Polynesian DNA in Brazilian Tribe

[Steerpike]

I could think of some interesting stories as a result of this.

I wonder how this fits into Thor Heyerdahl's theories, if at all?

Polynesian DNA mysteriously shows up in a Brazilian tribe | Ars Technica

 

[Nihal]

Sounds exciting, but probably the least interesting explanation is also the right one:

So, what's left? The best of a bad bunch of explanations. Towards the end of the African slave trade, Britain's ban on slavery led it to interdict vessels along the west coast of Africa. That shifted some of the trade to elsewhere, including Madagascar. That island was also settled by Polynesians, and about 20 percent of its population appears to carry DNA variants consistent with the Brazilian find. Once brought to Brazil, there were a few decades in which these individuals could have been kidnapped by and assimilated into the Botocudo (possibly producing offspring) before the tribe was exterminated. The authors helpfully note that a kidnapping of this sort was the subject of an 1870 opera by a Brazilian composer.

But I wouldn't say it was a kidnap, different ethnic groups mixing didn't happen based solely on kidnaps... I think those scientists are neglecting the fact that the brazilians weren't nearly as picky about "races" as another countries. There was some degree of separation–specially between free men and slaves–, but this country already started as a mixed country.

If you're going to consider that the native population was used as slave force too (but it became rarer after some time, they had no immunity to european diseases and were regarded as "too wild and too frail" and the church decided to claim these natives)... slavery was only fully abolished in 1888, also, the slavers didn't care so much about their slaves' lineage. They wouldn't care if their native and "imported" slaves were together, nothing "fanciful" here.


Some background info on Botocudos

Botocudo was a generic denomination given to different groups of natives who were non-Tupi and shared the same linguistic root–you can count at least 22 different tribes here. They're better know as Aimoré/Aymoré and occupied a large region, mostly the coast. They were described as taller than the Tupi, broader and with fairer skin, and they still exist.

They were indeed know as aggressive, attacking settlements and caravans. Some sources said they were cannibals. Until 1821 Brazil was officially split in different administrative regions denominated "capitanias", and those natives were responsible for the failure of three of them.

One famous skirmish is know as The Aimorés Massacre. Despite the ominous name, it didn't really put an end to those tribes. I guess it was what confused these scientists.