Ethno-linguistic and genetic variation in Central Africa: From Hunter-gathering to Agriculturalism

Workshop on Languages and Genes: recent work and emerging results. Aussois, September 2005.Workshop on Languages and Genes: recent work and emerging results. Aussois, September 2005.

Ethno-linguistic and genetic Ethno-linguistic and genetic variation in Central Africa:variation in Central Africa:

From Hunter-gathering to AgriculturalismFrom Hunter-gathering to Agriculturalism

Lolke Van der Veen, Lluis Quintana-Murci, Gemma Berniell


1. Linguistic and cultural diversity(general setting)Lolke Van der Veen

2. Genetic variation, ongoing analyses

A. mtDNA variationLluis Quintana-Murci

B. Y-chromosome variationGemma Berniell


1. Linguistic and cultural diversity

Lolke Van der VeenDynamique du Langage (UMR 5596)

Bantu village Pygmy settlement in forest


1. How people and languages came into place: a historical scenario based on findings from different fields of research

Time depth Time span of major dispersals Initial habitat Diversification Proto-Bantu Convergence Type of spread Major directions Encounters

2. How things are nowadays

Bantu-speaking Africa Gabon

OUTLINE


Bantu dispersal and relative chronology: schematic representation

Minor dispersals

Major dispersals

Major convergencearea

4 000 BP2 500 BP

2 000 BP ?

1 500 BP

3 000 BP


Time depth: 4,000 YBP. Extension of Sahara, gradual retreat of the rain forest. Demographic changes, i.a. Bantu dispersal.

Initial habitat: Bantu-speaking villagers, practising agriculturalism, moving away from the Cameroon-Nigeria border area, in search of new lands. (Cf. Clist, 2005)

Proto-Bantu: a normal, i.e. dialectally fragmented, language.

Type of (initial) spread: gradual, wave-like. Linguistics and archaeo- logy rule out mass emigration.

Major directions: southward and eastward (through rain forest or bypassing it). Also numerous secondary spreads.

Bantu dispersal (1)


Encounters: Sedentary Bantu-speaking groups and much smaller groups of nomadic hunters-gatherers. Symbiotic coexistence in forest environments. Traces of contact, but not of substantial cultural admixture. Also encounters with Nilotic and Cuchitic speakers (Great Lakes region), and Khoisan speakers (East, South). Various degrees of admixture.

Time span of overall dispersal: about 3,500 years. Forest and savannah environments. Ancient contribution of diffusal of iron metallurgy (at some stage of the expansion, but not the initial stage).

Diversification: dialectal fragmentation, mosaic-like pictures. Punctuation.

Convergence: clear signs of linguistic and cultural admixture. Kaleidoscopic landscapes. Equilibium. See zones on map (supra).

Bantu dispersal (2)


Some 500 languagescovering most ofSub-Saharan Africa

Well-documentedlanguage group

Highest degree of diversity in north-western part

Many endangeredlanguages

How things are nowadays (1)


Major subdivisions(Bastin & Piron 1999lexicostatistically basedclassification)

Mbam/BubiNorth-westernCentral-westernSouth and eastern

How things are nowadays (2a)

Great variety of locallevel clusters


A maximum-parsimonyanalysis

(Holden 2002)

« Bantu language treesreflect the spread offarming across sub-Saharan Africa. »

Very similar to Bastin & al. (1999)

How things are nowadays (2b)


Cultural variation

- No such a thing as ‘Bantu culture’

- More or less important differences:

Mating strategies: endogamy vs. exogamy, etc. Dowry systems Residence strategies: patrilocality vs. matrilocality Kinship systems: matrilineal vs. patrilineal descent, etc. Social stratification, subsistence, political organisation Beliefs systems, cosmology, axiology Art Dominance, belligerence Technological and cultural specialisations Etc. Mvet player (Bantu, Fang)



Linguistic and cultural boundaries within western Central African Bantu:

The case of the Gabon area and the western Bantudispersal.



Gabon (1):

Linguistic diversity

-Some 50+ language varieties

-Dozen local clusters

-Pygmy settlements ( )


B20c

B30

B60b

B50

B40

B20a

A75

B20b

B60aB10

Gabon (2a): preliminary dendrogramme calculated by Nerbonne’s team

B70

Clu

ster

ing:

Com

plet

e Li

nk


Gabon (2b): preliminary dendrogramme calculated by Nerbonne’s teamC

lust

erin

g: W

ard’

s M

etho

d

B20

A75

B30

B10 B40 B50

B60-B70

(Part of North-western Bantu) (Part of Western Bantu)


GABON

Major W

estern Expansion R

oute (costal,

inland, both?)

Reference numbers according to Maho (2003).

Main Convergence Zone

B10-B30-B20?Myene-Tsogo-Kele?

1

B40-H12aShira-Vili

2

B50?-B60-B70Njabi?-Mbete-Teke

3

A75Fang

4

Gabon (3): Major dispersal routes (inferred from diachronic language studies)


Gabon (4):

Example of majorlinguistic boundary within Gabon

North-western (A/B10/B30/B20?)

vs.

Western-central

North-western Bantu

Western-central Bantu


Map: Luto/Gabontour, Libreville, 2001

Gabon (5a):

Masksas an example ofcultural variation

Pove (B30)

Tsogo (B30)

Fang (A75)

Duma (B50)

Mahongwe (B20)

Punu (B40)

Bekwil (A85)

Teke (B71)

Galwa (B10) Kota

(B20)


FANG Reliquary(Byeri)

KOTA Reliquary

TSOGO Reliquary(Fetish)

PUNU Funerary Statuette

MBETE Funerary Statuette

Gabon (5b):

Reliquaries and funerary statuettes as an example of cultural variation


Linguistic and cultural boundaries between western Central African Bantu and (originally) non-Bantu

- Linguistic boundaries: two different situations

▫ No evidence of boundarie(s): language shift (RULE)

▫ Case illustrated by the Bakao Pygmies: Ubangian language (EXCEPTION)



Linguistic and cultural boundaries between western Central African Bantu and (originally) non-Bantu

- Cultural boundaries:

▫ (Traditional) lifestyle: farming vs. hunter-gathering▫ Habitat & mobility: sedentary vs. (semi-)nomadic▫ Group size: large vs. small▫ Social stratification and organisation▫ Social and economic interaction

N.B. More and more, Pygmies are adopting a sedentary lifestyle

(government policy).



Four onsite missions: 10 zones (13 sites) retained for sampling

GABON


Blood samples collected and processed in Gabon (CIRMF)(mtDNA and Y-chromosome analyses in process)

Benga (A34):

53*Fang (A75):

70*Makina/Shiwa (A83):

50*Bekwil (A85b):

5Galoa (B11c):

51*Orungu (B11b):

42Kele/Ngom (B22):

50*Mbangwe (B23):

6Kota (B25):

59*Shake (B251):

52*Tsogo (B31):

66*Okande (B32):

8Eviya (B301):

38Eshira (B41):

53*Punu (B43):

52*

Nzebi (B52): 63*Duma (B51): 49Obamba/Mbama (B62): 54*Ndumu (B63): 44Teke (B71a): 56*Baka Pygmies (non Bantu): 39

(* = target of 50 achieved)

Total (March 2004): 960 blood samples.

(Genetic data from 21 out of the 50 populations.)


See Lluis Quintana-Murci’s presentation

See Gemma Berniell’s presentation

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Ethno-linguistic and genetic variation in Central Africa: From Hunter-gathering to Agriculturalism

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