Johannesburg (dpa) – A very small group of Indonesians are probably the ancestors of all people in Madagascar, a massive island off Africa's south-eastern coast, according to a new study in the Royal Society's journal on biological sciences. Inhabitants of the world's fourth largest island all speak dialects of an Austronesian language that traces its origin back to Indonesia. DNA evidence also points back to Java and the nearby areas, while there are also signs of mixing with the Bantu peoples of mainland Africa. “Malagasy are the children of both east and west, with clear Indonesian and African antecedents,” the study said. The study, based on DNA samples, found that the group of Indonesians who settled the island some 1,200 years ago probably included just 30 women. “So few ‘founding mothers' argues against wholesale planned colonization from Indonesia, and instead hints at a small, perhaps unintended, ocean crossing,” according to an excerpt from the study. “Madagascar was among the last places on the Earth to be settled,” the study said, noting that despite the new findings, much of the island's history remained “unresolved.” BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/LZdLN Tags: Indonesia, Madagascar, Settlers, Women Section: Latest News, Southern Africa, Women
