Onge (Andamanese) DNA
Genetic origins and closest populations · India (Andaman Islands) · South Asia
The Onge are one of the last foraging peoples of the Andaman Islands, living on Little Andaman in the Bay of Bengal. They number only around a hundred people today, and their language, like that of their Jarawa neighbours, belongs to the small Ongan family. Our model has no Andamanese reference, so it describes the Onge with several distant sources, 53.0% South Asian hunter-gatherer related (Irula proxy), 28.8% Southeast Asian Neolithic farmer and 9.3% Papuan and Near Oceanian, plus small traces; read these as an approximation of one deep, distinct ancestry rather than a real mixture. The closest modern population is the Jarawa (0.007), while every other average is beyond 0.08. The ancient matches are more telling: Great Andamanese individuals from about 1850 AD (0.0226) and Hoabinhian foragers of Laos (0.0373), pre-farming people of mainland Southeast Asia, which fits the view that the Andamanese are closely related to the early hunter-gatherers of that region.
- Largest ancient components in our model: South Asian hunter-gatherer related (Irula proxy) 53.0%, Southeast Asian Neolithic farmers 28.8%, Papuan and Near Oceanian 9.3%
- Closest modern population in our data: Jarawa, distance 0.0070
- Closest ancient group in our data: Andaman Islands 100BP (Great Andamanese), distance 0.0226
Onge (Andamanese) is one of the 335 modern populations in our population genetics atlas. The numbers on this page describe the average Global25 (G25) genome of the Onge (Andamanese) individuals sampled in India (Andaman Islands), listed in the G25 sheet as "Onge". Like every population average, it smooths over a lot of variation between individuals.
Ancient make-up of the Onge (Andamanese) average
Modelled as a mix of deep ancestral reference populations, the Onge (Andamanese) average comes out as 53.0% South Asian hunter-gatherer related (Irula proxy), 28.8% Southeast Asian Neolithic farmers and 9.3% Papuan and Near Oceanian. The South Asian hunter-gatherer related (Irula proxy) component reflects the deep hunter-gatherer ancestry of South Asia (Ancient Ancestral South Indians). The Southeast Asian Neolithic farmers share (28.8%) reflects the Neolithic farmers of mainland Southeast Asia.
Smaller traces of Ancient Northeast Asians, Nilotic East African and Arctic Siberian (Nganasan-related) (under 5% each) also appear. At that level they can reflect real minor ancestry, but also simple model noise, so they should not be over-read. The fit is acceptable (fit distance 0.035): treat the proportions as a good approximation rather than exact values. 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.
Closest modern populations to Onge (Andamanese)
Genetically, the Onge (Andamanese) average sits nearest to Jarawa at 0.007, Porja at 0.083 and Savara at 0.089. On our scale, a distance of 0.007 counts as very close. By the tenth closest (Gadaba (Andhra Pradesh)) the distance grows to 0.098, a common pattern for a population that shares ancestry with its neighbours while keeping a profile of its own.
