The Woman King: how does it feature in your DNA results & genealogy?

The Woman King has become a major success despite controversy. Black female empowerment and popularizing West African storylines certainly have my blessing. On the other hand it cannot be denied that Dahomey’s pro-active role in Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade was obscured (although not totally ignored either). The pro-slave trade stance of the king’s wife Shante (played by actress Jayme Lawson on the left) was historically most accurate when compared with the other main characters of the movie.

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A few weeks ago I saw the Woman King and just like audiences all over the world I was blown away by the excellent cast and how beautifully the movie was shot. But most of all I love how a West African historical setting is the main focus in a Hollywood blockbuster! This movie has created a lot of attention and heated debate. Not least because of the justified critique of historical revisionism. Rest assured this blog post won’t feature yet another review in that line-up! However I will be providing an overview of resources and research findings which should be helpful to learn more about the historical and also genetic relevance of slave trade from the Bight of Benin.

The kingdom of Dahomey was located right at the center of the Bight of Benin which infamously was also known as the Slave Coast. The impact of slave trade from the Bight of Benin has been widespread across the Americas. For various groups of Atlantic Afro-descendants. But especially in terms of cultural retention there are some stand-out areas such as Brazil, Cuba, Haiti and Suriname. And genetically speaking also Barbados. Hopefully this blog post can serve as some kind of guidance for interpreting your own personal DNA results when wanting to trace back to Benin and neighbouring countries. 

Before I continue I do want to quickly clarify my own stance on the Woman King controversy.¹ When blogging about DNA test results on Ancestry and 23andme I have always warned against absolute dismissal. Because this may leave you empty-handed even when valuable insights are still to be gained! Instead from the start I have argued for a glass half-full mentality. Of course critical assessment is still required. But I firmly believe that you should always attempt to inform yourself about context, be aware of nuances and check your own bias, before passing judgement. The Woman King movie provides an excellent opportunity to do just that! In the last section of this blog post I will post many more useful links but a highly recommended starting point for more research is:

• The Woman King Syllabus (created by Professsor of History at Howard University: Ana Lucia Araujo)

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Contents of this blog post:

1. Maps
   • Historical: Dahomey kingdom, Oyo kingdom, slave ports along Bight of Benin
   • Ethno-linguistic: Benin, Yorubaland
2. Tables
   • Ethnic origins of captives from the Bight of Benin
   • Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Database
3. DNA 
   • “Benin/Togo” on Ancestry is a good indicator, but also look for associated DNA matches!
   • Genetic Groups on 23andme associated with Bight of Benin lineage
   • Genealogy: Clotilda descendants and Afro-Brazilian communities in Benin/Nigeria
4. Links
   • Cultural/Genetic links with Afro-Diaspora
   • History of Dahomey 
   • Reviews of Woman King

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The Barbados Connection: beyond just South Carolina!

Rihanna is probably the most famous person from Barbados. Des’ree is another world-class singer of Bajan descent. However actually both singers have Guyanese mothers! The funny thing is that due to the intricate migration history of Barbadians there is still a good chance that their Guyanese mothers might have distant Barbadian ancestry as well. To be confirmed by genealogy but also to be corroborated by DNA testing!

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Due to multiple migrations (both forced and voluntary) the scope of ancestral connections within the Afro-Diaspora is very broad and at times unexpected! One country which stands out especially in this regard is Barbados. Of course whenever you have recent family ties to this easternmost Caribbean island you will already know about your Bajan descent. However for many people I imagine that discovering about distant Barbados ancestry will often come as a surprise. 

Learning about the various movements of people departing from Barbados and settling in several parts of the Americas will certainly be helpful then for better understanding. This blogpost is just meant as an introduction to this very intriguing topic. Highlighting some insightful resources and implications. The main take-away is that the Barbados Connection is extensive across many parts of the Afro-Diaspora. Not confined to South Carolina or even just North America. But in fact also to be found throughout the Caribbean, Central America and even South America. As they say: Bajans are everywhere!

