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mitochondrial DNA sequences from all subjects showed very high diversity and pointed
                                      to  the  presence  of  intensive  admixture  between  Austronesian-speaking  and  Papuan-
                                      speaking  populations.  The conclusions  were  reached  by looking at the total number
                                      of  polymorphic  sites  where  site  refers  to  bases  position  on  DNA  which  has  different
                                      nucleotides and occurs in several locations. In addition, this diversity was also illustrated by
                                      the number of haplotypes. A haplotype is analogous to a certain motif which is a collection
                                      of several unique bases obtained from the DNA sequencing. Haplotype determination
                                      is  not  conducted  randomly  but  follows  a  well-  established  consensus  in  naming. The
                                      communities with highest variations were found in the eastern part of Indonesia (Sumba,
                                      Flores, Pantar, and Alor) where both Asian and Papuan genetic derivatives were observed.
                                         To be able to reconstruct Indonesian human migration pattern, the huge environmental
                                      and geological changes’ impact on the archipelago’s inhabitants cannot be ignored. The
                                      archipelago’s geographical identity as a cross roads for human migration is an important
                                      part of why  Indonesia became a settlement location  with highly  diverse  ethnicities,
                                      languages, and genetics. The history of Melanesia cannot be separate from Indonesia as
                                      its people’s genetic makeup shows the same ancestral traces. Melanesia, as elsewhere in
                                      Indonesia, is inhabited by Austronesian-speaking and non-Austronesian-speaking people
                                      and  this  is  reflected  in  the  genetic  background  of  its  populations.  Explaining  this  is  a
                                      multi-disciplinary task. Anthropologists support numerous new algorithms in population
                                      genetics that illustrate unimpeded human society. Modern science has rejected studies
                                      based on the concept of ‘race’. It looks at processes such as cultural change over time and
                                      emphasizes  interregional  contacts  and  interactions.  By  using  population  genetics,  the
                                      natural borders in the Indo Pacific area, the Wallace bio-geographical line, and the line
                                      separating Near and Remote Oceania can finally be illuminated reliably.
                                         Analysis  using  mtDNA  and  Y-chromosome  genetic  markers  exhibits  that  genetic
                                      variation in Indonesia was shaped primarily by two migration processes, the movements
                                      of early humans due  to the sea level  change and the migration of populations with
                                      agricultural  technology  from mainland  Asia to the  Southeast  Asian archipelago.  The
                                      initial settlers of Indo Pacific were known to possess a particular mitochondrial genetic
                                      background (P and Q) which is owned to some extent as a Papuan genetic feature. These
                                      haplogroups are not found in the western part of the Southeast Asia archipelago. The
                                      analysis by Y-chromosome markers showed similar results.
                                         Several human movements from mainland China are thought to have changed the
                                      dynamics of most of the Pacific, especially with the presence of Polynesian motifs which



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     MELANESIA BOOK FA LAYOUT 051216.indd   119                                                                 2/10/17   2:10 PM
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