To test or not...

DNA tests were created to answer questions such as: Who am I? Where are my roots from? Who, of the presently living people, are my relatives and how closely related are they to me? Many may not understand the benefits of such test. Many believe they may not again anything from testing, however, these same many are the ones who do not believe in the importance of addressing such crucial questions.

Questions of identity, roots and family ties become particularly important when observing the Circassian nation. A nation that found 95% of its population expelled from the motherland due to the genocide. Human connections were disrupted for more than one and a half centuries, leading to the current problems our nation is facing.

Being a brightly unique Circassian society is also conservative, allowing novelties very slowly, many authors noted that foreigners very rarely could see hinterland of the Circassia. Structure of Circassian nation included about dozen and a half of the subethnic entities: Abdzakh, Adami, Chopsin, (B)jana, Besleney, Bjedough, Yegeroukhai, Kabardey, Khaghacha, Mamkhegh, Makhosh Natukhai, Temirgoy, Ubykh, Hakouch, Hatikoy, Shapsough... There is also disputable information as per Abkhaz-speaking groups, such as – Sadz, Mdaway, Abaza-Tapanta and Shkarawa, if they used to be called Adyghe as well, or not. Certain border between the Circassians (Adyghe) and Abkhaz-speaking groups had not everywhere existed. Bi- or even trilingual population zones were very common. Such situation remains to exist for instance in KChR between Abaza and Adyghe peoples up until nowadays.

Besides Abkhaz-speaking peoples, Circassians had very close relations with Karachais, Balkars, parts of Ossetes, Vainakhs and Kumykhs.

The Circassian DNA project, based on the ftdna.com lab, started in April 2017.. In the first year, the project gained 178 members. Below is a graph of the member growth.

The main purpose of the Circassian DNA project is to identify the male Y-haplogroup compositions. Currently, 106 results are accessible for observation and research. This number, as well as the quality of the tests, is constantly increasing. The initial phase included accumulating DNA from Adyghe, Abkhaz and Abaza individuals. The data collected in year one was substantial enough to make the following preliminary conclusions. The three pie-diagrams below provide data on the differences between two Circassian Nation groups. The diagram on left, marked WC, i.e. Western Circassians (Abdzakh, Bjedough, Natukhai, Temigoy, Ubykh, Hatukai, Shapsough etc). The middle chart is EC, i.e. Eastern Circassians (Besleneys and Kabardeys) and the chart on the right is the combination of all Y-DNA Circassians.

The first haplogroup (hg) G2a2 (L1259), branched out of G2a approximately 18,100 years ago. Undoubtedly it is recognized as the major hg, as the majority of the Western Circassians belong to it. It is also very significantly represented in the east of Circassia. Another branch of G2a is G2a1 (L293), which is attributed to central-Caucasian ethnicities like the Ossetes, Svans, and Karachay-Balkars. G2a1constitutes a segment of over 11% among the Circassians as well, expectedly inclining towards Kabardians.

When analyzing the G2a2 (L1259) subclade among the Circassians, one will notice that the majority of the results fall into snp L1264. L1264 was formed about 7,700 years ago and the most recent common ancestor (TMRCA) can be traced back to about 4,200 years ago. In other words, we can conclude that all Circassians with L1264 originate from the same male ancestor who lived approximately 4,200 years ago. Below is a screenshot from yfull.com

Currently, only one Circassian with L1264 (out of 30) agreed to upload his BigY test data to yfull.com. His final snp is defined as G-Z44222. In our project we have one more final snp from the BigY test – L1264-L654, but it has not yet been uploaded on yfull.com. Consequently, we cannot yet tell when the split between these two lineages occurred.

Part of the G2a2 Circassians belong to different subclades. For instance, Ubykh Dechens have G-FGC6669 and 2 out of 13 of the Eastern Circassians with G2a2 belong to G2a2-M406.

The second Y-hp is R1a. It was formed 22,800 years ago. It is believed that most of the Proto-Indo-European language speakers used to belong to this exact haplogroup. R1a is academically attributed with the Yamna Culture (3300-2500 BC). Propagation of the R1a is thought to relate to the beginning of the bronze weapon usage, and domestication of the horse on the vast Eurasian Steppes (around 4000-3500 BC). It is very important to note that Eastern Circassians, who had more ties to the Steppe lived Scythian-like semi-nomadic lives and had extraordinary horse breeding traditions, have significantly higher percentage of R1a. R1a-Z93 is the only clade which is seemingly predominant among Circassians, this so-called “Asian” or “Aryan” branch was formed 5,000 years ago, while the terminal SNP Z2123 was formed 4,100 years ago. That SNP is also widespread among the Karachay-Balkars.

Z2123 with the SNP-s YP451 (formed 4,000 years ago) and its branch YP450 (1,650 years ago) are sometimes called conditionally “Kabardian” or “Karachay”. When discussing Z2123, one should mention recently excavated and studied DNA of King Béla III of Hungary (c. 1148-1196). His Y-DNA was identified as R1a-Z93 branch and Z2123>Y934 clade based on STR values. Béla was a member of the Árpád dynasty, which ruled over Hungary and Croatia (Hırvatistan) from 1091 until 1301, from the arrival of the Magyars in the 9th century until 1301.

Occasionally, Circassians also have “European” Z283 branches. Some experts believe this is due to the Goths presence in the Caucasus, about a thousand years ago or so. Our project has one person Shapsough of Koble clan with the BigY test result suggesting his belongs to that group, and another from Kabardian Marshan. Some other people are closer to the Slavs ( Poles and Russians). These results are most likely due to the Russo-Circassian War in 1763-1864.

The next paragraph is taken from academic article (https://www.eupedia.com/europe/Haplogroup_G2a_Y-DNA.shtml) describes the characteristics of the G2a-L1264 in connection with R1a-Z93:

L1264, which is found in the North Caucasus, in the Baltic, Slavic and Germanic countries as well as in Central Asia and India. It was formed 8,000 years ago, but has a TMRCA of only 4,200 years. It would have propagated with haplogroup R1a (Proto-Balto-Slavic and Proto-Indo-Iranian branches). The exert is from the notable Dutch linguistic corporatist Frederik Kortlant who was right writing in stating: “…the original homeland of the Indo-Europeans must be situated in the South Russian steppe. The non-Indo-European language family which is closest to that area is precisely the North-West Caucasian. If we start from the assumption that the Proto-Indo-European sound system resembled that of its neighbors, with which it may have formed a Sprachbund, the North-West Caucasian system is as close as we can get from a typological point of view. Moreover, we know that the area around Maikop, which is Circassian territory, was a cultural center in the formative years of the Indo-European proto-language. It is therefore easily conceivable that the Indo-European sound system originated because of the strong Caucasian influence” [Frederik Kortlandt. (1993) General Linguistics and Indo-European Reconstruction. p. 3.]

The third Y-hg is J2a, it is a characteristic of the central Caucasus. It constitutes the major hg amongst Vainakh peoples; very significant among Georgian subethnicities close to the Greater Caucasian Range, who are partially Kartvelized recent Nakhs. J2a is also common among Balkars and at lesser degree Ossetes. In the Circassian pool, J2a stands in third place. There is information suggesting that this haplogroup is more prevalent among the Abkhaz-Abaza than the Adyghe. Amongst Abkhaz, it reaches up to 35% and is probably the most common one.

Eastern Circassians demonstrate around 14%, whereas Western Circassian around 9%. It is clearly known that Abaza people were assimilated in Kabarda en mass. There are also some Kabardian clans with J2a hg whose origins trace to the Balkar areas, such as ones of numerous and unrelated Balkar family.J2a branches of the Abkhaz-Adyghe, as well as generally speaking any others, are poorly studied, therefore it’s too early to mention certain subclades, let alone snp-s.

Every single person who tested his/her DNA besides learning of their roots will help to the national project to develop. The more we will accumulate results, the more we’ll know about our position among the other Caucasian nationalities, and about our historical past in general. One should clearly understand that it is not a Y-haplogroup exclusively which makes person to belong to some ethnicity, rather his personal comprehension, leave alone autosomal and mitochondrial DNA, which is transitioned from the mothers to all of her children, and so on through the daughters over and over again. Whereas males cannot pass mitochondrial DNA to their descendants. It’s common knowledge that mother line oftentimes is the real cornerstone for the human identity. We should always remember while there are only 20+ haplogroups there are few thousands of various ethnicities…

ftdna.com/groups/ubykh-sochi