As we said last week 23andMe offers some of the most detailed and comprehensive ancestry insights for people of African descent. This is possible because 23andMe has the largest genetic cohort of research participants with African ancestry in the world, and we prioritize diversification through efforts like the Global Genetics Project, and previous projects like the African Genetics Project and the African American Sequencing Project. That focus on diversity and the contribution of many 23andMe research participants over more than a decade, has unlocked key discoveries and enabled our team to provide the most ancestry detail in Africa and the most detail for the African diaspora of any DNA testing company.
Ancestry Composition: Tracing Roots in Africa
As a result of the brutal transatlantic slave trade many Black Americans are disconnected from their ancestral homelands. Discovering genetic connections to regions in Africa can offer powerful hints to your earlier ancestry.
23andMe offers 12 broad reference populations in Africa for your Ancestry Composition breakdown and over 150 detailed African regions pinpointed to the country or state level.
Additionally, you may find matches to 25 African ethnolinguistic groups and tribes in Africa, including matches to groups such as the Yoruba, Igbo, Kongo, Mende, Kikuyu, and Zulu peoples
Keeping Connections in America
During the Great Migration, more than six million Black Americans left the South in search of economic opportunities and a reprieve from the repression of Jim Crow laws and racial violence. Via shared genetics we are able to help you identify and maintain these pre-migration connections to more than 200 African American Genetic Groups in the United States, such as Virginia Tidewater, Southern Plains African Americans, Pee Dee River Gullah, and Avoyelles Parish Creoles.
We are also able to identify connections to 19 Afro-Caribbean Genetic Groups, including Jamaican, Afro-Puerto Rican, Afro-Dominican, Garifuna, St. Lucian and more.
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1YcqPrXpwag-5_PzWr395cr7KvRjy_bgB
Haplogroups
Moving further back into your history, 23andMe “haplogroup” reports reveal clues about the ancient origins of your maternal and paternal lines. A genetic signature of your maternal line can be traced back through time by analyzing a small circular loop of DNA housed in your cells’ mitochondria—your mitochondrial DNA—which you inherited from your mother, who inherited it from her mother, and so on. Similarly, your paternal line can be traced by analyzing your Y chromosome DNA if you are male, or by connecting with a close paternal male relative who also tested on 23andMe.
Haplogroups can be linked to geographic regions and historical populations, showing how your ancestors moved and settled over tens of thousands of years. Looking at the haplogroup family tree of all humans is one way that scientists were able to determine that modern humans originated within Africa.
Here is an example of where the maternal lineage (or mitochondrial haplogroup) known as L0a1a is most commonly found today, primarily in what is now Nigeria.
Historical Matches
In early 2024, 23andMe introduced an exciting feature, powered by groundbreaking research, called Historical MatchesSM that connects 23andMe+ Premium members to historical and ancient DNA relatives.
Scientists have sequenced the genomes of many ancient and historical individuals from around the world. Now, using custom, peer-reviewed methods developed by 23andMe scientists in partnership with leading ancient DNA experts, we can identify sections of your DNA that you share with these people who lived long ago.
This feature includes historical and ancient profiles from West Africa, Southern Africa, and East Africa, as well as individuals of African descent buried at Catoctin Iron Furnace in Maryland in the 17th and 18th centuries. More profiles of historical and ancient individuals are added over time.
Read about living relatives finding their connection to Catoctin Iron Furnace
DNA relatives
Genetic information can also connect you to more recent history, if you choose, by allowing you to find and connect to your DNA relatives. Many people have been able to connect with newfound family helping to complete a picture of their recent family history.
However, we recognize not everyone is interested in making these connections, which is why we give you full control to decide how your information is used and with whom it is shared. You must explicitly opt in to participate in the DNA Relatives feature. We will not share your genetic data without your explicit consent.
Discovering a Rich Tapestry of Ancestry
23andMe offers a comprehensive and powerful toolkit for exploring your African ancestry, from deep genetic connections to specific regions and ethnic groups, to uncovering ancient lineages and historical matches. Whether you’re tracing your roots to the African continent or connecting with recent relatives, our data and research innovations give you an unparalleled view into your heritage. By prioritizing diversity and expanding our genetic research, we’re committed to helping you rediscover and reconnect with your history, no matter how far back it stretches.
