No one is jumping to conclusions but there is a very strong possibility that his lineage is Taino because of the region where he's from Azua, where if you read the previous posts, I believe yumnuk showed pics of direct descendants of the Taino from this area.

My precious little pumpkin, Corachon Pechocho, I did read the post. But why are we favoring taino which traits characteristics are much more remote than middle eastern Asiatic or others?

WHY?

Because we Dominicans have a fascination with the tainos or Arawaks and are trying to resurrect its existence and legitimacy as a unique and inalienable Dominican trait.

Dear Ladronaso,
Im pretty certain that to an untrained eye, a person from India or middle eastern may look Native American. Of course visual conclusions can be very faulty. That said many middle eastern peoples such as Afghans, Iranians, Uzbekistans, etc as well as people from Northern India have in fact lineages that are Asian. American Indians share many traits with Asian people for example mtDNA demonstrates that Native Americans are directly related to Asians.
Remember the Mondgols conquered all the above mentioned regions and left their descendants in those countries who in turn mixed with the local populations.
The mtDNA sequencing studies that have been concluded in the DR and should be officially printed later this year have conclusively proven that up to 20% of Dominicans have mtDNA that is Native American. To complicate matters for those who believe that Tainos became "extinct", autosomal DNA tests reveal that Many Dominicans regardles of phenotype have Native American ancestry.
So it makes sense when we look at Dominicans especially from the campos who look Indigenous to asume that they are in fact descendants of the taino.
FYI the regions that scored the highest in mtDNA tests were the Cibao (notably San Jose de las matas) San Juan de La Maguana, Azua and certain places in Higuey.
All the best
Baracutei

I am not disputing the taino lineage or DNA!
No. what I am disputing is OUR lazy conclusions.

It's akin to many African Americans belief that anyone that has the slightest bit of color or waves/curles in their hair, IS BLACK.

the same mentality!

That's the same excuse that AA's use to condemn us, ladronaso, that is, that the remoteness of our Taino past makes it "inadequate" and "rude" for us to be making those efforts, cuz' they swear that we're doing it to deny our "blackness". USADR calls it "Afro-Saxon imperialism". LOL

I understand your point Luataro. But Forgive me but I cannot nor do I intend the defend or condone the total ignorance of anyone specifically the AA's. AA fail to understand that Dominicans in reality Cannot be defined by anyone specific race or predominating race. We are a people of much diverse ethnicity as you yourself have mentioned. Therefore AA who cannot understand this dont understand because they wish not to understand. As I said in my previous post these are the same people that think that anyone with the slightest bit of color is Black. But we as Dominicans also have to understand the complexity of our ethnicity and avoid the pitfall of favoring any race.

DR definetly received many Lebanese, Palestinian & Syrian immigrants. I can bet that some of the Dominican posters here have seen Dominicans who look 'middleeastern'.
I don't think I look Arab, but many Egyptians & Palestinians apparently do. I've gone to buy pita bread in Arab stores in S. Paterson, NJ (a very Middle Eastern neighborhood) and they've spoken to me in Arabic.
As far at the the Amerindian influenced 'look', I definitely saw it many times in San Juan De La Maguana, & surrounding campos (Las Charcas de Marionava) . I've always said this even before I became aware of these tests.
Alot of these other groups (Arabs, Italians, Spaniards) have become absorbed in the general populace.
I wonder if Barucutei ever found out what region in Africa contributed to the majority of our Afroancestry, I recall a study that suggested one area.

USA I mentioned the same occurring to me in another thread just today. What region was it you saw suggested? I have been seriously thinking of paying for my own test to get a clearer idea for the benefit of my soon-to-arrive son, but the tests are not cheap and I have to hold on to my cash for now!

New Study Confirms Taino Ancestry Among Dominicans
Dominican Republic (UCTP Taino News) - According to a new DNA study conducted in the Dominican Republic a large segment of the country’s population retains indigenous Taino ancestry through their mother’s bloodline. The study, conducted by the University of Puerto Rico, reveals that approximately 15-18% of Dominicans have Native American Mitochondrial DNA out of a population of nearly 10,000,000.

The research is based on 1200 DNA samples taken throughout the island with some test areas revealing 90% of the subjects with Native ancestry. While the percentages are lower than similar studies conducted on the neighboring island of Puerto Rico, the estimates defy “popular” accounts that the Indigenous Peoples were completely exterminated on that island.

“This study is a confirmation of what we have already known and promoted for years” stated Roberto Borrero, a representative of the United Confederation of Taino People. “Our people continue to exist within the multi-cultural mosaic that is the Caribbean despite the genocidal campaigns that began against us 516 years ago with the arrival of Columbus.”

One interesting aspect of the study is that individuals tested in the Cibao region seem to have a different DNA sequence than those tested in the southern part of the island. While both sequences are indigenous the variants could shed some light on ancient migrations. The study also reveals that the Taino descendants from the Cibao area could have been relatively “un-mixed racially” until more recent time




ladronaso previously said:

I am not disputing the taino lineage or DNA!
No. what I am disputing is OUR lazy conclusions.

Why are you accusing me of making lazy conclusions?