The western Bantu expansion Some implications for Bantu
The western Bantu expansion Some implications for Bantu Historical Linguistics drawn from a recent multidisciplinary study Lolke J. van der Veen DDL/Lyon 2 Lyon, 12 - 14 May 2008 New Directions in Historical Linguistics 1
The WBE: implications for linguistics • The “Language, culture and genes in Bantu” (LCGB) project – Carried out as part of the OHLL & OMLL programmes (20002007) – Developing a multidisciplinary approach combining • • • Linguistics Population genetics Cultural anthropology Archaeology History Lyon, 12 -14 May 2008 New Directions in Historical Linguistics 2
The WBE: implications for linguistics • An major contribution to the study of the populations of west-central Africa (WCA) – WCA: • The presumed homeland of the (Proto-)Bantu-speakers • A region with considerable linguistic and cultural diversity • A good test case for the “Languages and genes debate”: a fairly good understanding of the linguistic situation of the region, limited time-depth, etc. Lyon, 12 -14 May 2008 New Directions in Historical Linguistics 3
The WBE: implications for linguistics – WCA: no longer a blank spot on the genetic map • Well-defined and very rigorous criteria were used for sampling • Extensive fieldwork (4 field missions in Gabon) – Informing the authorities and the public – (Blood) sampling in the field – Ethnolinguistic and anthropological questionnaires • 960 DNA samples + 444 from a similar project coordinated by E. Heyer & S. Bahuchet: a total of 1404 samples for the Gabon and Cameroon area – 980 agriculturalists (20 pops) – 420 hunter-gatherers (9 pops) Lyon, 12 -14 May 2008 New Directions in Historical Linguistics 4
The WBE: implications for linguistics – Innovative research that has given rise to several important studies based on uniparental genomes (mt. DNA, Y-chromosome) and autosomal markers • Cf. Quintana-Murci et al. (2008): Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA (PNAS) • Cf. Verdu et al. (forthcoming): relationships between the various Pygmy groups of the area Lyon, 12 -14 May 2008 New Directions in Historical Linguistics 5
Populations and numbers of individuals sampled in Gabon Total: 960 samples from 21 populations (i. a. 1 non Bantu-speaking pop. ) Lyon, 12 -14 May 2008 New Directions in Historical Linguistics 6
The WBE: implications for linguistics • What we have been looking at – Linguistic diversity, cultural diversity and population genetic diversity (i. e. synchronic PATTERNS) – Inferences about the progressive peopling of the area based on linguistic analysis and oral tradition, submitted to population geneticists (Barcelona, Paris) • Linguistic groupings based on shared phonological, morphological and lexical innovations • Evidence of contact from the ongoing study of specialized lexicon Lyon, 12 -14 May 2008 New Directions in Historical Linguistics 7
The languages of Gabon q Centres of gravity of individual languages and language varieties q Boundary between northwestern and central-western Bantu q Eleven clusters represented (colour code) Baka (Ubangian) ignored here! Lyon, 12 -14 May 2008 New Directions in Historical Linguistics 8
One example of cultural diversity of Gabon: masks Lyon, 12 -14 May 2008 New Directions in Historical Linguistics 9
The peopling of Gabon: inferred dispersal paths Bantu expansion (schematic representation and relative chronology) Peopling of the Gabon area by Bantu -speaking villagers as sug-gested by language studies and oral tradition (relative chronology: (1)2 -5) Lyon, 12 -14 May 2008 New Directions in Historical Linguistics 10
The WBE: implications for linguistics • What we have been looking for – Correlations between the different types of patterns (as a possible result of coevolution between languages, cultures and genes) – Scenarios capable of explaining the present human diversity (i. e. diachronic PROCESSES) – Matches between the scenarios emerging from the linguistic, cultural and genetic analyses Lyon, 12 -14 May 2008 New Directions in Historical Linguistics 11
