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Brandvlei's Khoe-San Ancestry
There are Khoe-San groups throughout southern Africa, like southern Angola, Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa. These groups include Bushmen, Khoe, Nama, and other people that speak and used to speak Khoisan languages. Even though they had different cultures and languages, they share the same ancestors, and some share ancestors from long ago and some from very recently.
Genetics tells us there are 3 main Khoe-San ancestry groups. They look like this
For people in Brandvlei, 60% of their ancestors are Khoe-San, which Khoe-San ancestry group is most similar to the Khoe-San ancestors of Brandvlei?
In this diagram, you can see how the Khoe-San ancestry of the people in Brandvlei is more similar to the Khoe-San ancestry in Jul’hosai San populations than !Xoo populations.
!Xoo
Ju|'hoasi San
Brandvlei
Nama
Brandvlei
Ju|'hoasi San
Furthermore, you can see that the Khoe-San ancestry of the people in Brandvlei is more similar to the Khoe-San ancestry in Nama populations than Jul’hosai San populations.
≠Khomani San
Nama
Brandvlei
Building off of that, the Khoe-San ancestry of the people in Brandvlei is more similar to the Khoe-San ancestry in ≠Khomani-San populations than Nama populations.
≠Khomani San
Brandvlei
Nama
Ju|'hoasi San
!Xoo
Putting this all together, the Khoe-San ancestry for the people in Brandvlei is most similar to ≠Khomani-San populations, then Nama populations, then Jul’hosai San populations, and least similar to !Xoo populations.
Another way to think about how all the Khoe-San groups are connected throughout time is to imagine a tree/stream of connectedness.
Common Ancestor of all Khoe-San populations as of 120,000 Years ago
!Xoo
Ju|'hoasi San
Nama
Brandvlei
≠Khomani San
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