On September 25, 2026, Kai Tätte will defend her doctoral dissertation entitled "Genomic insights into the population histories of Munda- and Austronesian-speaking populations"
Supervisors:
professor Mait Metspalu, University of Tartu
professor Toomas Kivisild, University of Tartu
Oponent:
dr Anna-Sapfo Malaspinas, University of Lausanne, Switzerland
Abstract
Asia and Oceania are home to hundreds of indigenous populations whose genetic, linguistic, and cultural diversity has been shaped by thousands of years of migration and interaction. Despite this remarkable diversity, the region remains underrepresented in genome-wide datasets, leaving many aspects of its population history unresolved. This doctoral thesis investigates the genetic history of four previously underrepresented indigenous populations: Munda-speaking groups from India, Indigenous Taiwanese (Amis and Yami), the inhabitants of the Marquesas Islands in Polynesia, and the population of Kiritimati Island in Micronesia. By generating and analysing genome-wide genetic data, the study reconstructs past migrations, identifies ancestry components, and estimates when different populations came into contact and admixed.
The results show that the ancestors of present-day Munda speakers originated from both South and Southeast Asia, with admixture occurring approximately 3,000–4,000 years ago. Indigenous Taiwanese were found to preserve a distinct genetic profile closely related to the ancestral population that gave rise to the Austronesian expansion, supporting Taiwan’s central role in the dispersal of Austronesian-speaking peoples across Island Southeast Asia and the Pacific. The genomes of the Marquesas Islanders revealed the genetic consequences of long-distance voyaging, including founder events and isolation, and identified the timing of admixture with Papuan- and European-derived ancestry. The genetic history of Kiritimati demonstrates that because the complex settlement of Micronesia involved multiple migration waves, each archipelago there has its own unique genetic history. Overall, this thesis contributed to reconstructing human migrations and population interactions that took place thousands of years ago, even in regions where written historical records are scarce or absent. The findings contribute to a better understanding of the demographic history of Asia and Oceania and provide valuable insights for genetics, archaeology, linguistics, and anthropology.
Passcode: 122546
