Khoe-San : New Study
A new genetic study published in the Cell Press journal reveals that European colonisation strongly altered the genetic ancestry of the indigenous Khoe-San peoples of southern Africa.
- Khoe-San is a collective term for the indigenous peoples of southern Africa, encompassing:
San (Bushmen): Hunter-gatherers. - Khoekhoe (Khoi): Cattle, goat, and sheep pastoralists.
- They represent one of the earliest divergent human lineages, with exceptionally high genetic diversity.
- The research highlights sex-biased migration, where European male settlers displaced Khoe-San men, while Khoe-San women contributed significantly to present-day genetic lineages.
- The study also shows the impact of the slave trade, where enslaved women from South Asia, Southeast Asia, Eastern Africa, and Madagascar were brought to the Cape by the Dutch East India Company (VOC).
