In the latest update to 23andMe’s Ancestry Reports and features, we’ve added finer detail for customers with Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry, allowing them to trace their family connections back to seven genetic groups corresponding to regions within Eastern and Central Europe.
Some of these regions overlap, but they map to areas with deep historical and cultural significance for people of Ashkenazi ancestry. The long history of pogroms, persecution, and the devastating horror of the Holocaust annihilated the connections of many of those with Ashkenazi ancestry to their families’ historical origins. DNA testing has the potential to offer hints to those connections where family history may be lacking.
That is partly the purpose of this update, to offer customers with Ashkenazi ancestry a deeper connection to those historical regions and cultural connections.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-30348 size-large" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/AK-Content-Image-490x1024.png" alt="" width="490" height="1024" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/AK-Content-Image-490x1024.png 490w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/AK-Content-Image-143x300.png 143w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/AK-Content-Image-768x1606.png 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/AK-Content-Image-421x880.png 421w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/AK-Content-Image-564x1180.png 564w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/AK-Content-Image.png 815w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 490px) 100vw, 490px" />
<h2>What is Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry?</h2>
People with Ashkenazi ancestry are connected to Jews who settled in Central and Eastern Europe during the Middle Ages. The word “Ashkenazi” is thought to come from the name Ashkenazi, a descendant of Noah in the Hebrew bible.
During their long history in Europe, Ashkenazi Jews faced persecution and cultural isolation that, in turn, impacted their genetics.  Starting in the 11th century, Jews living in Europe began to experience intense persecution, which eventually led to their expulsion from many countries. This, along with the plague that hit Europe in the 14th and 15th centuries, decimated the Jewish population, which plummeted by close to 90 percent.
Those forces that isolated the population and drastically reduced its size created what genetics called a “population bottleneck.” Bottlenecks can be caused by geographic barriers, disease, migration, or persecution isolating a population over generations. That is what happened among Ashkenazi Jewish communities of Central and Eastern Europe.
Scientists think that, because of this bottleneck, the 10 million Ashkenazi Jews who are alive today have descended from just a few hundred founding individuals.  Interestingly, their modern descendants remain genetically more similar to other Jewish populations than their European neighbors. In the twentieth century, amidst two World Wars and the Holocaust, and after the war years, many Ashkenazi Jews immigrated to what is now Israel or to the Americas in search of greater cultural and religious acceptance. Today, over five million ethnic Ashkenazi Jews live in the U.S.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-30365 size-large" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Western-Europe-AK-image-1024x841.png" alt="" width="1024" height="841" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Western-Europe-AK-image-1024x841.png 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Western-Europe-AK-image-300x246.png 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Western-Europe-AK-image-768x631.png 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Western-Europe-AK-image-880x723.png 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Western-Europe-AK-image-1180x969.png 1180w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />
<h2>Ancestry composition update</h2>
23andMe’s Ancestry Composition report is a living analysis that improves as we add new reference data. Underlying our Ancestry reports are powerful algorithms and analytical tools developed by 23andMe population geneticists and engineers to offer our customers more insights into their ancestral origins. Over the last few years, we’ve updated results for people with <a href="https://blog.23andme.com/ancestry-reports/african-ethnolinguistic-groups/">African Ancestry</a>, <a href="https://blog.23andme.com/ancestry-reports/ancestry-composition-update-china/">Chinese ancestry,</a> <a href="https://blog.23andme.com/ancestry-reports/indigenous-genetic-ancestry/">Indigenous American ancestry</a>, and <a href="https://blog.23andme.com/ancestry-reports/caribbean-latin-american/">Latinx ancestry</a>, for instance.
In this update, the new methodology and algorithms use data from groups of people of Ashkenazi ancestry with four grandparents from specific regions in Central and Eastern Europe. We can connect customers with Ashkenazi ancestry to those regional genetic groups through their shared DNA.
<h2>Ashkenazi Jewish genetic groups</h2>
Almost all of our customers on the <a href="https://customercare.23andme.com/hc/en-us/articles/218392668-Upgrading-to-23andMe-s-Newest-Chip-Version">latest genotyping chip</a>, V5, who have more than 90 percent Ashkenazi ancestry, will receive at least one match to one of those genetic groups. This means they share high genetic similarity with people in that genetic group. About 80 percent of our customers on the latest chip with more than 75 percent Ashkenazi ancestry will receive a match. About 900,000 customers with Ashkenazi ancestry will receive a match to one of these regional genetic groups. While customers may receive a likely or highly likely match to one of these genetic groups, this update does not provide a more detailed breakdown of customers’ Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry percentage.  
While some regions overlap, we’ve distinguished each geographically and descriptively. The names of these clusters also attempt to indicate the geographic areas.
The clusters include:
<ul>
<li> Belarusian Jews — this region aligns with Belarus.</li>
<li> Lithuanian Jews — this region includes Lithuania, Latvia, and Belarus.</li>
<li> Western European Jews —this region includes southwestern Germany, as well as the Netherlands near the Rhine River.</li>
<li> Southeastern Polish Jews — this region overlaps with southeastern Poland.</li>
<li> Eastern Polish and Western Ukrainian Jews — this region includes eastern Poland and western Ukraine.</li>
<li> West Central Ukrainian Jews, — this region includes west-central Ukraine.</li>
<li> Central European and Western Ukrainian Jews — this region includes western Ukraine, Hungary, Romania, and Slovakia.</li>
</ul>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-30364 size-largest" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/So.-Lithuanian-Image-566x1180.png" alt="" width="566" height="1180" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/So.-Lithuanian-Image-566x1180.png 566w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/So.-Lithuanian-Image-144x300.png 144w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/So.-Lithuanian-Image-768x1601.png 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/So.-Lithuanian-Image-491x1024.png 491w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/So.-Lithuanian-Image-422x880.png 422w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/So.-Lithuanian-Image.png 990w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 566px) 100vw, 566px" />
<h2>Your ancestry matters for your health</h2>
While this update provides essential connections for customers with Ashkenazi ancestry, it also offers the opportunity to remind people that their ancestry matters for their health, too.
In the case of people with Ashkenazi ancestry, their unique history, which led to their isolation, also had genetic implications. People with Ashkenazi ancestry are more likely to carry genetic variants that cause certain single-gene recessive Mendelian conditions such as<a href="https://www.23andme.com/topics/carrier/gaucher-disease-type-1/"> Gaucher disease</a>,<a href="https://www.23andme.com/topics/carrier/canavan-disease/"> Canavan disease</a>, and<a href="https://www.23andme.com/topics/carrier/tay-sachs-disease"> Tay-Sachs disease</a>. In addition, people with Ashkenazi ancestry are more likely to carry the so-called “founder variants” in the<a href="https://www.23andme.com/brca/"> BRCA1 and BRCA2 t</a>hat increase the risk of breast, ovarian, and prostate cancer. 
<h2>Find out more</h2>
With more than 2,000 geographic regions, mitochondrial and Y-chromosome haplogroups, <a href="https://you.23andme.com/reports/ancestry_composition_hd/?assessment_id=ancestry_composition_hd.achd_admixture_dating">Ancestry Timeline</a>, <a href="https://you.23andme.com/tools/relatives/dna/">advanced DNA comparison</a>, <a href="https://you.23andme.com/family/relatives/">DNA Relatives</a>, and a <a href="https://you.23andme.com/family/tree/">genetic Family Tree</a>, 23andMe offers more specificity, more interactivity, and more to explore. 23andMe’s Ancestry Composition improves over time as 23andMe adds new populations and regions, offering customers a chance to see more granularity in their results.
23andMe customers can go to their <a href="https://you.23andme.com/ancestry/">Ancestry Overview</a> to start exploring. 
Not yet a customer? Find out more about 23andMe’s ancestry offerings <a href="https://www.23andme.com/dna-ancestry/">here</a>.

