The western Bantu expansion Some implications for Bantu Historical Linguistics drawn from a recent multidisciplinary study

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The western Bantu expansion Some implications
for Bantu Historical Linguistics drawn from a
recent multidisciplinary study

• Lolke J. van der Veen
• DDL/Lyon 2

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The WBE implications for linguistics

• The Language, culture and genes in Bantu (LCGB)
  project
• Carried out as part of the OHLL OMLL programmes
  (2000-2007)
• Developing a multidisciplinary approach combining
  
• Linguistics
• Population genetics
• Cultural anthropology
• Archaeology
• History

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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-speaker
  s
• 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.

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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)

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The WBE implications for linguistics

• Innovative research that has given rise to
  several important studies based on uniparental
  genomes (mtDNA, 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

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Populations and numbers of individuals sampled in
Gabon
Total 960 samples from 21 populations (i.a. 1
non Bantu-speaking pop.)
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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

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The languages of Gabon

• Centres of gravity of indi-vidual languages and
  lan-guage varieties
• Boundary between north-western and
  central-western Bantu
• Eleven clusters represented (colour code)
• Baka (Ubangian) ignored here!

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One example of cultural diversity of Gabon masks
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The peopling of Gabon inferred dispersal paths
Bantu expansion (schematic representation and
relative chro-nology)
Peopling of the Gabon area by Bantu-speaking
villagers as sug-gested by language studies and
oral tradition (relative chronology (1)2-5)
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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

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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

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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 mtDNA The MYENE-TSOGO
  (B10-B30) 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

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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 R1b-carrying populations (i.e. an
  non-African Y-chromosome 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???

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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

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The WBE implications for linguistics

• And there is evidence against
• A Sudanic (Egyptian) origin frequently claimed
  for the Bantu-speaking Fang population (Cameroon,
  Gabon)
• The R1b 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

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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 agri-culture
• 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

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According to Clist (2005), following Maley
(2001) 2,800 YBP a sudden de-forestaton due to
period of severe drought A savanna corridor and
other pathways Reforestation from 2,100 YBP
on (Arrows added here.)
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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.

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• Acknowledgments
• The organizers of NDHL
• ESF
• Funding organisms of the LCGB project (CNRS,
  MEC, DFG)