Genetic Community on Ancestry: strong clue of (recent) Barbados Connection

Figure 1 (click to enlarge)

Source: Ancestry.com. This map shows one of the Genetic Communities on Ancestry. Labeled as “Lesser Antilles African Caribbeans”. But actually often pinpointing shared Barbadian ancestry. This tool is based on matching strength and the family trees of your DNA matches. The yellow dots highlight the extent and frequency of interrelated DNA matches. With a clear focus on Barbados, but otherwise extending from Panama to Suriname. And from the Virgin Islands to Trinidad.

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Genetic Group on 23andme: good clue of (recent) Barbados Connection

Figure 2 (click to enlarge)

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23andme results for a person from Suriname (see also this page). This Genetic Group feature (formerly known as recent ancestor location) is again based on matching strength. Often quite accurate although the implied ancestral scenarios are not always as straightforward as on Ancestry. So you have to be careful and not jump to conclusions. However this person from Suriname actually knows for a fact she has two great-grandparents from Barbados who migrated to Suriname as contract labourers in the late 1800’s.

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Confirmation of your Barbados connection by way of solid genealogical research is of course to be preferred. However DNA testing can also be very beneficial as shown above. Correct interpretation as always being a precondition. Whenever your Bajan link is relatively recent (~up till 1800’s) then this should normally result in a substantial genetic impact. Which will reflect in relatively close DNA matches with persons from Barbados; associated genetic communities/groups and at times also a distinctive African lineage or a distinctive African regional admixture level.¹ 

This last aspect brings me back to the main theme of my blog, Tracing African Roots. Albeit indirectly, by way of analyzing the African origins of Bajans. Especially to what extent the mix of their predominant African origins may deviate (relatively speaking) from other parts of the Afro-Diaspora. And how this may then translate into distinctive regional admixture levels and African DNA matching patterns for anyone with a substantial Barbados Connection. See also my upcoming survey results:

• African DNA matches reported for 30 West Indians on Ancestry (incl. 10 Barbadians, Trinidadians, Guyanese and Surinamese)

Contents of this blog post:

1. Extent of the Barbados Diaspora
   • Inter-Colonial Slave Trade (1600’s/1700’s)
   • Bajan migrations after Emancipation in 1834 
2.  Unique aspects of Barbadian demography
   • Early Creolization
   • White Barbadians
3. The Barbados connection: how does it impact your African lineage?
   • Major & distinctive provenance 
   • Main implications for different parts of the Afro-Diaspora 
4. Suggested Links

Four ways to find your African matches on 23andme!

In my previous blogseries I featured the latest update on 23andme intended to zoom into ethno-linguistic African lineage. Although these new ethnic group matches are very promising at this point they still very much remain a work in progress. And therefore follow-up research is still needed if you want to uncover your entire African lineage! This follow-up research can consist of several aspects. However in this blogpost I will focus on African DNA matches listed among your DNA Relatives on 23andme. 

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Figure 1 (click to enlarge)

This overview is obtained from the “Nigerian” admixture report for an African American. You can find this among your other ancestry reports on 23andme. Featuring a confirmed Igbo DNA match for him on the left. Even when he did not yet receive any ethnic group match after the latest update on 23andme.

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Figure 2 (click to enlarge)

This screenshot shows a Senegalese match reported by 23andme for a Cape Verdean person (on the left). This person did not yet receive any ethnic group match after the latest update on 23andme. However this Senegalese match serves as an alternative way to corroborate and specify African regional admixture. In this case: “Senegambian & Guinean”.

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Currently the odds of getting assigned to an African ethnic group on 23andme are still rather low. Around 20% for African Americans, according to my survey (n=100, see this overview) and about 50% for Cape Verdeans (n=50, see this overview). And even if you do get lucky than usually you will only get matched to one single ethnic group or at most 2 or 3. While realistically speaking most Atlantic Afro-descendants will have many more ethnic connections from various parts of Africa. Receiving one single African ethnic group match can of course be very valuable but it will still represent only one isolated connection with Africa out of potentially dozens or even hundreds of others.¹

In order not to get side-tracked you should therefore explore alternative ways of finding your African DNA matches yourself! And afterwards you should also conduct further follow-up research. First of all to assess if the matches you found are indeed providing a valid genealogical (IBD) connection to a plausible African lineage. And if so then you can really achieve a massive breakthrough by attempting to assign this African match to a particular familyline by triangulation and/or chromosome mapping.

