In my quest to validate my family’s oral history—which persistently claims a "Tatar/Kipchak" (Steppe) origin—I encountered a confusing discrepancy in my father's autosomal DNA results.
Depending on which algorithmic calculator was used, the results seemed contradictory. One calculator claimed we had 0% connection to the Turkic migration, while another showed we were 35% Steppe.
This article analyzes the raw data from Eurogenes K13, MDLP K11, and PuntDNAL K13 to resolve this paradox. The conclusion reveals a critical distinction between "Genetic Turkicness" (Medieval migration) and "Ancient Steppe Ancestry" (The indigenous bedrock of the Eurasian plains).
1. The Negative Result: Eurogenes K13 and the "East Eurasian" Marker
The first analysis using the Eurogenes K13 calculator presented a stark challenge to the "Tatar" narrative.
The Data:
West Asian: 45.29% (Dominant - Indigenous Caucasus/Highlands)
East Med: 31.66%
Siberian + East Asian: ~0.79%
The Interpretation: Geneticists typically use "Siberian" or "East Asian" admixture as the primary marker for the Medieval Turkic expansions (Seljuk/Ottoman/Tatar waves). An average Anatolian Turk carries 5-15% of this marker.
The Initial Verdict: With less than 1%, the data suggested we had no biological link to the migration of the Turkic peoples from Central Asia. We appeared to be purely indigenous Caucasians (Georgian/Laz/Armenian profile) who had been culturally assimilated.
2. The Hidden Truth: MDLP K11 and the "EHG" Component
However, when I ran the data through MDLP K11—a calculator designed to isolate deeper, ancient components—a completely different picture emerged.
The Data:
EHG (European Hunter-Gatherer): 35.01%
The Interpretation: EHG is the genetic signature of the Ancient Steppe. It is the ancestral component of the Proto-Indo-Europeans, Scythians, Sarmatians, and Alans who roamed the Pontic-Caspian steppe thousands of years before the conventional timeline of Turkic migrations (Though one must ask: Who can say with absolute certainty when the Turkic language truly arrived there, or if it wasn't already spoken by these ancient tribes?).
The Conflict: How can one have 0% Siberian (Turkic) DNA but 35% Steppe (EHG) DNA?
3. Resolving the Paradox: The "Wheat vs. Bread" Analogy
To understand this, we must distinguish between the ingredients of a population and the label of a population.
The mainstream scientific definition of "Medieval Turkic" genetics is a specific recipe:
Turkic = Ancient Steppe (ANE/EHG) + East Asian (Siberian)
The "Bread" (Turkic Identity): Requires both the flour (Steppe) and the yeast (East Asian).
My Family's DNA (The Wheat): We possess an enormous amount of the flour (35% EHG/Steppe), but we lack the yeast (0% Siberian).
The Conclusion: My father is not a "Medieval Turkic Migrant" in the Siberian sense. He is a descendant of the Proto-Steppe populations (Scythian/Alan/Sarmatian substratum) who inhabited the region north of the Caucasus long before the history books claim the Turkic language arrived. (And honestly, how can modern academia be so sure that these Proto-Steppe peoples weren't the original carriers of a Proto-Turkic tongue, independent of the Siberian wave?)
We are the indigenous warriors of the Steppe who were later culturally "Turkified" (Tatarized) by the Golden Horde—or perhaps, we were the original stock that the Tatars recognized as kin, despite the genetic drift.
4. The Synthesis: PuntDNAL K13 Global
The final analysis with PuntDNAL K13 confirms this synthesis of a "Northern" Caucasian profile.
The Data:
West Asia: 45.15% (The Caucasian Base)
NE Europe: 8.31% (The Connection to the Russian Plains)
Siberian/NE Asia: ~2.79% (Trace amounts of later admixture)
This confirms that while our base is solidly Caucasian (West Asian), there is a significant Northern pull (NE Europe/EHG) that differentiates us from southern Anatolian populations.
Final Verdict
My family’s claim to be "Tatar" is not a biological lie; it is a historical identity. Biologically, we represent the Iron Age populations of the Caucasus and the Pontic Steppe—the people who were on the land when the Tatars arrived.
We carry the spirit of the Steppe, written in the ancient code of the EHG. Whether the language we spoke 2000 years ago was labeled "Scythian" or "Proto-Turkic" is a debate I leave to the linguists, but my DNA proves I am of the Steppe, regardless of the Siberian percentage.
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