Native American DNA or Y-DNA Haplogroup Q

Y-DNA HAPLOGROUP Q (M242)

Haplogroup Q (M242) is one of the two branches of P1 (M45). The sister haplogroup is R (M207). This haplogroup is believed to have originated around the Altai Mountains, South Central Siberia region area approximately 17,000 to 31,700 years ago. This haplogroup has over a dozen major subclades, identified in modern populations. Moreover, under the major subclades, there are diverse sub-haplotypes.

Distribution

Haplogroup Q (M242) is one of the most widely distributed Y-chromosome lineages, close to Haplogroup F, in the modern world. It is found basically in every continent, the Americas, Europe, Asia, and North Africa.

Americas

In pre-Columbian male lineages of indigenous peoples of the Americas, several branches of this haplogroup have been predominant. Many being descendants of the major founding groups who migrated from Asia into the Americas, during the last Ice Age by crossing the Bering Strait. Another lineage that didn’t cross the Bering Strait also comprises of this Haplogroup in the Americas. They immigrated later and traveled along the shoreline of Far East Asia and the Americas using canoes.
In North America, this haplogroup is found in high frequencies in the Navajo people (>90%), followed by the Apache (78.1%) and among the Na-Dené speakers (68%). Also in the North American Eskimo (Inuit)-80% and the Aleut populations it occurs at a frequency of 46%.
It has been found in moderate frequencies in Greenland. In the US, this haplogroup occupies 3.1% of the total population (Hispanics, Asian and African American as well).
In Mesoamerica South America indigenous people, haplogroup Q occurs in frequencies of 94%. Haplogroup Q built the many wondrous ancient cultures and civilization, for example, Tiwanaku, Caral, Maya, Aztec, Maya, and Inca and so on. As a result of over 500 years of wide-scale biological miscegenation between the indigenous population and European Immigrants, this frequency has been watered down. Nonetheless, it is still higher than that of their North American counterparts.

Asia

Q (M242) originated in Asia (from the Altai regions), and it is widely distributed from there. This haplogroup is found Russia, Siberia (Kets and Yupik people), Selkups, Chukchi people, Nivkhs, Yukaghirs, Tuvans, and Koryaks, also the Altai people, etc.).
Also in the Far East and South East Asia among the Mongols of Mongolia, in China, Uyghurs, Tibetans, Koreans, Japanese, Indonesian population, Vietnamese males, Thai, a significant population of Indian males.
Moreover in the Middle East and Central and South Asia, in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Lebanese, Syrian, Assyrians, Turks, minor occurrences in Saudi Arabia, in Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and so on, this Haplogroup exists alongside haplogroup J2.
In Northern Asia, where it potentially originated, between the Altai and Lake Baikal region in Siberia, it is found in many prehistoric cultures.

Europe

Haplogroup Q (M242) is distributed in low frequencies across most European countries and the frequency decrease towards the west and to the south.
In Central and Eastern Europe, about 1.7% of the males are holders of this haplogroup. The Polish, Belarusians, Ukrainians, Czechs, Slovaks, Hungarians, Romanians, Moldovans, Bulgarians, maintain a smaller frequency number between 0.1%-2%.
On the other hand, the Transylvanian Székelys, who are presumed to be descendants of Attila’s Huns are haplogroup Q individuals. They occur at a frequency of 4.3%.
In Northern Europe, about 2.5% of the males fall under this haplogroup. In about 4.1% males of Sweden belong to a subclade of Haplogroup Q (M242). This frequency is distributed in the country. Haplogroup Q mainly occurs in the southern regions of Northern Europe in places like Götaland. The highest frequency of Q, about 20% is found in Halland County, followed by 14.3% in Jönköping. In Kronoberg County and Västmanland the frequency is about 12.5% and in other counties as well it occurs in lower frequencies.
In Norway, it is found in about 2.6% of the males. This haplogroup is also found in Danish males and in the Faroe Islands, which comprised mostly of the Viking Civilizations.
Icelandic males have also been classified in this haplogroup as well as Finnish males.
In Eastern Europe, among the Estonian, Lithuanian and Latvia males, this haplogroup occurs at lower frequencies, between 0.1%-5%.
In Western Europe, haplogroup Q occurs at low frequencies, about 0.5% in countries such as Germany, France, and United Kingdom. But in regions that had Viking settlements in Western European Countries, this haplogroup frequency is significantly higher.
In Southern Europe, this haplogroup is mostly observed at low frequencies, but in mainland Croatia, Hvar Islands, and Korčula there are significant but still low frequencies of this haplogroup, 1%-7%. A population of Italian and Sicilian males also possess this Haplogroup. As you go towards the Mazara del Vallo region this haplogroup frequency rises to about 17%, followed by Ragusa, Sciacca, and the Belvedere Marittimo regions.
Some of the Ashkenazi and the Sephardi Jews have also been known to be in this Haplogroup.

Africa

Haplogroup Q is rarely found across Africa, more so North Africa. In a certain population of Egyptian males this haplogroup is observed in 0.7% (that is about 1 in every 147 Egyptian males), and in the Algerian people, the frequency is about 0.6% (that is 1 in every 156 males).
Surprisingly, this haplogroup is also observed in 0.8% of males from the Comoros Islands, situated between East Africa and the Island of Madagascar.

Haplogroup Q (M242) Major Subclades

This Y-DNA Haplogroup Q-M242 has about three dozen subclades. However, the major subclades that have a significant frequency among the world populations include;
Q-L472
Q-M120
Q-M25
Q-M346
Q-L53
Q-L54
Q-L56
Q-M3
Q-M323
Q-P89.1
Q-Z780
Q-L275

Famous Haplogroup Q individuals

Dr. Robert Oppenheimer, the brilliant theoretical physicist. A major player in the Manhattan Project and creator of the Atomic Bomb belonged to haplogroup Q1b, a primary subclade of Haplogroup Q.

The Prominent New Age Movement figure, Deepak Chopra. An author, public speaker and alternative medicine advocate, belongs to Haplogroup Q1b.

Share this post: on Twitter on Facebook on Google+

Categories: Featured, Q

Tags: Altai, Amerindian, Native American, South Central Siberia

Genetic Variations In Modern Day Hungarians Y-DNA Haplogroup D – Tibet , Japan , Andaman Islands