In the remaining part of this blog post I will discuss the following:

1. Four ways to find your African matches on 23andme
   • Search your DNA relatives by African country of birth
   • Look for African DNA relatives listed in your regional admixture reports
   • Perform advanced filtering of your “100%” African DNA relatives (only on 23+)
   • Do a manual browse through of all your DNA relatives
2. Look for shared DNA matches
3. Considerations when dealing with DNA matches
4. Poll: how many African DNA matches have you found sofar on 23andme?

New Update on 23andme: Ethnic Group Matches within Africa! (part 2)

This is the second part of my blogseries which deals with the update last month on 23andme. Introducing no less than 25 ethno-linguistic groups from Africa to get matched with! In order to learn more about the ethnic origins of some of your African ancestors. In the first part of this series I already covered the question of how accurate these ethnic group matches might be. Follow link below for more details:

• New Update on 23andme: Ethnic Group Matches within Africa! (part 1)

In this post I will be focusing on what to expect. Basing myself mostly on the survey findings for 100 African Americans and 50 Cape Verdeans. But I will also post screenshots of updated results from other parts of the Afro-Diaspora.

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Figure 1 (click to enlarge)

These are the updated results of a Cape Verdean cousin of mine. It was already very useful how 23andme is able to pinpoint recent ancestry from Cape Verde. However with these new ethnic group matches also historically plausible origins from mainland Africa are confirmed for Cape Verdeans. Although to be sure there are many other ethnic groups from across Upper Guinea which also contributed to Cape Verde’s African Roots (see this website).

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Just to quickly repeat myself. Last month 23andme released its most recent update which could very well signal the start of a truly game-changing feature for zooming into ethno-linguistic African lineage¹. Of course this new feature on 23andme, based on matching strength, is not perfectly flawless. However despite a few shortcomings I am very excited about this update on 23andme! Because based on more than 50 updated results for Africans (see this overview) I am quite impressed with the accuracy of this tool. Also the results I have seen for 50 Cape Verdeans and 100 African Americans are actually in line with historical plausibility.

This update has already been fully rolled out.² But still the odds of obtaining even only one of the 25 ethno-linguistic groups are rather low for most people. Depending also on your background. It seems for African Americans there’s only about a 20% chance. For many people 23andme is simply not able to detect a sufficient level of matching strength. Which is inevitable given the limitations of 23andme’s current African reference database. Understandably this may come as a big disappointement. However don’t despair because this update is a work in progress and upcoming updates will eventually reach more people! Glass half full mentality also for 2022 😉

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Figure 2 (click to enlarge)

Take note that the updated results on the right only feature one ethnic group match. Despite this African American woman being over 80% African and regionally speaking from atleast 4 major areas in West & Central Africa. Of course this finding in itself is already incredibly valuable. However this possibly Fula and/or Wolof lineage most likely covers less than 5% of her total ancestry. While for her primary region “Nigerian” not a single ethnic group has appeared yet. In fact, although not being detected she might still also have additional Mandinka ancestors. To be grouped under “Senegambian & Guinean”. Follow-up research is still needed if you want to uncover your entire African lineage!   

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In the remaining part of this blog post I will discuss the following:

1. Survey findings for 100 African Americans
   • “Igbo”, “Kongo & Mbundu” and “Fula & Wolof” most frequent
2. Survey findings for 50 Cape Verdeans
   • “Fula & Wolof” and “Mandinka” most frequent
3. Updated results from other parts of the Afro-Diaspora 
   • Atlantic Afro-descendants (Brazil, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Haiti etc.)
   • Indian Oceanic Afro-descendants (Mauritius/Réunion, Seychelles, South African Coloured, UAE)
4. Considerations
   • Recap previous disclaimers
   • Some ethnic group matches appear more frequently than others
   • Each regional admixture category potentially includes ancestors from various ethnic groups

New Update on 23andme: Ethnic Group Matches within Africa! (part 1)

Earlier this month 23andme released its most recent update which could very well signal the start of a truly game-changing feature for zooming into ethno-linguistic African lineage.¹ Going beyond the broad regional admixture categories such as “Nigerian” and “Senegambian & Guinean”. Which are already quite useful in fact. However by now providing much more granularity 23andme is really stepping up its game! For more details read this announcement by 23andme:

• 23andMe Adds New African Ethnolinguistic Groups to Ancestry Composition (23andme, 2022)

Of course this new feature on 23andme, based on matching strength, is not perfectly flawless or without its inherent limitations. And to be sure the possibility of learning more about the specifics of your African ancestry by looking for African DNA matches has been around for several years already (see this overview). However the novelty of this update lies in the robust manner in which your DNA is being compared to a wide array of 25 historically plausible populations to indicate the ethnic origins of (some) of your African ancestors. This is an ambitious endeavor which has been greatly anticipated by so many people throughout the years! Bringing to life a regional African breakdown which was often experienced as being too basic and incomplete.² Although from my assessment actually many valuable insights can also be derived from regional admixture, when interpreted correctly (see this overview).

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Figure 1 (click to enlarge)

A representative selection of updated 23andme results for Africans across the continent. I have seen more than 50 updated results from mainland Africa so far. Based on those results I am quite sure that this feature is pretty accurate. Because usually the outcomes are corresponding with the known ethnic backgrounds of African 23andme testers. As always unrealistic expectations about “100% accuracy” should be avoided. And to be sure 23andme doesn’t always “get it right”. But this update certainly can be considered as a huge step forward in pinpointing African lineage!

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Despite a few shortcomings I am very excited about this update on 23andme! Because based on more than 50 updated results for Africans I am quite impressed with the accuracy of this tool. Also the results I have seen for 50 Cape Verdeans and 100 African Americans are actually in line with historical plausibility. This blogpost series is therefore intended as a first introduction. In future blogposts I will follow-up with more details on the implications of these ethnic group matches within Africa! In fact I will also edit this blogpost itself with more information in the upcoming weeks (especially footnotes). So you might want to check that out too by revisiting this blogpost.

Right now the odds of obtaining one of the 25 ethno-linguistic groups are rather low for most people. Depending also on your background. For many people 23andme is simply not able to detect a sufficient level of matching strength. Which is inevitable given the limitations of 23andme’s African reference database.³ Understandably this may come as a big disappointment. However don’t despair because this update is a work in progress and upcoming updates will eventually reach more people!

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Table 1 (click to enlarge)

This chart shows that only 21 out of 100 of my African American survey participants received any ethnic group match (a few received more than 1). Hence the odds of receiving this update (~20%) are not that high. But still it is already a clear improvement when compared with the odds of receiving a match for an African country by way of 23andme’s Recent Ancestor Location tool. Based on a previous survey of mine this was only 3% for African Americans (see this overview).

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In the remaining part of this blog post I will discuss the following:

1. Disclaimers
   • Not intended to be conclusive! Ethnic identities are fluid and contextdependent.
   • Keep in mind implied timeframe.
   • Focus on complementarity of DNA matches and regional admixture
   • Educate yourself on historically plausible ethnic origins
2. How accurate is this update?
   • Updated results for 50+ Africans

In part 2 of this blogpost I will discuss my survey findings for 100 African Americans and 50 Cape Verdeans. Furthermore I will also post screenshots of updated results from other parts of the Afro-Diaspora.

• New Update on 23andme: Ethnic Group Matches within Africa! (part 2) 

Are African Americans really mostly “Nigerian”?

Last year 23andme’s research team published a major landmark study titled “Genetic Consequences of the Transatlantic Slave Trade in the Americas“. Arguably the largest DNA study to examine African ancestry in the Americas! Covering a wide span of the Afro-Diaspora, incl. also several thousands of African Americans. Highly interesting therefore. The research approach of this study consists of combining genetic data obtained from 23andme customers with Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade patterns. Which is practically the same approach I have been using ever since I started my AncestryDNA survey in 2013. This study by 23andme is even including Cape Verdean samples as a control group! Which is something I have done as well in all my research sofar.¹ Since I have recently finished my survey findings based on 23andme results (2018/2019 version) it should be useful to compare notes.

23andme’s 2020 study

• Genetic Consequences of the Transatlantic Slave Trade in the Americas (Micheletti et al., 2020)
• Supplemental Data Micheletti et al, 2020
• Table S7. Mean Ancestry Composition for the Research Cohort (main source for comparison) 

My own survey findings based on 23andme and AncestryDNA results

• Afro-Diaspora AncestryDNA results: A Comparison (Fonte Felipe, 2016)
• Update: Afro-Diasporan AncestryDNA Survey (part 1) & part 2) (Fonte Felipe, 2018)
• 23andme’s African breakdown put to the test: Afro Diaspora edition! (Fonte Felipe, 2021)

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Table 1 (click to enlarge)

This overview is showing the scaled African breakdown for the combined USA sample group (n=5785) featured in Micheletti et al. (2020). As well as for my own African American survey group (n=200). Despite smaller sample size actually very similar outcomes. Providing mutual corroboration. As can be seen “Nigerian” was clearly the most significant region. Going by group averages around 35%. Usually “Nigerian” is appearing as primary African category (162/200=81% in my survey). But even so “Nigerian” is still far from being predominant (>50%). Especially “Ghanaian, Liberian & Sierra Leonean” is also showing up as a substantial component. Furthermore regional scores indicative of Senegambian and Central African DNA are still considerable and nearly at 10%, on average. Making for an overall varied and rather balanced African breakdown. Do notice as well that around 20% of the African breakdown is falling in one of the “Broadly” categories!

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In this blogpost I will compare my own research findings (based on regional admixture) with 23andme’s study from 2020. In fact much of the data contained in 23andme’s study (based on the 2018 version of Ancestry Composition) is consistent with my own. As demonstrated above in Table 1. Which features the African breakdown for African Americans on 23andme (scaled to 100%).² Despite smaller sample size on my part actually very similar outcomes. Providing mutual corroboration. The study’s main findings of lower Senegambian and higher Nigerian ancestry than expected for African Americans are in line with what I had already established in my 2015 survey. Based on AncestryDNA test results for 350 African Americans. As well as more recently in my 23andme survey. See also:

• 350 African American AncestryDNA results (2015)
• 200 African American 23andme results (2018/2019 version)

Within the remaining part of this blog post I will discuss the following:

1. Why do so many African Americans have Nigerian ancestry?
   • Ancestral implications of “Nigerian” go beyond modern-day borders
   • Domestic Slave Trade from mostly Virginia spreading Bight of Biafra lineage
   • Lower Senegambian than expected because of less reproduction?
   • Substructure according to state origins
2. African breakdown for other parts of the Afro-Diaspora 
   • Mostly in agreement with historical expectations
   • Overlap & differences with my own survey findings
   • Regional diversity and substructure
   • Confirmation of Upper Guinean Founding Effect?
3. Discordances & limitations of 23andme’s study
   • Afro-descended samples taken from migrants underrepresent wider variation in countries of origin
   • Central African IBD disproportionately high when contrasted with regional admixture from Central Africa 
   • Sex-biased admixture: multiple & context-dependent historical narratives! 
4. Exciting future prospects:  personalized 23andme results featuring African IBD specified according to ethnic groups

ROOTSTECH 25–27 FEBRUARY 2021: Don’t Miss It!

For those who are not aware: ROOTSTECH Connect is the world’s largest family-history technology conference. And this year it will be a completely FREE and VIRTUAL experience! Hundreds of amazing sessions will be available online during and also after RootsTech Connect has ended on February 27th! Many of those sessions will offer precious insight for Africans and Afro-descendants in their quest to Trace African Roots! All it takes to attend is a free online registration. Right now more than 315,000 participants from more than 200 countries and territories worldwide have already registered! For more details:

• ROOTSTECH CONNECT 2021 
• Classes for Africans by Africans (series)
• Discovering African Ancestry through DNA (series)
• Ethnic Filters and DNA Matches: The Way Forward to Finding Your Lineage! (my own presentation!)