23andMe Blog

23andMe Blog Team

23andMe Adds Detail for People of Ashkenazi Ancestry

23andMe’s latest Ancestry Composition update includes three new populations in China, increasing resolution for v5 customers with ancestry from the world’s most populous country. 
With more than 30 detailed ancestry regions in China and 19 in Taiwan, 23andMe was already the best DNA test for people with Chinese ancestry, but there was room for improvement. 
“I had some specific regional matches in China and Taiwan, but my ancestry breakdown — my pie chart — just said 100 percent Chinese, which was a little disappointing since China has much more diversity than that,” said Alison Kung, 23andMe’s Director of Product Management, whose family hails from Taiwan.
Now, with 23andMe’s latest Ancestry Composition update introducing three new populations in China, Alison’s ancestry percentages have been broken down into a combination of ancestries. In her updated report, most of Alison’s Chinese ancestry has been inferred to be from Southern China, with smaller percentages from elsewhere in China.
<div id="attachment_29967" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-29967" class="size-large wp-image-29967" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/China-by-regional-Pop-Map-1024x714.png" alt="The five Ancestry Composition population regions within China." width="1024" height="714" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/China-by-regional-Pop-Map-1024x714.png 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/China-by-regional-Pop-Map-300x209.png 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/China-by-regional-Pop-Map-768x535.png 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/China-by-regional-Pop-Map-880x613.png 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/China-by-regional-Pop-Map-1180x823.png 1180w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/China-by-regional-Pop-Map.png 1370w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />This map indicates the five Ancestry Composition populations within China, including three new, primarily Han Chinese populations. In the upper left corner, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region is hashed with both green and red to reflect the fact that individuals from this region can have genetic ancestry resembling either Central Asian populations or Northern Chinese &amp; Tibetan populations.  </div>
“I&#8217;m excited I can finally understand how my genetic makeup is broken up between the regions of China, since I was unfamiliar with my family history before they were in Taiwan,” explained Alison.
<a href="https://you.23andme.com/reports/ancestry_composition/">View your updated Ancestry Composition report</a>
Note: Customers with no East Asian ancestry may also see small changes to their Ancestry Composition percentages. Common questions about this update can be found at the end of this article.
<h6>What’s new?</h6>
New populations
In previous versions of Ancestry Composition, there were three populations representing almost all of China’s diverse ancestry: “Chinese” represented the majority Han Chinese population; &#8220;Central Asian&#8221; represented the Uyghur population of western China; and “Chinese Dai” represented the larger Tai ethnolinguistic group that currently lives in parts of China, Burma, Laos, Vietnam, and Thailand. Most Chinese Dai live in southern and western Yunnan Province and are genetically more similar to their Vietnamese neighbors than they are to the Han Chinese. 
With this latest update, the “Chinese” reference population was replaced by three more specific populations: <a href="https://you.23andme.com/reports/ancestry_composition/north_chinese/">Northern Chinese &amp; Tibetan</a>, <a href="https://you.23andme.com/reports/ancestry_composition/south_chinese/">Southern Chinese &amp; Taiwanese</a>, and <a href="https://you.23andme.com/reports/ancestry_composition/southernmost_chinese/">South Chinese</a>.

