The Genetic Profile of the Cunhama People

Abstract

This paper analyzes the genetic profile of the Cunhama people, aiming to evaluate the genotypic characteristics of 15 markers STRs in the Cuanhama ethnic group. The Cuanhama people are mostly resident in southern Angola and northern Namibia, since in recent times the human population has grown at a rapid pace, with it increasingly increasing the process of population migration, contributing to some extent to the change. of the genotypic characteristics of the population. Like genetic drift, migrations have an evolutionary effect because they are capable of promoting changes in gene frequencies, both in the populations from which immigrants originate and in those who receive them. The Cuanhama people have long been considered a homogeneous people, that is, involvement with other peoples was expressly prohibited; hence the need to know the effects of migratory movements on the people's genetic pool. To this end, we will study the genetic profile of this people using microsatellites, which constitute one of the most important classes of molecular markers currently used in population studies.