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I am very honoured, grateful and excited to also be part of this tremendous event! Because I will be giving an presentation as well! I will be demonstrating my scanning and filtering method to zoom into African matches or any other type of lineage you are interested in researching. I originally devised this technique in 2017. And I have been using it ever since to conduct my ongoing African DNA matches surveys. After registering for ROOTSTECH you should be able to find my class listed in the various search menus. But you can also just directly see it by following the link provided above.

If you are having trouble finding your African DNA cousins this can hopefully offer you a great opportunity to systematically look for your African DNA matches! During the event there will be an occasion to ask any questions by way of a chatroom. But of course you can also always reach me here on my blog if anything needs clarification or just to leave a comment. See also:

• How to find those elusive African DNA matches on Ancestry 
• African DNA Matching Patterns

In the remaining part of this blog post I will show a few slides for a sneak preview 😉 Furthermore I will also provide all materials/links mentioned during my presentation. For those intending to watch my presentation: Thank you for your attention! I will be rooting for you that the ethnic filtering method I have discussed will be beneficial for you as well! 

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Let’s get this cocktail party started! 😉

Why even small African matches matter!

On 14 July Ancestry announced that they will pull the plug on the smaller matches they have been reporting for years now. In particular distant matches which show a shared DNA amount within the range of 6cM – 8cM. For many people this may effectively wipe out more than half of their total matches. Furthermore for Afro-descendants this could mean the loss of many invaluable African matches! Overall I would estimate that on average in between 50-75% of all African matches might be erased by Ancestry’s update.¹ In one big drastic operation… and with just a few weeks notice…

An alarming situation for anyone who is reliant on their DNA matches (incl. smaller ones) for their research. Fortunately there are some strategies to preserve your smaller matches. Especially by contacting them, grouping them, starring them or adding notes. For more details see this overview of various helpful blog articles:

• AncestryDNA Changes Coming Soon – What I’m Doing – Updated (Genea-Musings)

A South African woman is holding an uncut diamond in her hand (photo credits) African DNA matches can be as illuminating as diamonds. Even when small in size they can still be priceless! However carefull assessment is a MUST when dealing with potentially false matches because otherwise you’ll only end up chasing fool’s gold 😉

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In this blog post I will focus on the importance of smaller African matches. Something which has been revealed to me in my ongoing research on African DNA matches since 2017.² Even when indeed many of them will be false matches. Precious informational value may still often be obtained. But it seems that this importance has not really sunk in yet with Ancestry or perhaps they have other priorities… Either way Ancestry’s announcement has been brutally abrupt and will catch many people by surprise. 

I hold no illusions about a complete reconsideration of this update (I love to be proven wrong though!). However I do hope the main arguments listed below may at the very least persuade Ancestry to delay their intended update. Even more so I wish that they wisen up and instead will implement tailor-made solutions which take into full account the diversity of their customer needs! If you agree please forward this blog post to Ancestry! For example in this suggestion box. See also the last part of this blogpost.

1. Added value of small African matches
2. Dangers of small African matches
3. Appeal for true committment

 

Why even small African matches matter!

• Afro-descendants face exceptional challenges when Tracing African Roots. Given the lack of a paper trail for the most part they have to go by any clues given! Out of sheer necessity the net has to be cast wide. An openminded and creative research approach is required. Both including but also going beyond genetic genealogy. All the while avoiding source snobbery in order to maximize any potential informational value.

• Ancestry offers the biggest pond of African matches by far, when compared with other DNA testing companies. In great part because of its lower matching threshold which starts at 6 cM. This has been a precious resource for many which cannot be found elsewhere. It will be a tremendous loss when this pool of African matches will no longer be available or shrunk to a mere shadow of its former size!

• Smaller matches may serve to reinforce more solid ancestral clues provided by related bigger matches (for example sharing the same meta-ethnic background). When combined with associated regional admixture and insights from other fields possibly leading to fruitful complementarity. See for example my survey of African DNA matches reported for 30 Jamaicans.

• Small matches will indeed often be false matches or genealogically irrelevant but they may still be historically relevant (given correct interpretation). Leading to more insight of one’s African heritage within a greater timeframe. In particular when appearing with increased frequency. See for example my survey of African DNA matches reported for 50 Cape Verdeans.

African DNA matches reported for 30 Jamaicans on Ancestry

In this blog post I will analyze the African DNA matches being reported by Ancestry for 30 of my Jamaican survey participants.¹ A follow-up to my previous blog post about 100 Jamaican AncestryDNA results (see this link). Most important finding arguably being that Nigerian & Ghanaian predominance in regional admixture (2013-2018 version) for Jamaicans is also reflected in their DNA matches. Notwithstanding recent updates on Ancestry 😉 Furthermore there is no longer any excuse NOT to be looking for African DNA matches. I found on average almost 30 African DNA matches for each one of my survey participants!!! There are plenty of Africans who have tested with Ancestry by now. So you only need to search for them and then you will be rewarded with greater insight and closer connection to your African heritage! See also these links:

• African DNA Matches Service
• How to find those elusive African DNA matches on Ancestry

Because I was given access to their profiles on Ancestry I was able to use my scanning and filtering method of DNA matches in Excel. Aside from African matches I will also be including Jewish and South Asian matches in my discussion. Below a statistical overview of my main findings. Going by group averages. For the individual results which do display greater variation follow this link:

• Spreadsheet with DNA matching patterns specified for 30 Jamaicans

Table 1 (click to enlarge)

All of my 30 survey participants received African matches. Also I was able to find 5 close African matches (>20cM)! On average 29 African matches were reported for each person. Around 80% of all African matches are connected to either Nigeria (16/29) or Ghana (7/29). The African admixture averages are based on the old 2013-2018 version of AncestryDNA. As I believe that despite shortcomings this version still offers the best fit for Jamaica’s known regional roots within Africa (see this link). Calculation of average & maximum shared DNA is based on the outcomes per survey participant. In all other tables below it will be calculated based on all DNA matches taken together.

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Table 2 (click to enlarge)

The background column is mostly based on informed speculation (plausible surnames/regional admixture) but at times also confirmed by public family trees. The proportion of West African (Lower Guinea) related matches is 87% (755/861) of all African matches. The high number of especially Nigerian Igbo matches is quite striking. Undoubtedly due to very substantial ancestral connections. But possibly also a bit inflated within this overall overview. Reflecting a greater popularity of DNA testing among Nigerians as well as Ghanaians when compared with other Africans. Francophone & Lusophone migrants still tend to be  greatly underrepresented in Ancestry’s customer database. In particular it seems from Central Africa as well as Benin & Togo.

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This project was merely intended as an exploratory exercise. Of course my research findings have limitations in several regards. And therefore they should be interpreted carefully in order not to jump to premature or even misleading conclusions. Still I do believe they can reveal relevant tendencies in African DNA matching patterns for Jamaicans in general. These outcomes may also provide valuable insight into the various ancestral components found within the Jamaican genepool. Contributing to answering major questions like: Do Jamaicans have more Nigerian or Ghanaian ancestry? In particular when aiming for complementarity by also taking into account admixture analysis, genealogy and relevant historical context.

Below an overview of the topics I will cover in this blog post:

1. Considerations when dealing with DNA matches
2. Combine DNA matches with admixture analysis for more insight
3. West African matches: as expected Nigerian and Ghanaian DNA matches were clearly most numerous. Only a subdued number of matches from Upper Guinea. This outcome is roughly in agreement with a predominant Lower Guinean macro-regional share of around 70% I calculated for 100 Jamaicans, based on admixture (see this chart).
4. Central & Southeast African matches: quite low in number. In contrast with often substantial “Cameroon/Congo” scores being reported for Jamaicans. Interestingly Cameroon is relatively well represented.
5. Other African matches: unexpected & uncommon. Higher odds of false positives but in some cases to be corroborated by distinctive admixture?
6. Substructure: are there any group differences according to admixture level, “genetic community” or parish?
7. Jewish & South Asian matches: disproportionately numerous whenever backed up by associated admixture (even in trace amounts!)
8. Methodology: describing how I filtered the African & non-African DNA matches as well as the decision rules I applied when determining a plausible background for each DNA match.

The Mozambique connection on Ancestry & MyHeritage

Mozambique is a somewhat overlooked country of origin for many Afro-descendants. To be sure the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade with Southeast Africa was relatively smaller in scope than with either West or Central Africa. Still according to most recent estimates it involved almost half a million people (see this overview from the TAST database). Especially for Brazilians, Haitians and Cubans Mozambican lineage might be considerable in some cases. Plus also the Indian Ocean Slave trade is to be taken into account. Which most likely resulted in a dispersion of a similar number of Mozambicans (see this overview, taken from this paper). Especially into South Africa and the Indian Ocean Islands: such as Mauritius, Réunion and Madagascar. But also to the Middle East and into South Asia and beyond even. For more details:

• Southeast African Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade
• The African Diaspora in the Indian Ocean World

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Map 1 (click to enlarge

I found 12 most likely African matches for a person who is himself 1/2 Mozambican and 1/2 Portuguese. Most of these matches actually were likewise of mixed background. With the majority being from South Africa (6x). But also tellingly one single close match from presumably Pemba, Mozambique! MyHeritage provides a very useful filtering tool which allowed me to zoom into shared East African DNA segments among this person’s DNA matches.

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Then again some people might also have Mozambican ancestry due to recent migrations. In the last couple of months I have been given access to DNA results which reveal an already confirmed Mozambique connection for two people of mixed background. With very fascinating outcomes! As well as useful implications for other people wanting to learn more about their own possibly Mozambican lineage.

The first person is living in the Netherlands (like me). Both of his parents were born in Mozambique. But going back two generations his father’s grandparents are all of Portuguese descent. While his mother’s family has been living in Mozambique for as long as can be traced back. But her family tree does contain at least two persons who were born in India and migrated to Mozambique as well. When it was still under Portuguese rule. All in all a very fascinating tale of migration across several continents! This person tested with MyHeritage and he has been featured in a Dutch documentary series called “Identity”. I was actually honoured to also contribute to this documentary which was shot in my birth place Rotterdam. The actual day of filming being the 5th of July which happens to be Cape Verde’s Day of Independence! Highly symbolic for me therefore 😉 ¹ See also:

• IDENTITY by Stacii Samidin
• ROOTS.NL (S1E3): True Colours: Dutch Race Relations

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Figure 1 (click to enlarge)

These are the recently updated AncestryDNA results of a person whose father is from Mozambique. His Southeast African DNA is clearly indicated by his main regions, incl. also “Eastern Bantu”! Another intriguing aspect is that this person actually also has a Cape Verdean connection by way of São Tomé & Principe. This is revealed by a very distinctive score of 6% “Senegal”. Probably also to be combined with the “Portugal” & “Spain” scores. Highlighting that regional admixture DOES matter!

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The other person is a DNA cousin of mine on Ancestry whose mother was born in São Tomé & Principe while his father is from Mozambique. I am related to him by way of a mutual Cape Verdean relative who migrated to São Tomé & Principe as a contract labourer during the first half of the 1900’s. São Tomé & Principe is a former Portuguese colony just like Cape Verde and Mozambique. But nowadays it is an independent island state located nearby Gabon in the Gulf of Guinea. Just like Angolans and Mozambicans many Cape Verdeans ended up settling in São Tomé & Principe during the Portuguese colonial time. Notoriously being employed under very harsh circumstances on the cocoa plantations of São Tomé & Principe. It therefore still has a sizeable community of Cape Verdean descendants. Their continued longing for their motherland has been made world famous by the song “Sodad” by Cesaria Evora (see this video clip).

This blog post will describe the DNA results of both persons. Seeking to demonstrate in particular how correlating regional admixture analysis with DNA matches can be rewarding and mutually reinforcing in many cases. In addition I will also discuss my experience with MyHeritage. As I have myself not tested with this company. And so this was the first time I had the chance to get acquainted with several of its features. Allowing me to also make some cross-comparisons with Ancestry.

• Mozambican Connection on MyHeritage
• Mozambican Connection on Ancestry
• Comparing Ancestry with MyHeritage
  1. MyHeritage is distorting Central & Southeast African DNA
  2. Ancestry offers greater potential to find African matches
  3. MyHeritage provides more advanced filtering tools