Population Genetics of The Sami

Population Genetics Of The Sami

Since the early years of genetic research, the Sami people have caught the interests of scientists. The Sami languages belong to the Uralic languages family of Eurasia. Some older anthropologist have suggested they might be of Asian and/or Siberian origin. The frequency of blood group and protein polymorphisms in Sami differ significantly from the general Swedish population.

In more recent years the use of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and Y-DNA chromosomal markers has offered the opportunity for clarification of the origin of the Sami. While their mtDNA haplogroup distribution overwhelmingly represents a subset of the European gene-pool, the most common Y-DNA haplogroup among the Sami is widely believed to be of Eurasian origin and very common among all peoples in Northeastern Europe. The second most common haplogroup is I, which is found almost exclusively among those of European ancestry. Thus the Sami appear to have a complex population history, suggesting a mixture of peoples arriving in Fenno-Scandia at different times, from different directions. Their most common physical appearance is northern European like Finns or Scandinavians.