Post 37: Who are Indigenous?

I read that far right groups are using the phrases ‘Indigenous Britain’ and ‘Migrant Britain’ as another ploy to demonise their imagined enemies. I prefer to call these ideologues ignorant rather than stupid; but that is based on the assumption that they haven’t bothered to check the facts; or their own personal DNA. I think it’s safe to say that no one living in this island can claim to be 100% British. 

So, where to stop; or start for that matter? Trying to unravel our DNA history is a complicated task. All over our land remains of ancestors have been found to include DNA from as far away as Africa and the farthest reaches of Europe. There are rumours that Nubian DNA has been found near Hadrian’s wall; and ‘Uptown Girl’, whose 2,000 year old remains were found in a village in Kent, had 33% West African heritage. Just two examples that illustrate the ridiculous premise of supposed ‘Britishness’. After a cursory check of the genetic history of this island, here are the aforementioned facts, taken from Wikipedia; my favourite fact finding source.

MIGRANT MOVEMENTS

Migrants came from the East
Dark skinned, pale eyed and curly hair
Migrating north west from Europe’s south east
Mesolithic, pre circa 4,000 bc
Post stone age Palaeolithic

Came hunter gatherers
From Iberia and Anatolia
The Neolithic age
From circa 4,000 to 2,500 bc

Came the Bronze Age
And Bell Beaker culture
From the lower Rhine and the Steppes
Replacing Neolithic ancestry
Until 2,000 circa bc

 Came the Romans
In the 1st century bc
And then Anglo Saxons
From Europe’s North sea coast
Replacing 76% of British ancestry

Came the Vikings
In the 8th century
Seafarers from the North
From Norway and Denmark
Giving up to 16 per cent
To modern British ancestry

Came the Normans
The Gallic arrival of 1066
And allies of their cause
Including Flemings
From the low countries

Came the Roma
In the sixteenth century
From the Punjab
With Sanskrit language

Came the Huguenots
In 1670, French Protestants
Fleeing from religious persecution

Came the South Asians
In the 19th century
25,000 Lascars
Transitory seamen
Of the East India Company
Lodged in British ports
Between voyages

Came Asian diplomats,
Scholars soldiers, officials
Tourists and students
7 to 10,000 Indians
Settled in Britain

Came the Irish, fleeing famine
In the 19th century
Came black Loyalist troops
Transported to Britain
From the American civil war

Came twenty thousand Germans
Fleeing World War l
Came two million Russian Jews
Fleeing from Russia in 1914
120,000 settled in Britain

And since the two world wars
Migrants flow back and forth
Escaping circumstance
Fleeing wars and privation
Taking chances to improve their lot

Conclusion: somewhere down the line we are all descended from migrants. And migration is an ever changing reality. Global movement will always be with us. Let us celebrate, not denigrate this fact!