The WBE: implications for linguistics • The results from the genetic analyses are compatible with: – A “recent” Bantu expansion • 4, 000 YBP according to the most recent archaeological findings – A Bantu homeland in the vicinity of Mount Cameroon • Cf. Quintana et al. (2008) – A western Bantu dispersal that moved southward towards the Angola / Namibia area Lyon, 12 -14 May 2008 New Directions in Historical Linguistics 12
The WBE: implications for linguistics • There is also evidence for: (1/3) – A clear Central African origin for all the populations examined – Extensive exchange between Bantu-speakers during and following the expansion • High genetic homogeneity, no clear correlations with the current linguistic classification(s) – One exception for mt. DNA: The MYENE-TSOGO (B 10 -B 30) cluster shows a partial correlation between languages and genes – This exception can easily be accounted for by a massive integration of TSOGO female individuals into MYENE groups (known from history) • The extent of multilingualism, language replacement and language merger (and death) has clearly been underestimated Lyon, 12 -14 May 2008 New Directions in Historical Linguistics 13
The WBE: implications for linguistics • There is also evidence for: (2/3) – Ancient and ongoing exchange between the Bantu-speaking farming villagers and the groups of hunter-gatherers • Clear signs of asymmetric paternal gene flow, from villagers to hunter-gatherers • Ancient common ancestry (cf. Quintana-Murci et al. (2008)) – Contact with *R 1 b-carrying populations (i. e. an non-African Ychromosome lineage) in Central Africa before and/or during the expansion • Evidence for Fang, Punu, Teke and some other Bantu populations • This finding sheds new light on the movements and the contacts of these groups • Any linguistic traces of these contacts? ? ? Lyon, 12 -14 May 2008 New Directions in Historical Linguistics 14
The WBE: implications for linguistics • There is also evidence for: (3/3) – Strong social and cultural determination of the ethnolinguistic groups examined • • Lineages are biologically more relevant entities Influence of matrilineal/patrilineal descent… Influence of polygyny… Influence of patrilocality… Lyon, 12 -14 May 2008 New Directions in Historical Linguistics 15
The WBE: implications for linguistics • And there is evidence against – A Sudanic (“Egyptian”) origin frequently claimed for the Bantuspeaking Fang population (Cameroon, Gabon) • The R 1 b* marker, which is fairly well attested among Fang male individuals, has a much older origin (contact with pops come from northern regions) • No linguistic or cultural evidence either Lyon, 12 -14 May 2008 New Directions in Historical Linguistics 16
The WBE: implications for linguistics • Recent evidence from archaeology – Clist (2005) ; Oslisly • Ancient occupation by very small groups of hunter-gatherers • Gradual peopling by new type of population – Slow, wave-like, demic spread – Small groups of villagers practising some rudimentary form of agriculture – Favourable environmental conditions (regression of the forest, etc. ) – Effective communication networks – Different cultural traditions: pottery, ironwork, … • Migrations following the Atlantic coast and/or inland migrations Lyon, 12 -14 May 2008 New Directions in Historical Linguistics 17
According to Clist (2005), following Maley (2001): 2, 800 YBP: a sudden deforestaton due to period of severe drought A savanna corridor and other pathways… Reforestation YBP on from 2, 100 (Arrows added here. ) Lyon, 12 -14 May 2008 New Directions in Historical Linguistics 18
Ongoing and future research • Several new perspectives and challenges – The importance of taking into account the ecology of language and the sociocultural environment • • • Population size and population density Geographic position (isolated, etc. ) Networks for exchange Nature of exchange: mating, technologies, etc. Extent of multilingualism and language replacement Impact of cultural factors: marriage strategies, descent systems, residence strategies, local (traditonal) slavery, war and conflict, mobility, lifestyle, food resources, etc. • Etc. Lyon, 12 -14 May 2008 New Directions in Historical Linguistics 19
Acknowledgments The organizers of NDHL ESF Funding organisms of the LCGB project (CNRS, MEC, DFG) Lyon, 12 -14 May 2008 New Directions in Historical Linguistics 20
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