Dear Knananites,
In Jewish culture of a century ago, we are told, there was a community figure called the Yenta who made sure that a nice Jewish boy married a nice Jewish girl. The desire for endogamy (mating within the group) can be symbolized by this semi-mythical woman the Yenta.
In one troubling study that covered six generations of a small endogamous group, researchers documented dramatic evolutionary changes. They say that the later generation's small gene pool and the inbreeding has increased the frequency of detrimental rare variant in human meta populations, leading to overall worsening of population health. The low genetic diversity (inbreeding and population bottlenecks) has caused reduced fitness and an increased chance of extinction.
There is a genetic jackpot in the community's endogamous gene pool. Many individuals are affected with genetic diseases in our community.
The load due to genetic diseases is so high that it might lead to our extinction. Of course, you don't see that kind of impact on a population's health when the endogamous population in question is a nation of 120 million like Japan or Israel. We seem to have far too many traits that serve our genes and not the greater interest of our community. But I think it will be the end of us unless we are able to change. Not marrying first cousins etc is a way to minimize damage. Also I am hopeful (again as a very inexpert lay person) that genetic science may in time alleviate whatever ills these small gene pool people may be suffering.
It seems therefore that the next cycle of evolution for humans will throw us back to lower but more rational animals (the primitive brain) or we will evolve to be able to question the false beliefs that we hold.
|
Relationship
|
Genes in common (%)
|
Homozygosity in progeny (%)
|
Coeeficient of inbreeding (F)
|
|
Double first cousin / uncle-niece
|
25
|
12.5
|
0.125
|
|
First cousin
|
12.5
|
6.25
|
0.0625
|
|
Second/Distant cousin /Relative
|
6.25
|
1.56
|
0.0156
|
Solution - A Marriage Code
The notion "why marry a stranger" should not prevail in the community. The church should place restrictions on marriage to relatives. Knanaya Samudayam should come out with a compherensive marriage code which defines the restrictions and required distance for marriages within the community. The code should ensure that the couple maintain a standard of required distance ( in both consanguinity and affinity)for marriage.
Thanks & regards,
--
Vinod Kuriakose
