Browsing by Author "Campbell, Roberto"

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    Bridging the gap: returning genetic results to indigenous communities in Latin America
    (2023) Arango-Isaza, Epifanía; Aninao, María José; Campbell, Roberto; Martínez, Felipe I.; Shimizu, Kentaro K.; Barbieri, Chiara
    In response to inequality in access to genomics research, efforts are underway to include underrepresented minorities, but explicit (and enforcing) guidelines are mostly targeted toward the Global North. In this work, we elaborate on the need to return scientific results to indigenous communities, reporting the actions we have taken in a recent genomic study with Mapuche communities in Chile. Our approach acknowledged the social dynamics perpetuating colonial hierarchies. We framed genetic results to empower indigenous knowledge and communities’ history and identities. A fundamental step in our strategy has been sharing the results with the communities before publishing the scientific paper, which allowed us to incorporate community perspectives. We faced the challenge of translating genetic concepts like admixture, emphasizing the distinction between identity and biology. To reach a broad and diverse audience, we disseminated the study results to single community members, cultural representatives, and high schools, highlighting the importance of the history of the region before the European contact. To facilitate results dissemination, we prepared didactic material and a report in Spanish written in non-specialized language, targeting a wider Latin American readership. This work illustrates the benefits of discussing scientific findings with indigenous communities, demonstrating that a collaborative and culturally sensitive approach fosters knowledge sharing and community empowerment and challenges power dynamics in genetic research. Bridging the gap between academia and indigenous communities promotes equity and inclusion in scientific endeavors.
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    Polynesian ancestry in South America? A genomic insight from Mocha Island, Chile
    (WILEY, 2019) de la Fuente, Constanza; Campbell, Roberto; Santana, Francisca; Moraga, Mauricio; Willerslev, Eske
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    Population dynamics and cultural niche construction during the Late Holocene in a mediterranean ecosystem (central Chile, 32°S-36°S)
    (2024) Godoy-Aguirre, Carolina; Frugone-Alvarez, Matias; Gayo, Eugenia M.; Campbell, Roberto; Lima, Mauricio; Maldonado, Antonio; Latorre, Claudio
    Understanding socio-ecological systems over the long term can shed light on past adaptive strategies in environmentally sensitive regions. Central Chile is an emblematic case study for mediterranean ecosystems, where a progressive and sustained population increase began approximately 2000 years ago alongside significant landscape changes. In this work we analyzed regional paleo-demographic trends by compiling a new database of archaeological dates over the last 3000 years, and integrating population dynamics theory with an analysis of the spatio-temporal variation of regional cultural stages. Results show three moments of marked acceleration in population growth: just before agricultural adoption, during the Archaic Period (c. 700-300 BCE); during the second half of the ECP (500-900 CE); and during the Late Intermediate Period (1200-1400 CE). We also identified periods of deceleration in per capita growth rates, although population size continued to increase (300 BCE-500 CE, 900-1200 CE and after 1400 CE). These large shifts in the per capita growth rates coincide with major cultural changes associated with social and economic aspects. The pulses of major occupation show in general terms a more intensive use of the valleys as the population size increased, although the remaining ecosystems never ceased to be occupied with different economic and symbolic emphases.
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    The genetic history of the Southern Andes from present-day Mapuche ancestry
    (2023) Arango-Isaza, Epifanía; Rosario Capodiferro, Marco; Aninao, María José; Babiker, Hiba; Aeschbacher, Simon; Achilli, Alessandro; Posth, Cosimo; Campbell, Roberto; Martínez, Felipe I.; Heggarty, Paul; Sadowsky, Scott; Shimizu, Kentaro K.; Barbieri, Chiara
    The southernmost regions of South America harbor some of the earliest evidence of human presence in the Americas. However, connections with the rest of the continent and the contextualization of present-day indigenous ancestries remain poorly resolved. In this study, we analyze the genetic ancestry of one of the largest indigenous groups in South America: the Mapuche. We generate genome-wide data from 64 participants from three Mapuche populations in Southern Chile: Pehuenche, Lafkenche, and Huilliche. Broadly, we describe three main ancestry blocks with a common origin, which characterize the Southern Cone, the Central Andes, and Amazonia. Within the Southern Cone, ancestors of the Mapuche lineages differentiated from those of the Far South during the Middle Holocene and did not experience further migration waves from the north. We find that the deep genetic split between the Central and Southern Andes is followed by instances of gene flow, which may have accompanied the southward spread of cultural traits from the Central Andes, including crops and loanwords from Quechua into Mapudungun (the language of the Mapuche). Finally, we report close genetic relatedness between the three populations analyzed, with the Huilliche characterized additionally by intense recent exchanges with the Far South. Our findings add new perspectives on the genetic (pre)history of South America, from the first settlement through to the present-day indigenous presence. Follow-up fieldwork took these results back to the indigenous communities to contextualize the genetic narrative alongside indigenous knowledge and perspectives.
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    Unraveling Island Economies through Organic Residue Analysis: The Case of Mocha Island (Southern Chile)
    (2024) Montalvo-Cabrera, Javier A.; Colonese, Andre C.; Campbell, Roberto; Talbot, Helen M.; Lucquin, Alexandre; Admiraal, Marjolein; Palma, Gabriela; Craig, Oliver E.
    Biophysical conditions played a fundamental role in early human colonization of insular territories, particularly in food-producing societies dealing with limited resources and the challenges of maintaining a sustainable carrying capacity. Studies on past human colonization of small oceanic islands thus offer insights into economic plasticity, ecological impacts, and adaptation of early food-producing groups. On the coast of southern Chile, early evidence is dated to 950 cal BP of island colonization by coastal populations with mainland subsistence systems based on the exploitation of marine resources, along with gathering, managing, and cultivating plants and hunting terrestrial animals. Strikingly, the extent to which these mixed economies contributed to insular colonization efforts is largely unknown. Here we used organic residue analysis of ceramic artifacts to shed light on the subsistence of populations on Mocha Island in southern Chile. We extracted and analyzed lipids from 51 pottery sherds associated with the El Vergel cultural complex that flourished in southern Chile between 950 and 400 cal BP. Chemical and stable isotope analysis of the extracts identified a range of food products, including C3 and C4 plants and marine organisms. The results reveal the central role of mixed subsistence systems in fueling the colonization of Mocha Island.
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    Variation in the Structure and Role of Religious Institutions
    (UNIV CHICAGO PRESS, 2021) Campbell, Roberto