The Peopling and Migration History of the Natives in Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo: A Glimpse on the Studies Over the Past 100 years

Abstract

Southeast Asia (SEA) has one of the longest records of modern human habitation out-of-Africa. Located at the crossroad of the mainland and islands of SEA, Peninsular Malaysia is an important piece of puzzle to the map of peopling and migration history in Asia, a question that is of interest to many anthropologists, archeologists, and population geneticists. This review aims to revisit our understanding to the population genetics of the natives from Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo over the past century based on the chronology of the technology advancement: 1) Anthropological and Physical Characterization; 2) Blood Group Markers; 3) Protein Markers; 4) Mitochondrial and Autosomal DNA Markers; and 5) Whole Genome Analysis. Subsequently some missing gaps of the study are identified. In the later part of this review, challenges of studying the population genetics of natives will be elaborated. Finally, we conclude our review by reiterating the importance of unveiling migration history and genetic diversity of the indigenous populations as a steppingstone towards comprehending disease evolution and etiology.

Epidemiology of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma in Sarawak, East Malaysia

“…This could be explained by shared hereditary risks. Natives in Borneo, as well as Alaskan regions were theorized to have shared origins in east Asia, with seafarers reaching Borneo (Hoh et al, 2022) and migrating through the Bering land bridge to Alaskan regions. More modern migration brought a sizeable population of Chinese to other regions, although the changes in cultural practices such as the consumption of preserved foods may differ.…”