Hello everyone
Been a long time since I last posted. A lot has changed over the last decade, DNA knowledge included.
Just some random thoughts on my part in regards to Romany DNA.
This is just my personal opinion, take it or leave it
While the autosomal DNA test is a fine test to take, there are limitations to the autosomal test due to DNA recombination. You maybe an autosomal DNA match to some distantly related family members, but not match other distantly related family members.
I do think it is critically important for Romany people to also consider doing the Y DNA and mtDNA tests and not stop short by only doing the autosomal DNA test. When DNA participants limit themselves to a single type of genetic genealogy test, you are to some degree limiting your knowledge, and there is so much more to genetic genealogy then just the autosomal test.
My primary interest is Romany Y DNA ( Y Haplogroup ) origins.
I Y DNA tested back in late 2004 with FTDNA.
I am myself Big Y 500 and Big Y 700 DNA tested, and I was placed in a much deeper SNP that is downstream of H-M82, known as Y Haplogroup H-PH124. I knew back in 2004 that saying that I was in Y Haplogroup H* was far to vague of an answer, and I pushed hard to get us H* men deeper SNP testing.
In 2008, I convinced FTDNA to do a limited Deep Clade SNP test just for us H* men, which they agreed to. 14 H men agreed to pay in advance to have this Deep Clade SNP test made available and that is when the biggest changes started to happen.
It was back in 2008, that we learned all the Roma / Romani / Romany / Gypsy men were in Y Haplogroup H-M82, but again I knew even then back in 2008 that saying we were in H-M82 was to vague of an answer and we wanted better SNP testing. Fast forward to today, I was right in thinking
H-M82 was far to vague of an answer!
Thanks to a small handful of men of Romany ancestry, we now know far better and deeper answers thanks to those whom have done the Big Y 500 or Big Y 700 test which is the most in depth SNP testing available today.
The most interesting aspect of this much deeper SNP testing, is the fact that every Rrom Big Y tested to date, are either positive for H-PH124, or are in an SNP directly downstream of H-PH124.
While I am not a genetic expert, it is plain to me that all the Romany Big Y participants shared a common male ancestor, and I believe that because so far of those Big Y tested, 100% are in
H-PH124 or an SNP directly downstream of H-PH124.
We can look at H-PH124 as being the parent of all SNP's directly downstream, HPH124's descendants so to speak.
The parent branch is H-M82 and thanks to Big Y testing, we now know of one primary SNP that is the parent SNP to all SNP's downstream of H-PH124. The SNP's directly downstream of H-PH124 are: H-BY153075, H-BY224203, H-FT26956, H-PH2261, H-PH2261.
This is pretty compelling evidence to show that since the birth of H-PH124, at least five SNP's were branched off of H-PH124, which indicates to me that regardless their surnames used today, that they all shared a common male ancestor some where back in time, an ancestor whom may have been born some time with in the last 3000 years, or less.
We could not have known those facts with out the use of Y DNA and SNP testing, the autosomal test can not replace the need for Y DNA and SNP testing.
According to multiple Romany DNA studies done since 2001, all those studies came to the same conclusion that suggested that in up words of 30% to as high as 50% of the Romany male population carried Y Haplogroup H-M82 depending on which Romany male population was being studied.
The following surnames have been Big Y tested to date.
Lock / Locke is in H-PH124.
Grigoras is in H-PH124
Downstream SNP's of H-PH124 are:
Bailey is in H-BY153075
Campbell is in H-BY153075
Ingram is in H-BY224203
Renison is in H-BY224203
Salo is in H-FT26956
Markov is in H-PH2261
While this is a small representation of the Romany male population as a whole being Big Y tested, it is an important representation because they are the first Rrom to ever be Big Y tested which is the deepest SNP testing available at this time.
There are around 30 Rrom of around 30 different surnames whom have been Y DNA tested, but not been Big Y tested yet, whom are still being shown as Y Haplogroup H-M82.
The Big Y test is making a huge difference and thanks to those 8 individuals, we have already expanded the Y Haplogroup H tree in a big way!