 <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-style-default"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="332" src="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Tree-of-Different-Chinese-Ancestry-Regions-1024x332.png" alt="" class="wp-image-29968" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Tree-of-Different-Chinese-Ancestry-Regions-1024x332.png 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Tree-of-Different-Chinese-Ancestry-Regions-300x97.png 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Tree-of-Different-Chinese-Ancestry-Regions-768x249.png 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Tree-of-Different-Chinese-Ancestry-Regions-880x285.png 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Tree-of-Different-Chinese-Ancestry-Regions-1180x383.png 1180w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Tree-of-Different-Chinese-Ancestry-Regions.png 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>
 
New stories
Our team of product scientists and content writers have curated a selection of vignettes about the genetic histories, cultures, and attractions unique to the three new populations. Find these new stories on the <a href="https://you.23andme.com/reports/ancestry_composition/north_chinese/">Northern Chinese &amp; Tibetan</a>, <a href="https://you.23andme.com/reports/ancestry_composition/south_chinese/">Southern Chinese &amp; Taiwanese</a>, and <a href="https://you.23andme.com/reports/ancestry_composition/southernmost_chinese/">South Chinese</a> population pages. 
 

 <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-style-default"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="474" src="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Cultural-Dive-Image-1024x474.png" alt="" class="wp-image-29969" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Cultural-Dive-Image-1024x474.png 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Cultural-Dive-Image-300x139.png 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Cultural-Dive-Image-768x355.png 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Cultural-Dive-Image-880x407.png 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Cultural-Dive-Image-1180x546.png 1180w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Cultural-Dive-Image.png 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>
 
 <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-style-default"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="511" src="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Bejing-Image-1024x511.png" alt="" class="wp-image-29971" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Bejing-Image-1024x511.png 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Bejing-Image-300x150.png 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Bejing-Image-768x384.png 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Bejing-Image-880x439.png 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Bejing-Image-1180x589.png 1180w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Bejing-Image.png 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>
 
<h6>The scientific details</h6>
A gradient of genetic diversity
More than 90 percent of people in China identify as Han Chinese, but nested within that Han identity are many layers of regional variation. For example, separating the northern Han from the southern Han are vaguely defined, but often deeply felt, geographical, cultural, historical, and linguistic differences. To what extent does their DNA reflect those distinctions?
China’s population history, including extensive migration, complicates the goal of identifying distinct genetic groups in China. A recent <a href="https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(18)31032-8#%20">study</a>, led by a group at BGI-Shenzhen in Guangdong, China, analyzed the population structure of self-described Han Chinese in China. The authors found a gradient of genetic similarity, but they were also able to identify three distinct genetic groups of Han Chinese, color-coded by region in the paper’s supplemental figure 3, shown below. 

 <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-style-default"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="522" src="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/AC-Graph-1024x522.png" alt="" class="wp-image-29970" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/AC-Graph-1024x522.png 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/AC-Graph-300x153.png 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/AC-Graph-768x392.png 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/AC-Graph-880x449.png 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/AC-Graph-1180x602.png 1180w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/AC-Graph.png 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>
 
These results are very similar to those identified by 23andMe’s analysis of customers who report recent ancestry from specific regions of China. While most of the individuals in our analysis may identify as Han, we did not limit the analysis to customers who identified this way. 
<a href="https://you.23andme.com/reports/ancestry_composition/">View your updated Ancestry Composition report</a>
<h6>Discover more with 23andMe</h6>
With more than 2,000 geographic regions, mitochondrial and Y-chromosome haplogroups, <a href="https://you.23andme.com/reports/ancestry_composition_hd/?assessment_id=ancestry_composition_hd.achd_admixture_dating">Ancestry Timeline</a>, <a href="https://you.23andme.com/tools/relatives/dna/">advanced DNA comparison</a>, <a href="https://you.23andme.com/family/relatives/">DNA Relatives</a>, and a <a href="https://you.23andme.com/family/tree/">genetic Family Tree</a>, 23andMe offers more specificity, more interactivity, and more to explore. 23andMe&#8217;s Ancestry Composition improves over time as 23andMe adds new populations and regions, offering customers a chance to see more granularity in their results.
23andMe customers can go to their <a href="https://you.23andme.com/ancestry/">Ancestry Overview</a> to start exploring. 
Not yet a customer? Find out more about 23andMe’s ancestry offerings <a href="https://www.23andme.com/dna-ancestry/">here</a>.

