Largest genetically isolated human population

[arahant]

Anybody with any knowledge have some info or sources that would tell me something like:
What is the largest human population for which no member of that population shares an ancestor with any non-member...5 generations back? 10 generations?

Obviously, there is some guesswork going on here as well as anthropology...just wondering about ideas.

[hmkpoker]

My best guess would be that it would be one of many primitive/tribal cultures around the uncivilized world and is probably poorly documented.

[BigBuffet]

My guess is someplace in Kentucky. [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[CrazyIrishman]

Disclaimer: I am an Anthropology major.

Your most likely bets would the !Kung people of the Kalahari, circa 1970. They have recently become less isolated as surrounding countries have started conscripting them as soldiers and they have been driven from their homes by cattle herders.

The other would be the obvious Pygmy populations as there is little to no exo-population breeding to my knowledge.

[Rduke55]

I think the most isolated breeding population was the Andamanese Islanders in the Bay of Bengal. It think that the Tasmanians were also isolated for a similar amount of time.

It's been postulated that humans have been through genetic bottlenecks in the past which really reduce diversity of the gene pool.