| # | Population | Distance | Closeness |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jarawa | 0.0070 | Very close |
| 2 | Porja | 0.0832 | Distant |
| 3 | Savara | 0.0890 | Distant |
| 4 | Khond | 0.0911 | Distant |
| 5 | Bonda | 0.0927 | Distant |
| 6 | Juang | 0.0945 | Distant |
| 7 | Bathudi | 0.0948 | Distant |
| 8 | Didayi (Odisha) | 0.0955 | Distant |
| 9 | Kanwar (Chhattisgarh) | 0.0973 | Distant |
| 10 | Gadaba (Andhra Pradesh) | 0.0978 | Distant |
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 Onge (Andamanese)
Looking back in time, the ancient sample that most resembles the Onge (Andamanese) average is Andaman Islands 100BP (Great Andamanese) (c. 1850 AD), at 0.023. Laos Hoabinhian and Malaysia Hoabinhian come 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 | Andaman Islands 100BP (Great Andamanese) | c. 1850 AD | 0.0226 |
| 2 | Laos Hoabinhian | Hoabinhian foragers (pre-Neolithic) | 0.0373 |
| 3 | Malaysia Hoabinhian | Hoabinhian foragers (pre-Neolithic) | 0.0593 |
| 4 | China Yunnan EN Xingyi | Early Neolithic | 0.0617 |
| 5 | China Heilongjiang EUP Acheng | Early Upper Palaeolithic | 0.0733 |
| 6 | China Beijing EUP Tianyuan | Early Upper Palaeolithic | 0.0795 |
| 7 | China Longlin 10500BP | c. 8550 BC | 0.1449 |
| 8 | Mongolia EUP Salkhit | Early Upper Palaeolithic | 0.1483 |
| 9 | Tibet Early Modern Guge Kingdom Guge Ganshidong | Early Modern, c. 1500-1800 AD | 0.1763 |
| 10 | China Guangxi MN Baojianshan | Middle Neolithic | 0.1844 |
Ancient DNA from India
Our ancient DNA database holds 59 individuals excavated in present-day India, dated from about 2,350 BC to 1860 AD. The most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups among them are R2a (4), H1a (3) and J2b (3), and the most frequent mtDNA haplogroups are M3 (6), H1 (4) and U2 (4). These are people who lived on the same land in the past, not necessarily ancestors of today's Onge (Andamanese) population.
Most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups
Ancient DNA studies on India
- Blending borders: reconstructing the genetic history of the Sindhi population (2026)
- Blending borders: reconstructing the genetic history of the Sindhi population (2026)
- The Old Lady spider cave skeletons in Ladakh have diverse maternal genetic origin (2026)
- Layers in the sand: The genetic imprint of migration, culture, and Indus craft in the Thar desert (2026)
- Admixture and Genetic Connectivity: Autosomal Insights Into Indo-Aryan Speakers at the Eastern Edge of the Indian Subcontinent (2026)
- Novel 4400-year-old ancestral component in a tribe speaking a Dravidian language (2025)
- Ancient mitogenomes from Neolithic, megalithic and medieval burials suggest complex genetic history of Kashmir valley, India (2025)
- 50,000 years of evolutionary history of India: Impact on health and disease variation (2025)
Browse them in our ancient DNA database: 59 from India.
Compare yourself with Onge (Andamanese)
Paste your G25 coordinates (scaled, one line, with or without a name in front) and we compute your genetic distance to the Onge (Andamanese) average and to its closest neighbours, right in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or stored.
| # | Population | Your distance | Closeness |
|---|
This list only covers Onge (Andamanese) 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.
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About these numbers
Keep in mind that a population average is a statistical summary of a limited number of sampled individuals. Real people inside any group vary, some carry more of one ancestry and some less, and no genetic profile decides who is or is not Onge (Andamanese). Use these numbers as a map of deep ancestry, not as a label.
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.
Go deeper than the average
This page describes the Onge (Andamanese) average. For your own DNA, Advanced Ancestry Report (16€) gives a full ancestry breakdown with no regional focus, in a personal PDF report.
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More populations from South Asia
Frequently asked questions
What is the ancient genetic make-up of Onge (Andamanese)?
Modelled with deep ancestral reference populations, the Onge (Andamanese) average is about 53.0% South Asian hunter-gatherer related (Irula proxy), 28.8% Southeast Asian Neolithic farmers and 9.3% Papuan and Near Oceanian. These proportions are model estimates for a group average, not exact values for any one person.
Which populations are genetically closest to Onge (Andamanese)?
In the G25 data, the closest modern populations to the Onge (Andamanese) average are Jarawa, Porja and Savara. The closest ancient matches are Andaman Islands 100BP (Great Andamanese), Laos Hoabinhian and Malaysia Hoabinhian.
Can a DNA test tell me if I am Onge (Andamanese)?
No DNA test can confirm an ethnicity or a nationality. What DNA can show is how similar your genome is to the sampled Onge (Andamanese) 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 Onge (Andamanese) ancestry?
Our regional report for this part of the world does not fit the Onge (Andamanese) average closely, so the full Advanced Ancestry Report (no regional focus) is the better choice. The DNA Mega-Analysis adds Neanderthal %, traits and closest ancient populations. The free Report Finder checks every report against your own DNA first.
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.