Voices of the Angara: Siberian Hunter-Gatherers

The Siberian_Hunter_Gatherers represent a deep, millennia-spanning presence along the Angara River and across the Lake Baikal and Trans‑Baikal landscapes. The dataset ranges from very early Upper Palaeolithic individuals (as early as ~43,980 BCE) through Late Holocene and medieval contexts (to c. 1390 CE). Key archaeological loci include Shamanka II (Lake Baikal), Izvestkovaja-1 and Kuenga River sites, Fofonovo, the Nozhyj Lake burial complex, and riverine localities at the mouth of the Belaya and along the Argun.

Archaeological data indicate persistent human use of river corridors and lakeshores for millennia — places rich in fish, waterfowl and seasonal game. Climatic oscillations after the Last Glacial Maximum reconfigured steppe and taiga ecotones; people adapted with flexible mobility and localized specializations. The cultural sequence recorded in site stratigraphy and material remains links these hunter-gatherers to regional Neolithic and Eneolithic horizons (for example, the Ust-Belaya Angara tradition and the Eneolithic layers at Shamanka), but not to a single homogenous culture.

Limited evidence suggests early continuity in some genetic lineages across millennia, while later periods show additional inputs from neighboring East Asian groups. Spatial and temporal sampling is uneven: some early and very late dates are represented by few samples, so broader regional sampling is needed to refine emergence models.

Genetic data from 89 individuals provide a substantial view of population dynamics in the Angara–Baikal region. Y-chromosome lineages are dominated by haplogroup N (24 samples) with substantial representation of Q (14), smaller counts of K (3) and one BT. Mitochondrial diversity is typical of Northeastern Eurasia: haplogroups D (21), C (15), A (8), G (8) and F (7) are common. These maternal lineages point to deep Siberian continuity and shared maternal ancestry with other Northeast Asian and Beringian-linked groups.

Y-haplogroup N is broadly associated with later northern Eurasian expansions and is frequent today among Uralic- and Tungusic-speaking populations; its presence here suggests a long-standing northern Eurasian paternal component. Haplogroup Q, while less numerous, highlights an older Siberian substratum that is also ancestral to Native American lineages outside Eurasia. The mix of maternal and paternal markers indicates repeated episodes of local continuity and male- and female-mediated gene flow.

Temporal resolution shows persistence of core Siberian lineages through Neolithic and Eneolithic horizons and evidence for additional East Asian-related admixture in some Medieval-period individuals. Because sampling density varies across the 44,000-year span, interpretations about frequency changes over time should be treated cautiously. Overall, the genetic profile aligns with archaeological patterns of long-term regional occupation combined with episodic contact and admixture.