> >Tracing our roots >Published on: May 10, 2011 > >More in: > * iLIVE >Dr Bernardo Elvino de Sousa, who authored the book ‘The Last Prabhu’ is a >Switzerland-based Goan scientist. In an e-mail interview with ‘The Navhind >Times’, he spoke about his journey to make this book possible, on Goan >community >and why it is important to save information about our past historyQ. What >inspired you to hunt for Goan roots especially in your village of Aldona? >In Goa, investigating who is related to whom is a state-wide pastime, probably >more popular than the national cricket craze, and every family has its experts >on the subject. I therefore grew up listening to these discussions, though I >admit that the topic was of little interest to me in my youth. >Later on, my wife Vinita, who is not only a great grand-daughter of José >Nicolau >da Fonseca, author of ‘An Historical and Archaeological Sketch of the City of >Goa’, but is herself very well-versed in history awoke my interest in this >topic. My interest lay passive and dormant until I read an article on the >Genographic project launched by the National Geographic magazine jointly with >IBM. Being a “gaunkar” (i.e. descendant of a clan of the founders of a >village) >of Aldona, I was greatly intrigued as to how and why a person who migrated >from >Africa sixty thousand years ago, should end up as a Brahmin co-founder of a >village in Goa. Also, trained as a scientist, the notion of using DNA test >results greatly appealed to me, as a tool to find a solution to this vexing >question that refused to leave me alone. >Q. In your book you have searched for traces of your male ancestors, using the >Y >DNA. Would it not make sense to search for female ancestors using >mitochondrial >DNA in a Goan context? >It certainly would. One of the objectives of this project was to identify if >possible the pre-conversion Hindu name of my ancestors. Since the gaunkari >system is a male bastion and family names or surnames are patrilineal by >convention, the only option available to me to achieve this objective was to >focus my research on Y DNA. >In ‘The Last Prabhu’, I have dedicated a chapter to my mitochondrial DNA and >discovered the surprising and to me unexpected migratory route of my mother’s >maternal ancestors. I am convinced that a project to study the mitochondrial >DNA >(mtDNA) of Goans would reveal exciting results with regard to matrilineal >migratory routes. >Q. I guess your readers must be wondering too: what is the significance of the >book’s title ‘The Last Prabhu’? >By analysing the chapter on Aldona (Tombo de Aldona) in Gajanana Ghantkar’s “A >History of Goa in Goykannadi Script”, I was able to determine the >pre-conversion >name of all the 12 vangods of Aldona’s Comunidade Fraternal. Thus, my >ancestral >pre-conversion name was Prabhu. Additionally, I was able to identify the last >ancestor of my patrilineage to bear this name. My choice of the book’s title >is >intended to honour this last ancestor, who is also one of the person’s to whom >the book is dedicated, to show him respect and express my pride in being one >of >his descendants. >In order to emphasize the “last” that is very significant from the historical >point of view, I have explained this under “concluding remarks” in the last >words of the last sentence of the last page, prior to the list of references, >in >the hope that the reader will meet the challenge of reading my book up to the >last word. >Q. Is it feasible for a layperson in Goa today to find out his/her >haplogroups? >If yes, then how? >Anyone from any part of the world, including Goa, can determine his or her >haplogroup by ordering a kit from the Genographic Project, Family Tree DNA or >some other organisation offering this service, and sending back a swab. In my >project, two Goans living in Goa did precisely this. In the case of a male, he >will have to choose between testing his Y DNA, mtDNA or both, whereas in the >case of a female, for obvious reasons, only a mtDNA test is possible. A >standard >starter test for twelve markers costs around a hundred US dollars. >Q. What are the implications of your findings for the Goan community? Would >you >see it as being of academic interest alone, or practical too? >At a time when the problem of migrants is being hotly debated in Goa, my >findings show that we are all migrants to some extent and descendants of the >first migrants out of Africa. Another conclusion is that there is absolutely >no >genetic basis to the existence of the caste system since Brahmins all over >India >not only do not belong to the same haplogroup but additionally share >haplogroups >with other varnas and even with tribal populations. I would sincerely hope >that >my book will contribute towards the removal of all caste bias in Goan society. >I also hope that it will show other Goans a path on how to search for their >roots, pre-conversion Hindu name, their deep ancestry and the migratory route >of >their ancestors. It is most unfortunate that old documents in Goa’s archives >and >libraries are treated with such appalling neglect and disrespect and access to >them is hindered by massive bureaucracy. It is our last opportunity to save >information on the past history of Goa and its inhabitants. >I would also fervently hope that Goa University undertakes a project to study >the DNA – both Y DNA as well as mtDNA – of the vangods of Goa’s comunidades as >well as of the different communities of Goa such the Mhars, Kharvis, Kunnbis >and >so on to determine their haplogroups and provide scientific information on the >peopling of Goa. >Q. What was the most challenging part of this project, given that it mixes >science, history, religious issues, and sociology? >The most challenging part of the project came from an entirely different area, >namely, the major hurdles to access information and to obtain the books and >other literature on Goa needed for the project. >Q. What is your next project? Is it again to do with DNA testing? >My immediate project is to enjoy our first grandchild Raul Sanjay, who was >born >on 16th April; ‘The Last Prabhu’ was released to coincide with his month of >birth to emphasize the fact that this book is all about roots. I have started >a >project to translate G Ghantkar’s Tombo de Aldona from the original Prakrit >into >English, a slow and arduous task for a person who is not an expert in oriental >languages but I am confident that I will get there eventually. I also plan to >do >research on my wife’s deep ancestry. >
