AMERICAN JOURNAL OF HUMAN BIOLOGY 9:505–512 (1997) Electrophoretic Protein Polymorphisms in Kaingang and Guarani Indians of Southern Brazil FRANCISCO M. SALZANO, 1 * SIDIA M. CALLEGARI-JACQUES, 1,2 TANIA A. WEIMER, 1 MARIA H.L.P. FRANCO, 1 MARA H. HUTZ, 1 AND MARIA L. PETZL-ERLER 3 1 Departamento de Gene ´ tica, Instituto de Biocie ˆ ncias, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Caixa Postal 15053, 91501-970 Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil 2 Departamento de Estatı ´ stica, Instituto de Matema ´ tica, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Campus do Vale, 91501-970 Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil 3 Departamento de Gene ´ tica, Setor de Cie ˆ ncias Biolo ´ gicas, Universidade Federal do Parana ´ , Caixa Postal 19071, 81531-990, Curitiba, PR, Brazil ABSTRACT A total of 337 Kaingang and Guarani Indians from two locali- ties were studied in relation to 18 protein genetic loci. In one of the localities, members of these two groups live side by side but show little genetic similarity, emphasizing the influence of cultural factors in the mating behavior of human groups. Integrating the present results with previous ones, it was verified that the genetic relationships among six Kaingang populations do not follow the pattern expected from their geographical distribution. Comparisons made with three other Ge ˆ -speaking tribes indicate that the Kaingang did not sepa- rate well from them. Most (96%) of the variability in the six polymorphic systems considered occur at the intrapopulational level. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 9:505–512, 1997.  1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc. Kaingang language, whether within Ge ˆ or The Kaingang and Guarani Indians are in related idioms, how do they compare in the two most numerous tribes of southern genetic terms with other Ge ˆ groups? (4) How Brazil. Culturally they are quite different, much of the variability occurs, respectively, starting with their languages, which are mu- at the intra-, and inter-populational levels? tually nonintelligible; the Kaingang speak a And (5) are the genetic relationships ob- language of the Ge ˆ family (or Macro-Ge ˆ served consistent with those obtained using stock), while Guarani is classified in the an independent set of markers from the HLA Tupi-Guarani family. Both have been living system? Previous genetic studies in the two in southern Brazil and neighboring coun- populations have been reported by Pereira tries for centuries, and were in contact with (1992), Guerra et al. (1992), Belich et al. non-Indians since colonial times. Neverthe- (1992), Messias et al. (1993), Petzl-Erler et less, intermixture with neo-Brazilians is not al. (1993), Petzl-Erler and McDevitt (1994), large, mainly due to the fact that the Indians and Alca ˆ ntara et al. (1995). generally live in reservations especially es- tablished for them. MATERIALS AND METHODS This study reports data on 18 protein ge- Around 15,000 Kaingang (or Caingang) netic loci obtained in two communities where Indians distributed over 25 localities live in these Indians live, analyzed with the follow- southern Brazil (Ricardo, 1991). They have ing questions in mind: (1) Since in several been extensively investigated in relation to places the two groups share the same reser- vation land, how similar are they geneti- cally? (2) Several Kaingang communities have been previously surveyed for protein *Correspondence to: Francisco M. Salzano, Departamento de Gene ´ tica, Instituto de Biocie ˆ ncias, Universidade Federal do Rio genetic polymorphisms. What are the rela- Grande do Sul, Caixa Postal 15053, 91501-970 Porto Alegre, tionships among them? (3) In view of doubts RS, Brazil. Received 18 June 1996; Accepted 12 September 1996 concerning the correct placement of the  1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.