Interdisciplinary Approaches to Reconstructing Early Population History in the High Himalayas of Nepal

Anthropological research in the high-elevation regions of northwestern Nepal offers insights into the populationhistory of the Himalayan arc through a multi- and interdisciplinary approach that includes not only archaeologicaldata and historic and ethnographic accounts but also genomic, isotopic, and bioarchaeologicaldata, as well as innovative use of thermal niche modeling for paleoclimate reconstruction. Together these linesof evidence have allowed us to address project questions about human settlement into the region, including(1) sources of population movements into high-elevation environments of the Himalayan arc and (2) bioculturaladaptations to high-mountain environments. In this paper we compare research at several communalmortuary sites, each with a rich assemblage of material culture and human burials: Mebrak (400 B.C.–A.D. 50),Kyang (400–175 B.C.), and Samdzong (A.D. 450–650), as well as intriguing insights from finds in the earlier (ca.1250–450 B.C.) sites of Lubrak, Chokhopani, and Rhirhi. Our genomic findings demonstrate population originsfrom the Tibetan plateau, despite South Asian material culture recovered in early sites. Bioarchaeological findingsof low frequencies of non-specific stress and trauma indicate successful biocultural adaptation to highaltitudeconditions of hypoxia, cold, and low resource availability, potentially through buffering from exchangenetworks and local cultural practices, alongside high-altitude selected alleles. An integrative, multidisciplinaryapproach thus offers significantly greater opportunities for developing a more nuanced understanding of thepast processes of migration, settlement, and biocultural adaptation in the region. La investigacion antropologica de las alturas del noroeste de Nepal nos proporciona conocimientos de la historiade la poblacion del arco Himalaya a traves de un enfoque multidisciplinario e interdisciplinario que incluyeno solamente datos arqueologicos y relatos historicos y etnograficos, sino tambien datos genomicos, isotopicos,y bioarqueologicos, tanto como uso innovador del modelado del nicho termico para la reconstruccion paleoclimatica.En conjunto, estas lineas de evidencia nos han permitido abordar temas sobre el asentamiento humanade la region, como: (1) los origenes del movimiento hacia ambientes en las alturas del arco del Himalaya;y (2) las adaptaciones bioculturales necesarias para vivir en las alturas. En este articulo comparamos las investigacionesde varios mortuorios comunales que ofrecen conjuntos abundantes de entierros humanos y artefactosrelacionados: Mebrak (400 a.C.–d.C. 50), Kyang (400–175 a.C.), and Samdzong (d.C. 450–650), asi como loshallazgos intrigantes de sitios anteriores (ca. 1250–450 a.C.) de Lubrak, Chokhopani, y Rhirhi. Nuestros datosgenomicos sugieren origenes de le poblacion del altiplano tibetano, a pesar del material que deriva del sur de Asia que se ha recuperado de los sitios mas tempranos. Los hallazgos bioarqueologicos demuestran niveles bajosde estres y trauma inespecifico, y sugieren exito en adaptacion biocultural, a pesar de las condiciones de hipoxia,frio, y los recursos escasos en este ambiente. Es posible que alelos seleccionados a las alturas, junto con sistemasde intercambio y las costumbres locales contribuyeron al exito de la adaptacion. Por lo tanto, un enfoque multidisciplinarioque integra todas las evidencias ofrece una comprension mas detallada de los procesos de migracion,asentamiento, y adaptacion biocultural de la region.