Population history of pre-colonial maritime societies of São Paulo State (Brazil): an archaeogenetic analysis of the Piaçaguera shellmound

• Grant number: 23/16983-5
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: September 01, 2024
• End date: May 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Archeology - Prehistoric Archaeology
• Principal Investigator: André Menezes Strauss
• Grantee: Carolina Eva Padilha
• Host Institution: Museu de Arqueologia e Etnologia (MAE). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 17/16451-2 - Virtual anthropology and archaeogenomics of pre-colonial Brazil, AP.JP

Abstract

Sambaquis are composed by the intentional accumulation of seashells from mollusks and marine fauna over hundreds or thousands of years, and they are found intermittently along the Brazilian coast. These constructions mark human presence in the coastal region during the Holocene, between 8,000 and 1,000 years ago (kaBP - thousand years before the present). The population history of sambaqui-building groups has been extensively investigated through cultural and bio-anthropological markers and, more recently, through studies involving ancient DNA. So far, molecular analyses have included sambaquis from Santa Catarina, Paraná, Rio de Janeiro, and Espírito Santo, without the inclusion of coastal sambaquis from the state of São Paulo. Therefore, questions about the origin and dispersion of these groups still remain under debate. The objective of the current project is to investigate genetic ancestry relationships among individuals in the Piaçaguera sambaqui (in São Paulo) and compare their affinity with other pre-colonial populations along the Atlantic coast. To achieve this, it is planned to extract, sequence, and analyze ancient individuals found in the Piaçaguera sambaqui. By using nuclear and mitochondrial data, population dynamics, kinship relations, and ancestry will be inferred.