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
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.
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
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.
1. Linguistic and cultural diversity
Lolke Van der VeenDynamique du Langage (UMR 5596)
Bantu village Pygmy settlement in forest
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.
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
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.
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
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.
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)
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.
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)
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.
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)
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.
Major subdivisions(Bastin & Piron 1999lexicostatistically basedclassification)
Mbam/BubiNorth-westernCentral-westernSouth and eastern
How things are nowadays (2a)
Great variety of locallevel clusters
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.
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)
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.
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)
How things are nowadays (3)
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.
Linguistic and cultural boundaries within western Central African Bantu:
The case of the Gabon area and the western Bantudispersal.
How things are nowadays (4)
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.
Gabon (1):
Linguistic diversity
-Some 50+ language varieties
-Dozen local clusters
-Pygmy settlements ( )
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.
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
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.
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)
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.
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)
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.
Gabon (4):
Example of majorlinguistic boundary within Gabon
North-western (A/B10/B30/B20?)
vs.
Western-central
North-western Bantu
Western-central Bantu
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.
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)
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.
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
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.
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)
How things are nowadays (5)
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.
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).
How things are nowadays (6)
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.
Four onsite missions: 10 zones (13 sites) retained for sampling
GABON
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.
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.)
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.
See Lluis Quintana-Murci’s presentation
See Gemma Berniell’s presentation