The N1a haplogroup was not observed among the native American, east Asian, Siberian, Central Asian, and western European populations. The geographic distribution of haplogroup N1a is restricted to regions neighboring the Eurasian steppe zone. Its frequency is very low, less than 1.5% (Table 6), in the populations located in the western and southwestern areas of the Eurasian steppe. Haplogroup N1a is, however, more frequent in the populations of the southeastern region of the Eurasian steppe, as in Iran (but only 12 individuals were studied) and southeastern India (Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh territories). More precisely, in India haplogroup N1a is absent from the Dravidic-speaking population and is present in only five Indo-Aryan-speaking individuals, four of whom belonged to the Havik group, an upper Brahman caste (Mountain et al. 1995).The presence of haplogroup N1a in upper caste Hindus and not in Dravidians further strengthens the case for it being associated with the Neolithic Indo-Europeans. According to this theory, the diffusion of Neolithic people led to the Indo-Europeanization of large parts of Eurasia. The recent discovery of a high frequency of N1a in Linearbandkeramik people is also consistent with this theory, and so is its presence in prehistoric Scytho-Siberians who were Iranic speakers at the edge of the Indo-European world.
November 13, 2005
N1a in Brahmnins
Interesting tidbit from an earlier post: