Amis DNA
Genetic origins and closest populations · Taiwan · East Asia
The Amis, who call themselves Pangcah, are the largest of Taiwan's Indigenous peoples, living mainly in Hualien and Taitung on the island's east coast. Their language belongs to the Austronesian family, and Taiwan, with its many Formosan languages, is widely seen as the homeland from which Austronesian languages spread across the Pacific and Indian Oceans. In our model, the Amis average is 100.0% Southern Chinese Neolithic farmer. This is not a model reference population: the source is Tanshishan, a Late Neolithic site on the Fujian coast across the strait, and the fit (0.0505) is loose, showing that thousands of years of separate history in Taiwan are not captured. The closest ancient groups are Iron Age people from Hanben in northeastern Taiwan (0.0177), and the closest modern averages are a Formosan sample, the Yami of Orchid Island (0.0114) and the Atayal, followed by the Igorot of northern Luzon, an echo of the first Austronesian step into the Philippines.
- Ancient components in our model: Southern Chinese Neolithic farmers 100.0%
- Closest modern population in our data: Formosan, distance 0.0113
- Closest ancient group in our data: Taiwan IA Hanben, distance 0.0177
Where does Amis DNA sit on the genetic map of the world? To answer, we take the averaged Global25 (G25) coordinates of the Amis individuals sampled in Taiwan, listed in the G25 sheet as "Ami" and compare them with deep ancestral reference populations, with other modern groups and with ancient genomes. It is one of 335 populations in our atlas.
Ancient make-up of the Amis average
Modelled with deep ancestral reference populations, the Amis average is explained almost entirely by Southern Chinese Neolithic farmers (100.0%). The Southern Chinese Neolithic farmers component reflects the Neolithic rice and millet farmers of southern China, whose descendants spread into Southeast Asia. That does not make the population uniform: the model simply has no finer reference population for this part of the world, and the closest populations below show the detail it cannot.
The fit is loose (fit distance 0.051), which usually means that none of the available reference populations is a close stand-in for part of this ancestry, so read the percentages as rough. This population was modelled with a global set of reference populations (ancient genomes, plus modern stand-ins where no suitable ancient genome exists), because West Eurasian sources alone cannot describe it.
Lapita – Austronesian & Pacific Report
Closest modern populations to Amis
Among the modern populations in the G25 data, the closest to the Amis average is Formosan, at a distance of 0.011 (very close). Next come Yami at 0.011 and Atayal at 0.021. By the tenth closest (Murut (Brunei)) the distance grows to 0.046, a common pattern for a population that shares ancestry with its neighbours while keeping a profile of its own.
| # | Population | Distance | Closeness |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Formosan | 0.0113 | Very close |
| 2 | Yami | 0.0114 | Very close |
| 3 | Atayal | 0.0209 | Very close |
| 4 | Igorot (Kankanaey) | 0.0233 | Very close |
| 5 | Igorot | 0.0252 | Close |
| 6 | Luzon | 0.0336 | Close |
| 7 | Dusun (Brunei) | 0.0442 | Close |
| 8 | Filipino (Luzon) | 0.0445 | Close |
| 9 | Murut | 0.0446 | Close |
| 10 | Murut (Brunei) | 0.0457 | Close |
Distances are Euclidean distances between averaged G25 coordinates. On our scale, below 0.025 is very close, below 0.050 close, below 0.080 moderate, and beyond that distant.
Closest ancient populations to Amis
If we search ancient DNA for the best match to Amis, Taiwan IA Hanben (Iron Age) comes first, at 0.018, with Taiwan Pre-IA Hanben next. That is a very close match, which suggests strong genetic continuity between those ancient people (or close relatives of theirs) and the modern population. A close ancient match is not proof of direct descent: it means those individuals carried a similar overall mix of ancestry.
| # | Ancient sample or group | Period | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Taiwan IA Hanben | Iron Age | 0.0177 |
| 2 | Taiwan Pre-IA Hanben | Iron Age | 0.0187 |
| 3 | Taiwan N Hanben | Neolithic | 0.0312 |
| 4 | Taiwan N Gongguan | Neolithic | 0.0336 |
| 5 | China Tanshishan N | Neolithic | 0.0505 |
| 6 | Malaysia Early Modern | Early Modern, c. 1500-1800 AD | 0.0524 |
| 7 | China Xitoucun N | Neolithic | 0.0597 |
| 8 | Liangdao N | Neolithic | 0.0738 |
| 9 | China Lada 1300BP | c. 650 AD | 0.0762 |
| 10 | China Liangdao2 N | Neolithic | 0.0787 |
Ancient DNA from Taiwan
Our ancient DNA database holds 61 individuals excavated in present-day Taiwan, dated from about 6,250 BC to 715 AD. The most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups among them are O1a (15), O2a (7) and F (2), and the most frequent mtDNA haplogroups are E1 (11), F3 (9) and B4 (7). These are people who lived on the same land in the past, not necessarily ancestors of today's Amis population.
Ancient sample data compiled by Nomad on the GenArchivist forum.
Most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups in ancient samples from Taiwan
Browse them in our ancient DNA database: 61 from Taiwan.
Compare yourself with Amis
Paste your G25 coordinates (scaled, one line, with or without a name in front) and we compute your genetic distance to the Amis average and to its closest neighbours, right in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or stored.
| # | Population | Your distance | Closeness |
|---|
This list only covers Amis and its neighbours. To find out which of our reports actually fits your DNA, run the free Report Finder: it runs the same fit test that every report uses before an order.
No G25 coordinates yet? Get a free simulated G25 from your raw DNA file, or order G25 coordinates.
About these numbers
A word of caution: these figures describe the average of the Amis individuals who were sampled, not every person who identifies as Amis. Individuals vary around that average, and identity is about history, language and family, not about a genetic score. Read this page as a map of deep ancestry, not as a definition.
Method: averaged G25 coordinates, Euclidean distances to other modern and ancient averages, and a non-negative least-squares model against deep ancestral reference populations (data generated 2026-10-01). Read the full method.
Thanks: to Nomad (GenArchivist) for the population and ancient sample collection this atlas is built on, and to Davidski (Eurogenes) for Global25.
Go deeper than the average
This page describes the Amis average. Your own DNA has its own story: Lapita – Austronesian & Pacific Report (15€) models your genome against the ancient sources and modern communities of the region, era by era, in a personal PDF report.
A report built for people of Austronesian / Indo-Pacific ancestry: ancient regional core (the Taiwan Neolithic homeland, the Lapita culture, Guam Unai and Latte periods, the Medieval voyage to Madagascar) versus non-regional outside...
More populations from East Asia
Frequently asked questions
What is the ancient genetic make-up of Amis?
Modelled with deep ancestral reference populations, the Amis average is about 100.0% Southern Chinese Neolithic farmers. These proportions are model estimates for a group average, not exact values for any one person.
Which populations are genetically closest to Amis?
In the G25 data, the closest modern populations to the Amis average are Formosan, Yami and Atayal. The closest ancient matches are Taiwan IA Hanben, Taiwan Pre-IA Hanben and Taiwan N Hanben.
Can a DNA test tell me if I am Amis?
No DNA test can confirm an ethnicity or a nationality. What DNA can show is how similar your genome is to the sampled Amis average and to its neighbours. If you have G25 coordinates, paste them in the comparison box on this page to check that for free.
Which ExploreYourDNA report suits Amis ancestry?
For the Amis average, the regional report to choose is Lapita – Austronesian & Pacific Report, which our fit test rates as an excellent match. Your own DNA may differ from the average, so the free Report Finder checks every report against your file before you buy.
Where does the data on this page come from?
From the averaged Global25 (G25) coordinates of the sampled individuals: genetic distances to other modern and ancient population averages, and a non-negative least-squares model against deep ancestral reference populations. The full method is described at https://www.exploreyourdna.com/populations#method.