Mitochondrial DNA Results from the Kormantse Archaeological Research Project

Summary

Kormantse is an influential and celebrated place name in the African Diaspora. Some scholars estimate that more slaves were transported from Kormantse and nearby Fort William in Anamabo than most other West African ports. For the last ten years, the Kormantse Archaeological Research Project (KARP) has been studying the human skeletal remains recovered from the site. A combination of PCR-based techniques, targeted enrichment, and next-generation sequencing of Kormantse teeth has confirmed endogenous DNA that is associated with common African haplogroups. While it is expected that little DNA will survive in the tropical and subtropical latitudes of Africa, this study demonstrates that small amounts aDNA – in some cases informative of mtDNA haplotype – can survive extensive tropical environs and humidity as well as aggressive seasonal turnover provided that the remains are from recent excavations, and are controlled for DNA contamination during and after the field season. These haplogroups are discussed within the context of the African Diaspora and its occurrence in areas of the Americas, particularly the Caribbean, circum-Caribbean and South America.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 83rd Annual Meeting, Washington, DC (2018)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 20605