DNA study finds little mixed ancestry in early colonial Montreal

People buried 1683 to 1796 whose DNA was analyzed

45 people

A study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences analyzed ancient DNA from 45 people buried in Montreal's Notre-Dame cemetery between 1683 and 1796. All were of European descent, and all but one, apparently of Italian origin, had French ancestry.

Reference genomes used

• 900 from Europe
• 751 from West Africa
• 673 from Indigenous groups of the Americas

The researchers compared the samples with 900 genomes from Europe, 751 from West Africa and 673 from Indigenous groups of the Americas.

Why it matters

The authors say the result suggests Indigenous and African-descended people were marginalized in colonial Montreal. It contrasts with accounts of cooperation and mixing between the French and Indigenous peoples.

Diane Martin-Moya, a visiting researcher at the Université de Montréal, says the findings cannot be generalized to the whole city. The study covers a handful of the thousands of people buried in the cemetery.