<h6>Common Questions</h6>
1) How did you identify these populations? 
To begin building our reference panel, we selected research-consented 23andMe customers who indicated in their Family Origins survey that all four of their grandparents were born in the same Chinese province. 
Next, we identified groups of individuals who share higher levels of DNA with each other than they do with others in the analysis. These genetic groups became our reference groups for this feature. We compare customers&#8217; DNA to the DNA of individuals within these reference groups.
2) Can customers who tested on earlier genotyping chips see this update?
Customers who tested on older versions of the genotyping chip will need to upgrade to the latest genotyping chip to receive updated results. To find your genotyping chip version, go to your 23andMe profile <a href="https://you.23andme.com/user/">settings</a>, and scroll to the bottom of the personal information section to where it says “Genotyping chip versions.” Customers on our latest chip will see “version 5.” <a href="https://you.23andme.com/chip-upgrade/">Learn more</a> about chip upgrades. This latest Ancestry Composition update includes three new populations in China and is available to customers who tested with 23andMe using the v5 chip (i.e., those genotyped on our latest genotyping chip, called “v5”). All v5 customers’ Ancestry Composition results will be recalculated as part of this update, including customers without East Asian ancestry. Customers without East Asian ancestry should not expect to see significant changes to their ancestry percentages. 23andMe’s latest Ancestry Composition update includes three new populations in China, increasing resolution for v5 customers with ancestry from the world’s most populous country.
3) What does “Northern Chinese AND Tibetan” ancestry mean? Does this mean I have ancestry from both populations listed in the population name? 
This reference population includes individuals whose grandparents were born in Tibet, as well as individuals whose grandparents were born in one of China’s northern provinces. If you have some “Northern Chinese &amp; Tibetan” ancestry in your Ancestry Composition results, this does not necessarily mean you have ancestry from both of these regions, though it is possible. Instead, it could mean that you have ancestry from just one of these regions. You may see more detail in your results that can help shed light on your geographic ancestry — specific provinces to which we were able to trace your ancestry. 
4) My results used to say “East Asian &amp; Indigenous American,” but they no longer do. What changed? 
With this update, Indigenous American ancestry is no longer grouped with East Asian ancestry. What does this mean? Previously, people with either East Asian or Indigenous American ancestry would see those ancestries grouped together under an umbrella category called “East Asian &amp; Indigenous American.” These ancestries were grouped together in our Ancestry Composition algorithm to accommodate shared ancestry that resulted from the migrations into the Americas from Asia that began around 23,000 years ago. 
However, Indigenous American ancestry is almost always distinguishable from East Asian ancestry and, following recent algorithm improvements reducing the amount of nonspecific ancestry in customers’ results, we’ve separated Indigenous American ancestry into its own category.  While this change better reflects how these populations think about their ancestry today, customers who previously had some “Broadly East Asian &amp; Indigenous American” ancestry may now see some or all of that ancestry identified as “unassigned” by the Ancestry Composition algorithm. Customers with Broadly East Asian &amp; Indigenous American ancestry typically had less than 0.5% of this ancestry. 
<a href="https://www.23andme.com/ancestry-composition-guide/">Read more</a> about how the Ancestry Composition algorithm works.
5) If I have ancestry from an ethnic minority in China, will I also have updated results? 
You will still receive updated results, but our algorithms are not granular enough to distinguish these minority populations at this time. It’s likely that the large majority of individuals in the reference populations identify as Han Chinese, but ethnic minorities in China were not excluded in this analysis.
6) I don’t have Chinese ancestry. Will my results change with this update? 
It’s possible customers with no Chinese ancestry will see small changes to their Ancestry Composition results. All customers who tested on version 5 of the genotyping chip will be recalculated with this update, though many customers’ percentages may remain the same.

23andMe Increases Resolution of Chinese Ancestry Inference

Jamila studied the map, smiling, giggling a bit with wonder each time she uncovered something new.&nbsp;
“Oh wow, just wow, I didn’t know any of that,” she said.&nbsp;
The map traced out a geographic region in Africa where certain ethnolinguistic groups, or people who share a common language and culture, live today. The lines carved out a part within what is now Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo, delineating where people who are Kongo &amp; Mbundu live. Within the region, there are other groups like the Kete, Imbala, and the Tetala.&nbsp;
“I’ve never heard of any of these groups,” Jamila said. “I have so much to learn now that I know this is part of me.”&nbsp;

 <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-style-default"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="733" height="1024" src="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Jamila-headshot1_pp-733x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-29491" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Jamila-headshot1_pp-733x1024.jpg 733w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Jamila-headshot1_pp-845x1180.jpg 845w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Jamila-headshot1_pp-215x300.jpg 215w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Jamila-headshot1_pp-768x1073.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Jamila-headshot1_pp-630x880.jpg 630w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Jamila-headshot1_pp-scaled.jpg 1832w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 733px) 100vw, 733px" /></figure>
 
<h6>Ancestry Composition Update</h6>
Steven Micheletti, a 23andMe population geneticist, walked Jamila through this update of her 23andMe’s Ancestry Composition report. Steven explained that of the more than 12 million people stolen from Africa and taken to the Americas in the slave trade, almost half of them came from this region of West Central Africa. The update includes a total of <a href="https://blog.23andme.com/ancestry-reports/african-ethnolinguistic-groups/">25 new ethnolinguistic</a> groups in Africa. Jamila saw where in Africa she matched with others from this ethnolinguistic group with whom she shared a common ancestor up to a few hundred years ago.&nbsp;
But Jamila, a Seattle realtor, small business owner, and mother of eight, was seeing much more than just a map. Instead, Jamila saw a direct connection to a piece of her and her family’s history.
“This is going to mean a lot for people like me who want to know more,” she said.&nbsp;
<h6>A Richer History</h6>
February is Black History Month in the United States. But history for Black people here didn’t begin with slavery, Jamila said.&nbsp;
“Our history didn’t begin 400 years ago,” she said, referring to when the first Africans were enslaved and brought to the Americas.&nbsp;
For many Black Americans, the history of slavery erected a brick wall in their efforts to reach back and learn more about their ancestry. For many people like Jamila, simply saying that you have African ancestry isn’t enough. Africa itself is rich with cultures, ethnic groups, and languages; she wanted to know to what culture and group she connected.&nbsp;
“So I just kept asking questions,” Jamila said.
About three years ago, after using 23andMe, Jamila learned that she was primarily West African. Of her West African ancestry, about 35 percent was from Nigeria. But even Nigeria is a massive multi-ethnic place filled with different groups and cultures.&nbsp;
<h6>On a Quest to Learn More</h6>
Jamila wanted to know more.
“Where in Nigeria?” she asked.
Soon after testing, she connected with a distant Nigerian cousin. She learned that she was from a village in the Nigerian state of Anambra and was Ibo. Then, in Seattle, where she lives, Jamila began to participate in the Igbo Union group, made up of Ibo people now living in the United States. During one of the group’s meetings, Jamila met a woman from the same village as her cousin. Jamila and her new friend eventually traveled together to Anambra in August of 2019 and visited the village. She felt an immediate affinity with the people there.
&nbsp;“It was emotional and really fun,” she said. “It was life-changing.”
But she also knew there was more. Fast-forward to this year and Jamila learned through this latest 23andMe update that she is connected to ethnolinguistic groups in what is now Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
“I can never be 100 percent Ibo, or (one of these other groups),” she said. “I didn’t grow up in their culture, but it’s in my blood. It’s in me.”
She plans to learn more about these cultures and incorporate some of what she learns into her life and her children&#8217;s lives.
“It’s important that they know who they are and where they came from and that the story, our story, didn’t start 400 years ago… there’s more to it than that.”

