr S.Balakrishna (from www.indianest.com)


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