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{{See also|Genetics and archaeogenetics of South Asia|Outline of South Asian history|Peopling of India|History of India|History of Bengal|History of South India|History of Tamil Nadu|History of Kerala|History of Andhra Pradesh|History of Sri Lanka|Genetic studies on Sinhalese|Sinhalisation}}
{{Expert needed|1=Ethnic groups|date=October 2019}}

Although '''[[Sri Lankan Tamils]]''' are culturally and linguistically distinct, [[genetics|genetic]] studies indicate that they are closely related to other ethnic groups in the island while being related to the [[Tamil people|Indian Tamils]] from [[South India]] and [[Bengali people|Bengalis]] from the [[East India]] as well. There are various studies that indicate varying degrees of connections between Sri Lankan Tamils, Sinhalese and [[Indian people|Indian ethnic groups]].

==Study by Dr. Gautam K. Kshatriya==
According to a [[genetic admixture]] study by Dr. Gautam K. Kshatriya in 1995, the Sri Lankan Tamil are closely related to the [[Sinhalese people|Sinhalese]] who are closely related to [[Tamil people|Indian Tamils]]. Kshatriya found the Sri Lankan Tamils to have a greater contribution from the Sinhalese of Sri Lanka (55.20% +/- 9.47) while the Sinhalese had the greatest contribution from [[Tamil people|South Indian Tamils]] (69.86% +/- 0.61), followed by [[Bengali people|Bengalis]] from the [[East India]] (25.41% +/- 0.51). With both the Sri Lankan Tamils and Sinhalese in the island sharing a common gene pool of 55%. They are farthest from the indigenous [[Veddahs]].<ref name=GKK>{{cite journal | author = Kshatriya, G.K. | year = 1995 | title = Genetic affinities of Sri Lankan populations | journal = Human Biology | volume = 67 | issue = 6 | pages = 843–66 |pmid=8543296 |publisher = American Association of Anthropological Genetics}}</ref> This close relationship between the Sri Lankan Tamils and Sinhalese makes sense, as the two populations have been close to each other historically, linguistically, and culturally for over 2000 years.
This is also supported by a genetic distance study, which showed low differences in genetic distance between Tamils and the Sinhalese.<ref name="gd"/> Tamils and the Sinhalese also share similar cultures in terms of kinship classification, cousin marriage, dress and housing.<ref>{{cite journal|jstor=667927|title=The Structure of the Sinhalese Kindred: A Re-Examination of the Dravidian Terminology|first=Nur|last=Yalman|date=1 January 1962|journal=American Anthropologist|volume=64|issue=3|pages=548–575|doi=10.1525/aa.1962.64.3.02a00060}}</ref>

However, these studies do not consider various diverse Veddah groups: Veddahs have a higher diversity between groups than Sinhalese and Tamils do.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Mitochondrial DNA history of Sri Lankan ethnic people: their relations within the island and with the Indian subcontinental populations|first1=Lanka|last1=Ranaweera|first2=Supannee|last2=Kaewsutthi|first3=Aung|last3=Win Tun|first4=Hathaichanoke|last4=Boonyarit|first5=Samerchai|last5=Poolsuwan|first6=Patcharee|last6=Lertrit|date=1 January 2014|journal=Journal of Human Genetics|volume=59|issue=1|pages=28–36|doi=10.1038/jhg.2013.112|pmid=24196378|doi-access=free}}</ref> Later studies have established some connections and links between certain Veddah groups towards North and Sri Lankan Tamils.

The observation that the Sinhalese has highest contribution from South Indian Tamils is challenged by new studies. See [[Genetic studies on Sinhalese]]. It is shown that 72% of genetic admixture comes from Bengali rather than South Indian Tamil. The majority of studies support the fact of higher levels of West-Bengali genetic ancestry among Sinhalese with a minor Tamil genetic influence.

