Doctoral Dissertations

Date of Award

5-2000

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Major

Anthropology

Major Professor

Lyle W. Konigsberg

Committee Members

Richard L. Jantz, Andrew Kramer, Karla J. Matteson

Abstract

This study examines the specific African ancestry of the "Gullah" African Americans of Lowcountry South Carolina. The proximate goal was to use biological data from Lowcountry populations to test the conclusions of previous cultural, historical, and linguistic research. The ultimate goal was to further knowledge of complex diseases prevalent in African American populations. When ancestral populations are correctly identified, medical researchers can target the most informative comparative populations for studies of genetic and environmental causes of disease. The proposed Lowcountry/Sierra Leone relationship promoted by Opala (1987) generated new interest and pride in Gullah/Geechee heritage. However, other African connections to the Lowcountry have been somewhat neglected. This study investigates other likely associations between West Africa and the Lowcountry using biological evidence. Chapters 1-3 summarize the history, cultural traditions, and previous studies of the African Americans of the South Carolina Lowcountry. Based upon this information, the biological analysis in Part 11 tests the proposed affinity of Lowcountry African Americans with peoples of West Africa. Chapter 4 describes the utility of accurate biological description of African Americans and the population dynamics that have affected their genome(s). Chapter 5 presents a brief introduction to abnormal p-globin haplotypes and their application to the question of specific African American ancestry. The regional homogeneity of these markers in Africa presents the unique opportunity to identify the origins of two ancestors of individuals with sickle cell anemia (Hb SS). Chapter 6 examines the anthropometric affinity and population structure of Lowcountry African Americans (Fst, coefficients of kinship, generalized distances) using comparative metric data from available African populations. The genetic results indicate the expected relationships to Upper Guinea and equatorial Africa, but a stronger affiliation with peoples of the Gold and Slave Coasts than expected from cultural and historical evidence. The metric data indicates that the Gullah population exhibits a morphology that closely resembles those of West African populations and suggests relationships with populations that are overlooked in the cultural and historical hypotheses. All results indicate that Lowcountry African Americans represent a biological amalgam with identifiable affinities with all major regions of West Africa.

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