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Upington'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 more recently.
Genetic analyses tells us there are 3 main Khoe-San ancestry groups. They look like this
For people in Upington, 45% of their ancestors are Khoe-San, which Khoe-San ancestry group is most similar to the Khoe-San ancestors of Upington?
!Xoo
Jul’hosai San
Upington
In this diagram, you can see how the Khoe-San ancestry of the people in Upington is drawn close (and therefore more similar) to the Khoe-San ancestry in Jul’hosai San populations than !Xoo populations.
Nama
Jul’hosai San
Upington
You can see that the Khoe-San ancestry of the people in Upington is even more similar to the Khoe-San ancestry in Nama populations than Jul’hosai San populations.
≠Khomani-San
Upington
Nama
And, the Khoe-San ancestry of the people in Upington is most similar to the Khoe-San ancestry in ≠Khomani-San populations than Nama populations.
!Xoo
Upington
Jul’hosai San
Nama
≠Khomani-San
Putting this all together, the Khoe-San ancestry of the people in Upington 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 of connectedness with the Upington and ≠Khomani San ancestors sharing a branch most recently.
!Xoo
Jul’hosai San
Nama
Upington
≠Khomani-San
Common ancestors of all Khoe-San populations as of 120,000 Years ago
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