==Other studies==
Furthermore, a study looking at genetic variation of the [[FUT2]] gene in the Sri Lankan Tamil and Sinhalese population, found similar genetic backgrounds for both ethnic groups, with little genetic flow from other neighbouring Asian population groups.<ref>{{cite journal |vauthors=Soejima M, Koda Y |title=Denaturing high-performance liquid chromatography-based genotyping and genetic variation of FUT2 in Sri Lanka |journal=Transfusion |volume=45 |issue=12 |pages=1934–9 |date=December 2005 |pmid=16371047 |doi=10.1111/j.1537-2995.2005.00651.x}}</ref> Studies have also found no significant difference with regards to [[Human blood group systems|blood group]], blood genetic markers and [[single-nucleotide polymorphism]] between the Sri Lankan Tamils and other ethnic groups in Sri Lanka.<ref>{{cite journal|jstor=2799860|title=Blood Groups of the Sinhalese|first1=D. F.|last1=Roberts|first2=C. K.|last2=Creen|first3=K. P.|last3=Abeyaratne|date=1 January 1972|journal=Man|volume=7|issue=1|pages=122–127|doi=10.2307/2799860}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |doi=10.1002/ajpa.1330760210 |title=Blood genetic markers in Sri Lankan populations—reappraisal of the legend of Prince Vijaya |year=1988 |last1=Saha |first1=N. |journal=American Journal of Physical Anthropology |volume=76 |pages=217–25 |pmid=3166342 |issue=2}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |vauthors=Dissanayake VH, Giles V, Jayasekara RW, etal |title=A study of three candidate genes for pre-eclampsia in a Sinhalese population from Sri Lanka |journal=The Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Research |volume=35 |issue=2 |pages=234–42 |date=April 2009 |pmid=19708171 |doi=10.1111/j.1447-0756.2008.00926.x}}</ref> Another study has also found "no significant genetic variation among the major ethnic groups in Sri Lanka".<ref>Ruwan J. Illeperuma, Samudi N. Mohotti, Thilini M. De Silva, Neil D. Fernandopulle, W.D. Ratnasooriya, Genetic profile of 11 autosomal STR loci among the four major ethnic groups in Sri Lanka, Forensic Science International: Genetics, Volume 3, Issue 3, June 2009, Pages e105-e106</ref> This is further supported by a study which found very similar frequencies of alleles [[Rs1801133|MTHFR 677T]], [[Thrombin|F2 20210A]] & [[Factor V Leiden|F5 1691A]] in South Indian Tamil, Sinhalese, Sri Lankan Tamil and Moor populations.<ref name="Vajira H.W. Dissanayake 2009, Pages 159-162">Vajira H.W. Dissanayake, Lakshini Y. Weerasekera, C. Gayani Gammulla, Rohan W. Jayasekara, Prevalence of genetic thrombophilic polymorphisms in the Sri Lankan population – implications for association study design and clinical genetic testing services, Experimental and Molecular Pathology, Volume 87, Issue 2, October 2009, Pages 159–162</ref>

However, another study looking at [[Alu sequence|Alu]] [[polymorphism (biology)|polymorphism]],<ref name="krep">http://www.krepublishers.com/06-Special%20Volume-Journal/T-Anth-00-Special%20Volumes/T-Anth-SI-03-Anth-Today-Web/Anth-SI-03-29-Mastana-S/Anth-SI-03-29-Mastana-S-Tt.pdf</ref> [[Variable number tandem repeat|VNTR]]<ref name="mastana">{{cite journal |vauthors=Papiha SS, Mastana SS, Purandare CA, Jayasekara R, Chakraborty R |title=Population genetic study of three VNTR loci (D2S44, D7S22, and D12S11) in five ethnically defined populations of the Indian subcontinent |journal=Human Biology |volume=68 |issue=5 |pages=819–35 |date=October 1996 |pmid=8908803}}</ref> and genetic distance<ref name="gd">{{cite journal |doi=10.1002/ajpa.1330450112 |title=The legend of Prince Vijaya — a study of Sinhalese origins |year=1976 |last1=Kirk |first1=R. L. |journal=American Journal of Physical Anthropology |volume=45 |issue=1 |pages=91}}</ref> have found the genetic relationship between the South Indian Tamil and Sinhalese to be much smaller than Kshatriya's findings (11–30%).

==See also==
*[[South Asian ethnic groups]]
*[[Y-DNA haplogroups by ethnic group]]
*[[Y-DNA haplogroups in populations of South Asia]]
*[[Haplogroup M30 (mtDNA)]]
*[[Haplogroup T (Y-DNA)]]
*[[Haplogroup R1a (Y-DNA)]]
*[[Haplogroup M18]]

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

{{Sri Lankan Tamil people}}
{{human genetics}}

[[Category:Genetic genealogy|Sri Lankan Tamils]]
[[Category:Human population genetics|Sri Lankan Tamils]]
[[Category:Sri Lankan Tamil history]]

Genetic studies on Sri Lankan Tamils - Revision history

RobertSwale: small edit

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