Scientists confirm that a man is the living defendant of the sitting bull. Here’s how DNA testing made it possible

Scientists from the University of Cambridge developed a new DNA testing based on autosomal DNA. This makes tracing complex relationships very easy. Here’s how it helped reveal that Mr. Lapointe is a descendant of the ‘sitting bull’.

Who is the Sitting Bull? How is man related to them?

 The sitting bull or, Tȟatȟáŋka Íyotake was a holy man and the leader of Hunkpapa Lakota. The Native American leader is well known for his victory over General Custer in 1876. He led over 1,500 warriors during the Battle of Little Bighorn and wiped out the US forces. However, he was shot dead in 1890 as it was feared that his support to Ghost Dance would end the American expansion. 

New research led by Eske Willerslev, an evolutionary geneticist from the University of Cambridge shows a link between Mr. Lapointe and the infamous sitting bull. They used a lock of extremely degraded hair from the ancestor. The lock was stored for over 100 years at room temperature at the Smithsonian in Washington before it was returned to the Lapointe family in 2007. “We managed to locate sufficient amounts of autosomal DNA in Sitting Bull’s hair sample, and compare it to the DNA sample from Ernie Lapointe and other Lakota Sioux — and were delighted to find that it matched,” said Professor Willerslev. 

It took researchers over 14 years to come up with a method to extract usable DNA from the sample. However, according to them, now that the process is determined, it should be easy to replicate. “In principle, you could investigate whoever you want. From outlaws like Jesse James to the Russian tsar’s family, the Romanovs. If there is access to old DNA — typically extracted from bones, hair or teeth, they can be examined in the same way,” explained Professor Willerslev.

What is autosomal DNA? How does it help in DNA testing?

Autosomal DNA is DNA inherited from non-sex chromosomes. They are ‘non-gender-specific DNA’ as explained They undergo recombination in each generation. Hence children receive one set of these chromosomes from each parent. Due to this, their study can help in establishing complex and detailed family relationships.

Unlike traditional genetic analysis, this will go deep into both the male and female lines. This is because traditional approaches either look into the mitochondrial DNA or the Y chromosome. The mitochondrial DNA is passed down the female line whereas the Y chromosome is passed on the male side. 

Hence, without this method, Mr. Lapointe would not have been able to make the connection. He wishes to relocate his great-grandfather’s remains to an appropriate location. Currently, there are two official burials for the Sitting Bull- one in Fort Yates in North Dakota and another in Mobridge in South Dakota. “’Over the years, many people have tried to question the relationship that my sisters and I have to Sitting Bull,”said Mr Lapointe. However, before they can relocate the remains, they will have to be tested with the lock of hair.

“Sitting bull has always been my hero. That’s why I almost choked on my coffee when I read in 2007 that the Smithsonian had decided to return Sitting Bull’s hair to Ernie Lapointe and his three sisters, in accordance with new US legislation on the repatriation of museum objects. I wrote to Lapointe and explained that I specialized in the analysis of ancient DNA and that I was an admirer of Sitting Bull, and I would consider it a great honor if I could be allowed to compare the DNA of Ernie and his sisters with the DNA of the Native American leader’s hair when it was returned to them,” said the Professor.

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