The Indian Ocean slave trade and colonial expansion resulted in strong sex-biased admixture in South Africa.

ABSTRACT: The colonial-period arrival of Europeans in southern Africa is associated with strong sex-biased migration by which male settlers displaced Indigenous Khoekhoe and San men. Concurrently, the importation of enslaved individuals from South Asia, Indonesia, and eastern Africa likely contributed to female-biased migration. Using genetic data from over 1,400 individuals, we examine the spatial and temporal spread of sex-biased migration from the Cape to the northern edges of the historic colonial frontier. In all regions, admixture patterns were sex biased, with evidence of a greater male contribution of European ancestry and greater female contribution of Khoe-San ancestry. While admixture among Khoe-San, European, equatorial African, and Asian groups has likely been continuous from the foundi

SUBMITTER: Reynolds AW 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12696499 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature