Siberian Yupik DNA
Genetic origins and closest populations · Russia (Chukotka) · Siberia
The Siberian Yupik live on the coast of Chukotka, around villages such as Novoe Chaplino and Sireniki, and on St. Lawrence Island in Alaska. Their language is part of the Yupik branch of a family that also includes the Inuit and Aleut (Unangan) languages and stretches from here across Alaska and Arctic Canada to Greenland. Based on the Chaplino Yupik average, our model gives 42.5% Arctic Siberian (Nganasan-related), 35.1% Native American, 19.3% Ancient Northeast Asian and 3.1% Ancient North Eurasian. No other Siberian page carries as much Native American-related ancestry; the neighbouring Chukchi come next (25.3%). The closest ancient groups are telling: people of the Old Bering Sea culture from Ekven (0.0544) and Uelen in Chukotka, a maritime whale-hunting tradition of about 200 BC to 800 AD. The closest modern averages are other Yupik groups from Sireniki and Chukotka (0.0185 to 0.024) and Naukan, then the Chukchi, with the Inuit of Canada and Alaska at about 0.08.
- Largest ancient components in our model: Arctic Siberian (Nganasan-related) 42.5%, Native American (Paleo-American) 35.1%, Ancient Northeast Asians 19.3%
- Closest modern population in our data: Yupik (Sireniki), distance 0.0185
- Closest ancient group in our data: Chukotka Old Bering Sea Ekven, distance 0.0544
This page sums up what the DNA of the Siberian Yupik sample tells us about deep origins. It is built from the averaged Global25 (G25) coordinates of individuals sampled in Russia (Chukotka), listed in the G25 sheet as "Yupik_Chaplin", and it is one of 335 populations in our atlas. An average describes the group as a whole, not any single person in it.
Ancient make-up of the Siberian Yupik average
In a model built from deep ancestral reference populations, the largest share of the Siberian Yupik average, 42.5%, goes to Arctic Siberian (Nganasan-related), ahead of Native American (Paleo-American) (35.1%) and Ancient Northeast Asians (19.3%). The Arctic Siberian (Nganasan-related) component reflects the ancestry of the peoples of northern Siberia. The Native American (Paleo-American) share (35.1%) reflects the ancestry of the Indigenous peoples of the Americas.
Smaller traces of Ancient North Eurasians (under 5%) 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 loose (fit distance 0.083), 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.
Closest modern populations to Siberian Yupik
Among the modern populations in the G25 data, the closest to the Siberian Yupik average is Yupik (Sireniki), at a distance of 0.019 (very close). Next come Eskimo (Sireniki) at 0.019 and Yupik (Chukotka) at 0.024. Leaving aside the other regional samples listed under the same name in the G25 sheet, the nearest other populations are Eskimo (Sireniki) (0.019), Eskimo (Naukan) (0.029) and Chukchi (0.054). By the tenth closest (Greenlander East) the distance grows to 0.152, a common pattern for a population that shares ancestry with its neighbours while keeping a profile of its own.
| # | Population | Distance | Closeness |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yupik (Sireniki) | 0.0185 | Very close |
| 2 | Eskimo (Sireniki) | 0.0187 | Very close |
| 3 | Yupik (Chukotka) | 0.0240 | Very close |
| 4 | Eskimo (Naukan) | 0.0293 | Close |
| 5 | Chukchi | 0.0539 | Moderate |
| 6 | Inuit (Nunavut) | 0.0807 | Distant |
| 7 | Inuit (Alaska) | 0.0850 | Distant |
| 8 | Itelmen | 0.1008 | Distant |
| 9 | Koryak | 0.1053 | Distant |
| 10 | Greenlander East | 0.1522 | 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 Siberian Yupik
Among ancient genomes, the closest match to the modern Siberian Yupik average is Chukotka Old Bering Sea Ekven (Old Bering Sea culture, c. 200 BC-800 AD), at 0.054, followed by Chukotka Old Bering Sea Uelen and USA Alaska Neo-Aleut. That is only a moderate match: part of the modern profile was already present then, but later movements of people added substantial layers. 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 | Chukotka Old Bering Sea Ekven | Old Bering Sea culture, c. 200 BC-800 AD | 0.0544 |
| 2 | Chukotka Old Bering Sea Uelen | Old Bering Sea culture, c. 200 BC-800 AD | 0.0619 |
| 3 | USA Alaska Neo-Aleut | Neo-Aleut period, after c. 1000 AD | 0.0982 |
| 4 | Magadan BA Ol'skaia | Bronze Age | 0.0988 |
| 5 | Kamchatka Early Modern | Early Modern, c. 1500-1800 AD | 0.1056 |
| 6 | USA Alaska Paleo-Aleut | Paleo-Aleut period, before c. 1000 AD | 0.1057 |
| 7 | Sakha Mesolithic Duvanni Yar | Mesolithic | 0.1222 |
| 8 | USA Alaska Athabaskan Late Modern | Late Modern, c. 1800-1950 AD | 0.1270 |
| 9 | Greenland Paleo-Eskimo Saqqaq | Paleo-Eskimo (Saqqaq), c. 2500-800 BC | 0.1282 |
| 10 | Buryatia Mesolithic Dzhylinda | Mesolithic | 0.1387 |
Ancient DNA from Russia
Our ancient DNA database holds 2,938 individuals excavated in present-day Russia, dated from about 208,050 BC to 1918 AD. The most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups among them are R1a (370), R1b (317) and N1a (235), and the most frequent mtDNA haplogroups are U5 (367), U4 (226) and U2 (150). These are people who lived on the same land in the past, not necessarily ancestors of today's Siberian Yupik population.
Most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups
Ancient DNA studies on Russia
- The Yeniseian and Andronovo Substrates in the Gene Pools of the Indigenous Southern Siberian Populations Analyzed by Q and R1a Y-Haplogroups (2026)
- Ancient genomics study reveals low HLA diversity in eastern hunter-gatherers (2026)
- Comparison of Illumina NovaSeq 6000, GeneMind SURFSeq 5000, Salus Evo, and MGI DNBSEQ-G400 for Ancient DNA Whole-Genome Sequencing (2026)
- Biochip for Determination of 92 Human Y-Chromosome Haplogroups by SNP Markers and Frequency Distribution of These Haplogroups in Slavic Population of European Russia (2026)
- Modern descendants of Kyordyughen warrior (Yakutia, 4200 years before present) in populations of Far East (2026)
- Genetic history of Rus' (2025)
- Paratyphoid Fever and Relapsing Fever in 1812 Napoleon’s Devastated Army (2025)
- Pre-Slavic and Slavic Interaction at Eastern Periphery of Slavic Expansion in Northeastern Europe (Y-Gene Pools of Volga-Oka Region) (2025)
Browse them in our ancient DNA database: 2,938 from Russia.
Compare yourself with Siberian Yupik
Paste your G25 coordinates (scaled, one line, with or without a name in front) and we compute your genetic distance to the Siberian Yupik average and to its closest neighbours, right in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or stored.
| # | Population | Your distance | Closeness |
|---|
This list only covers Siberian Yupik 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 Siberian Yupik individuals who were sampled, not every person who identifies as Siberian Yupik. 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.
Go deeper than the average
This page describes the Siberian Yupik average. For your own DNA, Advanced Ancestry Report (16€) gives a full ancestry breakdown with no regional focus, in a personal PDF report.
Comprehensive DNA analysis comparing your genetics to over 2,000 modern reference populations.
More populations from Siberia
Frequently asked questions
What is the ancient genetic make-up of Siberian Yupik?
Modelled with deep ancestral reference populations, the Siberian Yupik average is about 42.5% Arctic Siberian (Nganasan-related), 35.1% Native American (Paleo-American) and 19.3% Ancient Northeast Asians. These proportions are model estimates for a group average, not exact values for any one person.
Which populations are genetically closest to Siberian Yupik?
Leaving aside other regional samples listed under the same name in the G25 sheet (such as Yupik (Sireniki)), the closest modern populations to the Siberian Yupik average are Eskimo (Sireniki), Eskimo (Naukan) and Chukchi. The closest ancient matches are Chukotka Old Bering Sea Ekven, Chukotka Old Bering Sea Uelen and USA Alaska Neo-Aleut.
Can a DNA test tell me if I am Siberian Yupik?
No DNA test can confirm an ethnicity or a nationality. What DNA can show is how similar your genome is to the sampled Siberian Yupik 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 Siberian Yupik ancestry?
None of our regional reports is built for Siberian Yupik ancestry, 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.