The D haplogroup is nothing more than a African M clade. The sub-clade D4, is the Asian name for the M1 haplogroup.
Haplotypes with HVSI transitions defining 16129-16223-16249-16278-16311-16362;
and 16129-16223-16234-16249-16211-16362 have been found in Thailand and among
the Han Chinese (Fucharoen et al, 2001; Yao et al, 2002) and these were
originally thought to be members of Haplogroup M1
Haplogroup M was a common Paleoamerican haplogroup. Paleoamericans carried
haplogroup M. the 5000 year old skeletons from China Lake, British Columbia
carried the M haplogroup (Malhi et al., 2007). This was confirmed by Malhi et
al (2007), who found that the skeletons belong to haplogroup M, exhibiting the
AluI site gain at np 10397. He was unable to match the China Lake skeletons’
mtDNA to haplogroup C, D, or sub-haplogroup M7, M8, or M9.
Although, these haplogroups are assigned an Asian origin Africans also carry
these M subclades including , for example, haplogroups A and M7. Some Native
American present Sub-Saharan African admixture. The Mande speakers carry mtDNA
haplogroup A, which is common among Mexicans namely the Mixe and Mixtecs . In
addition to the Mande speaking people of West Africa, Southeast Africa Africans
also carry mtDNA A.
Naia of Mexico was D1 and Anzick child was also D4. Most contemporary Native
Americans carry mtDNA that belongs to the M macrohaplogroup, namely A and B.
The D haplogroup , is the name for M1, in Asia (Fucharoen et al, 2001; Yao et
al, 2002). Haplotypes with HVSI transitions defining
16129-16223-16249-16278-16311-16362; and 16129-16223-16234-16249-16211-16362
have been found in Thailand and among the Han Chinese (Fucharoen et al, 2001;
Yao et al, 2002) and these were originally thought to be members of Haplogroup
M1.
When the Yao et al, and Fucharoen et al, articles were
published the combination of mutations within polymorphic sites were not called
haplogroup M1, or D(4). The D(4) designation came later when the
"experts" made East Asian M clade into D, and renamed East Asian M1
into D4. This was much the same way researchers renamed African R1, V88.
However, on the basis of currently available FGS sequences, carriers of these
markers are now labled D4a branch of Haplogroup D . Given the transitions in
haplogroup D, it is the most widespread branch of M1 in East Asia (Fucharoen et
al, 2001; Yao et al, 2002).
The transitions 16129,16189,16249 and 16311 are known to be recurrent in
various branches of Haplogroup M, especially M1 and D4. Due to these
transitions we can argue that Native Americans carrying D, are carrying African
haplogroup M, especially M1 in the case of haplogroup D4.
References:
Fucharoen G, Fucharoen S, Horai S.(2001). Mitochondrial DNA polymorphism in
Thailand. J Hum Genet , 46:115-125.
Malhi , R. et al. (2006) Mitochondrial haplogroup M discovered in prehistoric
North Am J Arch Scien 34 (2007),
http://public.wsu.edu/~bmkemp/publications/pubs/Malhi_et_al_2007.pdf ;
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/222693166_Haplogroup_M_discovered_in_prehistoric_North_America
Yao YG, Kong QP, Bandelt HJ, Kivisild T, Zhang YP.(2002). Phylogeographic
differentiation of mitochondrial DNA in Han chinese. Am J Hum Genet ,
70:635-651.