The Soliga, an isolated tribe from Southern India: genetic diversity and phylogenetic affinities

How is Inclusiveness in Health Systems Research Priority-Setting Affected When Community Organizations Lead the Process?

Community engagement is gaining prominence in health research. But communities rarely have a say in the agendas or conduct of the very health research projects that aim to help them. One way thought to achieve greater inclusion for communities throughout health research projects, including during priority-setting, is for researchers to partner with community organizations (COs). This paper provides initial empirical evidence as to the complexities such partnerships bring to priority-setting practice. Case study research was undertaken on a three-stage CO-led priority-setting process for health systems research. The CO was the Zilla Budakattu Girijana Abhivrudhhi Sangha, a district-level community development organization representing the Soliga people in Karnataka, India. Data on the priority-setting process was collected in 2018 and 2019 through in-depth interviews with researchers, Sangha leaders, and field investigators from the Soliga community who collected data as part of the priority-setting process. Direct observation and document collection were also performed, and data from all three sources were thematically analyzed. The case study demonstrates that, when COs lead health research priority-setting, their strengths and weaknesses in terms of representation and voice will affect inclusion at each stage of the priority-setting process. CO strengths can deepen inclusion by the CO and its wider community. CO weaknesses can create limitations for inclusion if not mitigated, exacerbating or reinforcing the very hierarchies that impede the achievement of improved health outcomes, e.g. exclusion of women in decision making processes related to their health. Based on these findings, recommendations are made to support inclusive CO-led health research priority-setting processes.

The Y-chromosome of the Soliga, an ancient forest-dwelling tribe of South India

A previous autosomal STR study provided evidence of a connection between the ancient Soliga tribe at the southern tip of the Indian subcontinent and Australian aboriginal populations, possibly reflecting an eastbound coastal migration circa (15 Kya). The Soliga are considered to be among India's earliest inhabitants. In this investigation, we focus on the Y chromosomal characteristics shared between the Soliga population and other Indian tribes as well as western Eurasia and Sub-Saharan Africa groups. Some noteworthy findings of this present analysis include the following: The three most frequent haplogroups detected in the Soliga population are F*, H1 and J2. F*, the oldest (43 to 63 Kya), has a significant frequency bias in favor of Indian tribes versus castes. This observation coupled with the fact that Y-STR haplotypes shared with sub-Saharan African populations are found only in F* males of the Soliga, Irula and Kurumba may indicate a unique genetic connection between these Indian tribes and sub-Saharan Africans. In addition, our study suggests that haplogroup H is confined mostly to South Asia and immediate neighbors and the H1 network may indicate minimal sharing of Y-STR haplotypes among South Asian collections, tribal and otherwise. Also, J2, brought into India by Neolithic farmers, is present at a significantly higher frequency in caste versus tribal communities. This last observation may reflect the marginalization of Indian tribes to isolated regions not ideal for agriculture.

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Hg F*, H1 and J2 of the Soliga population chronicle the demographic history of the Indian tribal communities.

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Frequency bias for F* in Indian tribes may be a result of genetic drift due isolation and low population growth.

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Sharing of Y-STR haplotypes among tribal populations may be indicative of a common source population.