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Electronic supplementary material
The genomic origin of Zana of Abkhazia
Zana’s story according to the witness accounts, written sources
and earlier studies
Introduction
Written accounts about human-like creatures inhabiting forests in the Caucasus are traced in time as
far back as to the10th century AD (1). Almost every ethnicity in the region has its own stories about such
encounters. Traditions have it that the creatures inhabited the region prior to its population by ancestors,
but were decimated in conquest for the living space and driven out to desolate areas (2). Yet, numerous
accounts have been recorded about more recent encounters, occasional killings of the creatures by
hunters, or their catching and taming with subsequent living in captivity in noblemen’s households (1–
4). While names given to the creatures vary with languages spoken in the region, they are invariably
translated as a man of the woods, a wildman, or a hairy man (meshe-adam in Azerbaijani, tskhiss katsi
in Georgian, agatch-kishi in Karachai, almasty in Kabardino-Balkaria, etc.). Cryptozoology enthusiasts
consider such creatures relic hominids. In Abkhazia, the Western Caucasus, relict hominids are called
ochokochi (in Mingrelian) or abnauayu (in Abkhazian).
One of such stories about Zana acquired worldwide recognition due to well documented attention of
many academic and amateur researchers. According to such stories, Zana was a female abnauayu who
was caught, tamed, and was living among humans until her death in the 1880s or 1890s. She was buried
near the village of Tkhina (approximate coordinates 42.8821°, 41.5649°), on the Mokvi river, in the
Ochamchire district of Abkhazia, about 78 kilometers from its capital Sukhumi. Local centenarian
witnesses told the story to zoologist Alexander Mashkovtsev in 1962, who investigated the case in more
detail. At the time, verbal accounts about Zana could be found in almost every household in the village
and her life and death was still within memory of many 80+ year old elders. Prominent historian and
sociologist Boris Porshnev, who joined the investigation in 1964, reported the story and summarized the
collected evidence in his books (2,4).
The genomic origin of Zana of Abkhazia
Zana’s story according to the witness accounts, written sources
and earlier studies
Introduction
Written accounts about human-like creatures inhabiting forests in the Caucasus are traced in time as
far back as to the10th century AD (1). Almost every ethnicity in the region has its own stories about such
encounters. Traditions have it that the creatures inhabited the region prior to its population by ancestors,
but were decimated in conquest for the living space and driven out to desolate areas (2). Yet, numerous
accounts have been recorded about more recent encounters, occasional killings of the creatures by
hunters, or their catching and taming with subsequent living in captivity in noblemen’s households (1–
4). While names given to the creatures vary with languages spoken in the region, they are invariably
translated as a man of the woods, a wildman, or a hairy man (meshe-adam in Azerbaijani, tskhiss katsi
in Georgian, agatch-kishi in Karachai, almasty in Kabardino-Balkaria, etc.). Cryptozoology enthusiasts
consider such creatures relic hominids. In Abkhazia, the Western Caucasus, relict hominids are called
ochokochi (in Mingrelian) or abnauayu (in Abkhazian).
One of such stories about Zana acquired worldwide recognition due to well documented attention of
many academic and amateur researchers. According to such stories, Zana was a female abnauayu who
was caught, tamed, and was living among humans until her death in the 1880s or 1890s. She was buried
near the village of Tkhina (approximate coordinates 42.8821°, 41.5649°), on the Mokvi river, in the
Ochamchire district of Abkhazia, about 78 kilometers from its capital Sukhumi. Local centenarian
witnesses told the story to zoologist Alexander Mashkovtsev in 1962, who investigated the case in more
detail. At the time, verbal accounts about Zana could be found in almost every household in the village
and her life and death was still within memory of many 80+ year old elders. Prominent historian and
sociologist Boris Porshnev, who joined the investigation in 1964, reported the story and summarized the
collected evidence in his books (2,4).