A man whose DNA profile is nearly identical to one of the last known Beothuck has no known Indigenous links or connections to Newfoundland.
Dr. Steve Carr, a Memorial University biologist and founder of Terra Nova Genomics, is conducting a research study with the Miapukek First Nation to see if any modern Mi’kmaq carry Beotuck DNA markers.
Dr. Steve Carr is a biology professor at Memorial University. He is also the founder of Terra Nova Geonomics.
Carr’s work has been delayed by the pandemic situation, but using DNA information collected from the remains of Nonosabusut and his wife Demasduit, he conducted a meta-analysis and cross-referenced the sequences with a public DNA data bank and found a man who is nearly identical to one of the pair.
Carr says intriguingly, the match – a man who lives in the United States – has done extensive work on his family tree going back five generations and has no known connections to this province or any Indigenous communities.
Carr says the DNA shows that Demasduit and the man in question likely have a close family connection, and the lineage still exists; that raises a whole host of new questions.
Carr cautions that the known genetic variation of the Beothuck comes from 14 individuals scattered over several thousand years. If they find another individual, that may reveal another unknown lineage.
The Ojibwe, also known as the Chippewa, are an Algonquian-speaking, Great Lakes area culture who are genetically similar to the Beothuck. Another individual who identified as Ojibwe came up as identical to Nonosabasut.
