Part 12 - (appendix -2)

[Guest guest]

Y- Chromosome's and 'Gothra'

 

Recently, US President (& Author of Declaration of Independence of

United States) Thomas Jefferson's paternity of his slave Sally

Fleming's children has been in news. For nearly 200 years, since US

president Thomas Jefferson's time, many traditionalists maintained

that Jefferson did not cohabit with Sally. But some descendents of

Sally maintained otherwise and claimed to be progeny of the

ex-president. This old historical controversy has now been resolved

using modern genetic DNA analysis methods (Reference - Founding father

by Eric S Lander & Joseph J Ellis and Foster et al, Nature | Volume

396 | 5 November 1998 | pages 14, 27-28).

 

The genetic DNA study of descendents of Jefferson family and Sally

Fleming's family, has confirmed with very high probability that, US

President Thomas Jefferson was indeed the father of at least one of

the sons of Sally Fleming.

 

How was this genetic work done? Geneticists used a scientific fact,

that most of the male Y-chromosome is passed intact from father to

son. Females do not carry the Y-chromosome. With modern advances in

genetics, this fact has been used to trace paternal lineage, and

resolve stories like Thomas Jefferson's.

 

Thomas Jefferson did not have surviving sons from his legal wife. But

his paternal uncle's male lineage is in tact to present time. The

genetic Y-chromosome of these persons (eight generations down from

Thomas Jefferson's paternal uncle) living at present time was used as

the reference. This was compared with intact male line persons from

(Five generations down from) Sally Fleming living presently. The

geneticists used polymorphic markers so that Y-chromosome can be

distinguished by haplotypes. They found that Sally Fleming's son

Eston's male line progeny had same haplotypes as Field Jefferson who

was paternal uncle of Thomas Jefferson. Using other physical and

living proximity factors, the geneticists have concluded with high

probability that Eston Fleming was the son of Thomas Jefferson and

Sally Fleming.

 

This class of human male lineage research is now very active and is

being conducted in native populations of Wales, England, in Iceland

and to establish uniqueness, paternity, historical lineage, medical

issues and intellectual issues of heredity etc amongst various

population groups.

 

Does this not ring a bell amongst traditional Hindus who believe in

'gothra' identification carried down from Sanathana-dharma orthodoxy?.

'Gothra' is an identity carried by male lineage in India from time

immemorial. Most people have gothra chain names traceable to Rig Vedic

Rishis like 'Gowthama', 'Vasishta' 'Viswamithra' and to first sons of

Vaivaswatha Manu like Angirasa & Bhrigu. Purana such as Vishnu Purana

refer to individual identity through 'Gothra'. Listings of more than

250 Gothra chains have been explicitly listed. I have heard of

instances of Muslims converted from Hinduism still keeping track of

their 'Gothra'.

 

For example we know that Buddha, named Siddhartha was of 'Gowthama

Gothra'. It means that his Y-chromosomes were probably from Rig-Vedic

Rishi 'Gowthama Rahoogana'.

 

How did the people of 3000-4000 years ago realize that genetically

there was transference of some unique characteristics only from father

to son (in the form of Y-chromosomes)? In recent past when it was

fashionable to condemn all Indian traditional systems as of no value,

non-believers have referred to 'Gothra' as archaic, unscientific,

irrelevant and male chauvinistic!

 

Modern DNA & genetic research has confirmed male line Y-chromosomal

transference, through 8 generations in case of Thomas Jefferson.

'Gothra' in essence really stands for Y-chromosomal identity.

 

Nearly 2500 years have passed since death of Buddha, but many

Gowthama Gothra' individuals exist now also. They can claim genetic

relation to Buddha. Typically 4 generations occur in 100 years and in

2500 years nearly 100 generations are complete. Other 'Gothra' chains

may have run 100-200 generations from Vedic period if male lineage did

continue unbroken. Do Y-chromosomes remain intact after, say 100

generations of unbroken male issues? Genetic mutations may or may not

have changed some Y-chromosomes.

 

This appears to be a very interesting field of research for future to

see if persons of same 'Gothra' in the present generations have common

and unique Y-chromosomal features.

 

– Dr S.Balakrishna (from www.indianest.com)