Days+23-30

Now I will adventure on to the frozen north to Siberia. There is a tribe of natives living there which Spencer Wells and I believe hold the genetic marker that will further show the migration patterns of our ancient ancestors. This remote tribe are the Chukchi. I am very hopeful of what I will find and am paying a lot for this endeavor. Since the Chukchi live so far north and into the frozen tundra, I must hire a group of people who own an old Soviet tank just like Spencer Wells used in his expedition. This comes at a very high cost and I must part with $3000 combined with the money I spent on the flight to this place. I have also hired a guide who claims to know where to find the Chukchi people. Without this man, I surely would never find the people that I am looking for. We travel for what seems like forever, but thankfully my guide steers me in the right direction. I am very grateful to the man as I look upon the Chukchi village. It is a calm and peaceful place with a few reindeer tents and snow falling everywhere. I meet the people of the tribe and introduce myself and what I am trying to accomplish in my journey across the globe. The people seem very willing to help me in my pursuit and offer to help any way they can. I am very happy about how things have turned out, but am also very cold. I realize then that the Chukchi are physically built for this frigid weather. They are shorter and have smaller apendages, which helps them acclimate to the climate. I help with some of the duties of the tribe, such as ice-fishing. I have never done this before and it is very fun. After we are done with this task, we gather for dinner. We eat a meal of roasted reindeer, which the Chukchi have raised like Americans raise cattle. The meal is delicious and I soon find myself exhausted. I retire for the night to my reindeer tent. I am a little bit skeptical about how warm I will be tonight. As soon as I enter the tent I realize just how these people have survived here so long. The tent is comfortably warm and I sleep extremely well. The next day I take the blood samples that I need to discover the genetic marker. After looking through the data, I discover what I am looking for! The Chukchi belong to Haplogroup Q (M242). The trip has paid off and I am ecstatic. I thank the Chukchi for their hospitality but tell them I must leave to continue my journey. My next stop will be in my home country! I am going to visit some Indians in Arizona.