Haplogroup H (Clan Helena)

[rusalka]

I just got my mtDNA results (I'm really excited ) and I'm haplogroup H, called Clan Helena from Bryan Syke's book The Seven Daughters of Eve. Apparently Haplogroup H's origin is Southern France in the Pyrenees and it is the most common in people from Western and Central European ancestry, although it's still the most widespead one overall Europe. It's been around for 20,000 years. Here's a description from the OxfordAncestors:

"The clan of Helena (Greek for light) is by far the largest and most successful of the seven native clans with 41% of Europeans belonging to one of its many branches. It began 20,000 years ago with the birth of Helena somewhere in the valleys of the Dordogne and the Vezere, in south-central France. The clan is widespread throughout all parts of Europe, but reaches its highest frequency among the Basque people of northern Spain and southern France"

My mutations are:

16080G
16189C
16356C

Does anyone else know of their Haplogroup? Mine only portrays my female ancestors of course, as it's a maternal DNA test, the only one I could have as someone lacking the Y chromosome.

[tphabs]

H is more or less the female equavalent of male Hg 1 (in terms of frequency and distribution).

This haplogroup is particularly common in (western) Britain, and as you said, Iberia.

[AWAR]

So, Rusalka, you seem to be Keltic even though you're Slavic/Circassian by more recent ancestry




;D

[rusalka]

AWAR said:

So, Rusalka, you seem to be Keltic even though you're Slavic/Circassian by more recent ancestry




;D

Well from what I could find out, this Haplogroup, especially with my mutations, seems to be dominant in people from Ireland and Wales. If it does make it "Keltic" it's still a possibility for me to have that specific DNA with those specific mutations because maternal DNA tests go WAY back, and I can only trace as far as my great-great grandmother on my mother's maternal side; and she's from Yugoslavia. My very far back ancestry might as well be "Keltic" because there were Kelts all around Europe, and even in Asia Minor, but then, Kelts were not a racial group but a cultural one. It's a bit confusing, isn't it?

I've met a couple of people online with similar mutations and except one of them (who traces her ancestry to Northern Italy, Southern France and Croatia), they were tracing their ancestry to either Ireland or Britain; or France.

[rusalka]

tphabs said:

H is more or less the female equavalent of male Hg 1 (in terms of frequency and distribution).

This haplogroup is particularly common in (western) Britain, and as you said, Iberia.

Any information and/or suggestion on commonality of the mutations as well tphaps? I can only tell as much from what I've seen or read online, really. But then, there are Mediterranoid types in Britain as well; maybe it is somehow linked to that.. Tough subject, this genetics business

[Melnorme]

rusalka said:

Any information and/or suggestion on commonality of the mutations as well tphaps? I can only tell as much from what I've seen or read online, really. But then, there are Mediterranoid types in Britain as well; maybe it is somehow linked to that.. Tough subject, this genetics business

HG1 should not be exclusively associated with Northern Europeans, as it is extremely common among Iberians.

I'm assuming the same is true for that maternal haplogroup?

[rusalka]

Melnorme said:

HG1 should not be exclusively associated with Northern Europeans, as it is extremely common among Iberians.

I'm assuming the same is true for that maternal haplogroup?

Yes it IS very common in Iberians as well, that's how it's classified in most writings I've come across with. In fact they say it's predominant in Iberia (especially the Basque population) and certain parts of France. The mutations, I've come to believe, are a different thing though. The people I've met who have the same mutations as me happened to be from those parts I've mentioned, and nowhere near the Balkans, as I was expecting it to be.

[Dienekes]

rusalka said:

The mutations, I've come to believe, are a different thing though. The people I've met who have the same mutations as me happened to be from those parts I've mentioned, and nowhere near the Balkans, as I was expecting it to be.

Haplogroup H is frequently found in the Balkans. The vast majority of people taking DNA tests aren't from the Balkans, so not getting matches from the Balkans should be interpreted cautiously.

[rusalka]

Dienekes said:

Haplogroup H is frequently found in the Balkans. The vast majority of people taking DNA tests aren't from the Balkans, so not getting matches from the Balkans should be interpreted cautiously.

Actually, yes. I was considering that. Probably the majority of the people are from the US or the UK, as one can judge only by the high pricing of these tests. As for Haplogroup H in general, I know it's frequent all over Europe, it's actually the most common with Europeans. In fact, if I remember correctly I had posted about the "Ancient Greek and Roman" DNA in another post (or maybe I thought of it and haven't) and 2 of my mutations (I have 3) match. Rome, of course was very vast and one cannot speak of a typical "Roman" in that sense as it encompassed almost all of Europe. It surely includes the Balkans; although I don't know if they had taken the samples from a specific location; or if they were an average of all areas they could take samples of.

Still, I'm very disheartened to haven't met anyone who have all three of my matches.

[great99]

Melnorme said:

HG1 should not be exclusively associated with Northern Europeans, as it is extremely common among Iberians.

I'm assuming the same is true for that maternal haplogroup?

In Europe the highest frequence of H mtDNA is among Iberians (60% or more).