The inter- and intrapopulation genetics of the early Mississippian elite of Cahokia, an ancient Native American metropolis

Recent developments in molecular technology that permit the isolation and characterization of DNA from ancient remains provides a means to examine the inter- and intrapopulation genetics of past human groups. Analysis of ancient DNA from burials recovered from the Cahokia site near East St. Louis, Illinois, the largest and most organizationally complex prehistoric site in the New World north of Mexico, has great potential to address archaeological questions concerning the origins, genetic affiliations, and social organization of an ancient Mississippian population.; To examine the inter- and intrapopulation genetics of the early Mississippian elite of Cahokia DNA was extracted from tooth specimens from ten burials excavated from two of the constituent submounds (72Sub2,72Sub3) of Mound 72 at Cahokia. Mitochondrial (mt) DNA and Y-chromosome-specific DNA were amplified via the PCR method and characterized by RFLP analysis and direct sequencing. Phylogenetic analysis of the control region sequence data identified four of the five major New World founding mtDNA haplogroups in the Cahokian sample, suggesting a close phylogenetic relationship between the Cahokians and other New World populations. The presence of a rare mtDNA lineage in a large proportion of the 72Sub2 sample, further suggested the existence of a maternally-related group, lending support to archaeological hypotheses positing the presence of a corporate descent group in Mound 72. Comparison of the molecular genetic information with the 72Sub2 mortuary data showed a clear relationship between social group affiliation and genetic relatedness.; Y-chromosome-specific variation for the 72Sub2 burials was found to be phylogenetically uninformative. However, a positive correlation between status and sex was observed. Individuals presenting the highest relative status based on differential mortuary treatment were identified as males, consistent with historical data showing that primarily males occupied the highest political offices in Mississippian society.