 <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-style-default"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="512" height="338" src="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/AEG-2.png" alt="" class="wp-image-29437" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/AEG-2.png 512w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/AEG-2-300x198.png 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px" /></figure>

Tracing Roots in Africa

23andMe’s latest update provides new ancestral connections to 25 African ethnolinguistic groups, including Ashanti ancestry, allowing people to explore connections with groups sharing common languages and cultures.



Along with the recent ancestor locations previously covered, this brings us to over 200 Ancestry Composition populations in Africa. This update is just one of many steps we’re taking to offer richer and more detailed information for customers with African ancestry. We are always looking to improve, and we hope to add even more granular ancestry results to our customers and better represent the depth of our genetic diversity.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-will-customers-find-in-this-update-nbsp">What will customers find in this update?&nbsp;</h2>



With this update, some customers with African ancestry, including those with Ashanti ancestry, will discover new Ancestry Composition matches to one or more of 25 new genetic groups, often called reference populations, representing present-day ethnolinguistic groups in Sub-Saharan Africa. These new groups include the Igbo, Yoruba, Kongo, Mandinka, Shona, and Ashanti peoples. Customers will also find a map marking where the people in each reference population and their ancestors have lived for generations.



&nbsp;



Customers who receive a match share some of their ancestors with that population within the last 250 to 300 years. And because of the populations&#8217; roots in these areas for generations, those ancestors likely lived in the same location and shared their communities&#8217; cultures. And in fact, the customer may have relatives who still live there today! Since cultural identity is so much more than DNA, though, keep in mind that these results alone do not say that a customer belongs to an ethnic group today.&nbsp;



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter wp-image-29438 size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="512" height="301" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/AEG-1.png" alt="A map of western Africa showing area within Nigeria where Edo and Ijaw people live." class="wp-image-29438" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/AEG-1.png 512w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/AEG-1-300x176.png 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Here is an Example Ancestry Composition result for a customer with 3.6% Nigerian ancestry, which matches the new population, &#8220;Edo and Ijaw peoples.&#8221;</figcaption></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-where-are-the-new-groups-nbsp">Where are the new groups?&nbsp;</h2>



Some customers may now receive matches to genetic groups (reference populations) that reveal shared ancestors and connections with present-day ethnolinguistic groups, including Ashanti ancestry. The regions below depict where the people in 23andMe’s reference populations, such as the Ashanti people, and their ancestors have lived for generations.



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter wp-image-29437 size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="512" height="338" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/AEG-2.png" alt="A map of Africa showing all the new Ethnolinguistic Groups covered in this update." class="wp-image-29437" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/AEG-2.png 512w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/AEG-2-300x198.png 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">A map of the ancestral regions associated with each new genetic group is included in this update. For a full list of Sub-Saharan African populations represented, scroll down to the list at the bottom of the page.</figcaption></figure>



Matches to these regions represent ancestors who may have lived anywhere from now to approximately 250-300 years ago. These represent modern-day and historically recent ethnolinguistic groups and their ancestral regions. Previous events, such as migration, war, and earlier decades of the transatlantic and intra-African slave trade, may have led to major movements and mixing of people, so a customer’s African ancestors from 400+ years ago may have lived in different regions.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-did-we-develop-these-ancestry-insights-nbsp">How did we develop these ancestry insights?&nbsp;</h2>



Listening to our Black customers and broader communities, we heard clearly that people seek more specific connections beyond regions to people in Africa. These ties are often hard to discover, as few people of African descent in the Americas have genealogical records from before the Civil War (1861-1865), primarily due to the transatlantic and intercolonial slave trades.&nbsp;



Before now, 23andMe&#8217;s Ancestry Composition report revealed specific African countries and sub-country regions where evidence of a person&#8217;s recent ancestry is found. However, modern country connections, including these, often reflect how colonialism shaped borders within Africa and not how African people identified historically or prefer to identify today. We knew we needed to help people connect to their ancestry in additional ways to better reflect African people. So how did we do it?&nbsp;&nbsp;



<ol class="wp-block-list">
<li>For many years, 23andMe has partnered with our community of research participants and other researchers to study genetic, language, and cultural group data from people in Africa and people with families from Africa. These efforts, including the <a href="https://www.23andme.com/global-genetics/">Global Genetics Project</a> and <a href="https://research.23andme.com/populations-collaborations/">Populations Collaborations Program</a>, first improved Sub-Saharan African ancestry insights in 2018.</li>



<li>From 2019 to 2020, the 23andMe team worked with scholars of African history and African American studies to develop and publish one of the <a href="https://blog.23andme.com/23andme-research/transatlantic-slave-trade-paper/">most comprehensive investigations</a> of the transatlantic slave trade ever conducted. </li>



<li>From this research, we identified 25 unique genetic groups of reference individuals in Africa. </li>



<li>Using the information we previously collected on language, geographic location, and culture, we found that these genetic groups corresponded with particular ethnic groups and spoken languages.  </li>



<li>Finally, we developed an algorithm to determine if customers with African ancestry have shared ancestry with these groups. </li>
</ol>



Now, thanks to our collaborators and community of research participants, we can provide our customers with more meaningful information about their connections to people and places in Africa. With the addition of these new ethnolinguistic groups, we now offer insights to over 200 African regions. And as our database expands and analyses improve, we will continue providing new insights like this to better represent our genetic diversity.



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter wp-image-29436 size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="512" height="478" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/AEG-3.png" alt="" class="wp-image-29436" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/AEG-3.png 512w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/AEG-3-300x280.png 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Here is some example information on the Nigerian detailed ancestry report page. Nigeria&#8217;s population is the largest in Africa and one of the most diverse, with over 250 ethnic groups. 23andMe&#8217;s new ethnic group reference populations are just a first step to helping people with African ancestry rediscover their connections to ancestors and modern-day relatives across the Atlantic.</figcaption></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-updated-list-of-populations-in-sub-saharan-africa">Updated List of Populations in Sub-Saharan Africa</h2>



African Hunter-Gatherer



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Mbuti people — NEW</li>



<li>Baka &amp; Biaka people — NEW</li>
</ul>



Congolese &amp; Southern East African



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>
<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Angolan &amp; Congolese 
<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Congo (the Democratic Republic of the)</li>



<li>Shona &amp; Nguni peoples — NEW</li>



<li>Luba &amp; Kete peoples — NEW</li>



<li>Kongo &amp; Mbundu peoples — NEW</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>



Southern East African



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Kenya (2+ regions)</li>



<li>Rwanda (3+ regions) </li>



<li>Kikuyu &amp; Kamba peoples — NEW</li>



<li>Luhya &amp; Luo peoples — NEW</li>



<li>Maasai people — NEW</li>



<li>Rundi peoples — NEW</li>



<li>Hadza &amp; Sandawe — NEW</li>



<li>Broadly Congolese &amp; Southern East African</li>
</ul>



West African



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Ashanti Ancestry in Ghana, Liberia &amp; Sierra Leone 
<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Ghana (7+ regions)</li>



<li>Liberia (6+ regions)</li>



<li>Sierra Leone</li>



<li>Ashanti people — NEW</li>



<li>Ewe, Fon, Ga-Dangme, &amp; Fante peoples — NEW</li>



<li>Mende people — NEW</li>



<li>Temne &amp; Limba peoples — NEW</li>



<li>Peoples of Liberia  — NEW</li>
</ul>
</li>



<li>Senegambian &amp; Guinean 
<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Guinea (3+ regions)</li>



<li>Cape Verde (7+ regions)</li>



<li>Gambia</li>



<li>Senegal</li>



<li>Mandinka people — NEW</li>



<li>Fula &amp; Wolof peoples — NEW</li>
</ul>
</li>



<li>Nigerian 
<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Nigeria (18+ regions)</li>



<li>Edo &amp; Ijaw peoples  — NEW</li>



<li>Igbo people  — NEW</li>



<li>Yoruba people — NEW</li>



<li>Esan people  — NEW</li>



<li>Bamileke &amp; Kom peoples  — NEW</li>
</ul>
</li>



<li>Broadly West African 
<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Cameroon (3+ regions)</li>



<li>Mauritania</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>



Northern East African



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Ethiopian &amp; Eritrean
<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Ethiopia (6+ regions)</li>



<li>Eritrea (4+ regions)</li>



<li>Peoples of central and western Ethiopia — NEW </li>



<li>Tigrinya speakers — NEW </li>
</ul>
</li>



<li>Somali (9+ regions)</li>



<li>Sudanese
<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Sudan (7+ regions)</li>



<li>South Sudan</li>
</ul>
</li>



<li>Broadly Northern East African </li>



<li>Broadly Sub-Saharan African</li>



<li>‡Khomani San — NEW </li>
</ul>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-most-common-ethnolinguistic-group-connections-among-23andme-customers">Most common ethnolinguistic group connections among 23andMe customers</h2>



Of 23andMe customers who receive a match to a new group, the most common matches are with the Igbo and Kongo and Mbundu people. Both of these groups are matches for around 30 percent of customers. The next most common group is the Fula and Wolof people, who match around 13 percent of customers. 



These proportions likely reflect the impact of the transatlantic slave trade in which the majority of the 12.5 million enslaved Africans were taken from ethnolinguistic groups residing in the mid to southern Atlantic coast of Africa and forced into the Americas. Each of the remaining ethnolinguistic groups is a match for fewer than 5 percent of customers.



&nbsp;



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="446" height="512" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/AEG-4.png" alt="" class="wp-image-29435" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/AEG-4.png 446w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/AEG-4-261x300.png 261w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 446px) 100vw, 446px" /></figure>

23andMe Expands Ancestry Composition with Ashanti Ancestry and Other African Ethnolinguistic Groups

23andMe added eight new regions within North America reflecting Indigenous genetic ancestry. The addition is in response not just to requests from thousands of customers, but also as part of an ongoing effort to create a 23andMe Ancestry Service that better reflects the diverse genetic ancestries of our customers.
With guidance from experts including Indigenous scientists, our team worked to provide some customers who have Indigenous ancestry from what is now the United States and Canada with more detailed ancestry results. In parallel, we created an experience that is both educational and transparent, in which we explain why genetic ancestry results cannot be used to seek or confirm any form of Indigenous belonging such as membership in a Tribe or Nation.
In 2019, we added a feature called “<a href="https://blog.23andme.com/articles/caribbean-latin-american/">Recent Ancestry in the Americas</a>,” which offers clues about our customers’ <a href="https://blog.23andme.com/articles/23andme-adds-more-detail-for-indigenous-mexican-ancestry">ancestry from Mexico</a>, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean. With this update in North America, we are now able to offer more detail about some customers’ Indigenous ancestry from what is now the U.S. and Canada, as well. Some customers will be seeing this update over the next several weeks as it is rolled out.
Customers can view their Ancestry Composition <a href="https://you.23andme.com/reports/ancestry_composition_hd/">here</a>.
<h3>What are the new regions?</h3>

 <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-style-default"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="700" height="536" src="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Indigenous-Regions-1.png" alt="" class="wp-image-28905" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Indigenous-Regions-1.png 700w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Indigenous-Regions-1-300x230.png 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" /></figure>
 
<h3></h3>
<h3>How was this analysis done?</h3>
<ol>
<li aria-level="1">To determine our reference groups, we selected customers with Indigenous American genetic ancestry who consented to participate in research and indicated in their <a href="https://you.23andme.com/research/surveys/family_origins_v2/">Family Origins survey</a> that at least one of their grandparents was affiliated with one North American Indigenous Tribe, Band, Sovereignty, First Nation, or other community. We excluded from the analysis any DNA predicted by our Ancestry Composition analysis to be inherited from a European, Asian, or African ancestor. In this way, we can ensure that the shared ancestry we are identifying was inherited from an Indigenous American ancestor.</li>
<li aria-level="1">Next, to uncover geographic patterns of Indigenous ancestry in what is now the US and Canada, we removed individuals from the analysis who shared large amounts of DNA with people whose grandparents were born in Mexico, Central America, South America, or the Caribbean.</li>
<li aria-level="1">Then, we used a technique called genetic clustering to identify potential groups of individuals who share higher levels of DNA with each other than they do with others in the analysis. These genetic groups became our reference groups for this feature, and we then are able to compare customers’ DNA to the DNA of individuals within these reference groups.</li>
<li aria-level="1">Finally, we generated maps based on where the individuals in these groups told us their grandparents who identified as Indigenous American were born.</li>
</ol>
For a more detailed explanation of the methods used in this analysis, visit our <a href="https://you.23andme.com/ancestry/indigenous-american-faqs/">Indigenous American ancestry FAQ page</a>.

 <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-style-default"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="512" height="501" src="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Genetic-Cluster.png" alt="" class="wp-image-28904" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Genetic-Cluster.png 512w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Genetic-Cluster-300x294.png 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px" /></figure>
 
<h3>Will customers’ percentages update?</h3>
No. For a given Indigenous North American region match we indicate our confidence in the result, reported as &#8220;likely match,&#8221; or &#8220;highly likely match.&#8221; This works the same way as our Recent Ancestor Locations feature. If we are not able to detect a genetic match to a region with confidence, we report this as &#8220;not detected.&#8221;
This update will only affect customers who already have Indigenous American genetic ancestry as estimated by 23andMe’s Ancestry Composition algorithm. In other words, if you did not already have some percentage of DNA predicted to match our Indigenous American reference population, then you cannot receive a match to one of these eight new regions. 
Furthermore, not everyone with Indigenous American ancestry will receive a match to a region at this time.
<h3>How many customers can expect to get a match to one of the new regions?</h3>
Fewer than 10 percent of customers with some Indigenous American genetic ancestry will receive a match at this time, though this number may be higher for customers with known Indigenous ancestry from North America. The science behind this update is both rigorous and conservative, meaning we focused on ensuring that there were as few false matches as possible. As a result of this approach, there will be some individuals with known Indigenous American ancestry from North America who do not receive a match to any region at this time. We understand that not seeing an expected match can be confusing, but our ability to match someone to a region based on DNA is only as good as the size and diversity of the reference groups and algorithms used to predict them. Over time, as more people with Indigenous American ancestors join 23andMe, customers’ results may change.  More information about unexpected results can be found in our <a href="https://you.23andme.com/ancestry/indigenous-american-faqs/">FAQs</a>.
<h3>What are the new regions?</h3>

 <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-style-default"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="576" src="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Indigenous-Region-Maps.001-1024x576.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-29044" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Indigenous-Region-Maps.001-1024x576.jpeg 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Indigenous-Region-Maps.001-300x169.jpeg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Indigenous-Region-Maps.001-768x432.jpeg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Indigenous-Region-Maps.001-880x495.jpeg 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Indigenous-Region-Maps.001-1180x664.jpeg 1180w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Indigenous-Region-Maps.001.jpeg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>
 
<ul>
<li>Alaska: Grandparents of individuals within this genetic reference group were primarily born in what is now known as Alaska, as well as some parts of western Canada.</li>
<li>Columbia River Basin: Grandparents of individuals within this genetic reference group were primarily born in what is now known as Washington, as well as some parts of southwestern Canada, Idaho, and Oregon.</li>
<li>Great Basin &amp; Colorado River Basin: Grandparents of individuals within this genetic reference group were primarily born in what is now known as Nevada and California, as well as parts of Arizona and southern Idaho.</li>
<li>Great Lakes and Canada: Grandparents of individuals within this genetic reference group were primarily born in what is now known as the Upper Midwest of the U.S., including Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, as well as some parts of North Dakota, Montana, Oklahoma, Indiana, Illinois, Kansas, and central and southern Canada.</li>
<li>Northeast: Grandparents of individuals within this genetic reference group were primarily born in what is now known as New York, as well as other U.S. states in the Northeast, including Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Maine. Some individuals’ grandparents were born in parts of Indiana, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Oklahoma.</li>
<li>Plains: Grandparents of individuals within this genetic reference group were primarily born in what is now known as South Dakota, as well as some parts of Oklahoma, North Dakota, Montana, southern Minnesota, and Nebraska.</li>
<li>South Central: Grandparents of individuals within this genetic reference group were primarily born in what is now known as Oklahoma, as well as parts of Missouri, Arkansas, Kansas, Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, the Florida Panhandle, and Mississippi.</li>
<li>Southwest: Grandparents of individuals within this genetic reference group were primarily born in what is now known as New Mexico, as well as parts of Oklahoma, Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. 
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Here’s why we took our time getting this right</h3>
There are a few reasons we’ve been unable to provide additional geographic clues about our customers’ Indigenous American ancestry through DNA to date, including:
<ol>
<li aria-level="1">There has been a centuries-long eradication of Indigenous peoples by the settler-colonist societies of North America (including cultural assimilation and forced resettlements). This history makes it difficult for geneticists to distinguish biogeographic ancestry from different parts of North America.</li>
<li aria-level="1">Having observed decades of exploitation of Indigenous peoples at the hands of researchers from a host of biomedical disciplines, many Indigenous American leaders, activists, and scientists have advocated for greater community involvement in research, and cautioned their communities to require reassurances from scientists who seek to work with them, such as through collaboration, data sharing, and education about consent. In an effort to protect their communities, some Indigenous scientists and Tribal leaders have even called for outright moratoriums on genetic research.</li>
<li aria-level="1">Furthermore, as explored in greater detail in <a href="https://blog.23andme.com/ancestry-reports/native-american-dna/">this blog post</a>, many Indigenous scientists and activists are concerned about how the genetic ancestry testing industry creates an environment that implicitly allows and sometimes encourages consumers to misunderstand their DNA results and use those results to claim belonging or kinship with an Indigenous group. In large part, these concerns are centered on the potential for <a href="https://www.23andme.com/dna-ancestry" target="_blank" rel="noopener">genetic ancestry</a> tests to impact the sovereignties of North American First Nations and Tribes, such as when consumers attempt to access tangible or intangible benefits of membership through their DNA results, undermining an Indigenous Nation’s sovereign right to determine membership in the manner they choose.</li>
</ol>
<h3>What steps did our team take to mitigate potential harm to Indigenous sovereignties while providing additional geographic detail?</h3>
<ol>
<li aria-level="1">With guidance from experts including Indigenous scientists, we created an <a href="https://you.23andme.com/ancestry/indigenous-american-faqs/">educational page</a> with answers to common questions about this update, and information about how 23andMe defines Indigenous American genetic ancestry. This page is easily discoverable to customers through their results, and it is also viewable by the public.</li>
<li aria-level="1">In providing these new regions, and following recommendations by advisors, we did not use information about Tribe or Indigenous Nation affiliation to curate the genetic groups. Furthermore, because cultural, Tribe, Nation, or ethnic affiliation was not used to curate these groups — and because Indigenous peoples are not discrete genetic groups — each of the eight regions likely reflect ancestry from many Tribes or First Nations.</li>
<li aria-level="1">To create the region maps, we used only the customers’ reported grandparent birth locations, minimizing biased data curation.</li>
<li aria-level="1">We are transparent about the methods that were used to determine these regions as well as the methods used to provide customers with matches to these regions.</li>
<li aria-level="1">We have published educational material available to the public about how genetic ancestry testing can impact Indigenous sovereignties and peoples, including <a href="https://blog.23andme.com/ancestry-reports/native-american-dna/">this recent blog post</a>.</li>
</ol>
We hope that this update will inspire many to learn more about the complex histories and diversity of Indigenous Peoples in North America in a manner that respects the ways in which Indigenous Peoples define themselves.

A map of the bio-geographic ancestral regions that include the Columbia River Basin, the Great Basin & Colorado River Basin, Great Lakes& Canada, the Northeast, South Central, the Plains and Southwest.

A new analysis sheds light on some customers’ Indigenous genetic ancestry from North America

Millions of 23andMe customers in the United States have some Irish ancestry, and because March is <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/03/01/a-proclamation-on-irish-american-heritage-month-2021/">Irish-American Heritage Month</a>, we’re again sharing something we looked at not too long ago about where in Ireland their ancestors called home.
We learned that although Irish immigration peaked in the U.S. in the mid-19th century, many of the connections we found were much more recent. To more closely examine those connections, we looked at how many customers in the United States reported having Irish grandparents. Then we asked those customers where in Ireland their grandparents called home.
<h6>Where in Ireland</h6>
Most reported connections to the counties of Cork, Mayo, or Galway in The Republic of Ireland. Others also had grandparents from the cities of Belfast and Dublin. Belfast is the largest city in Northern Ireland, while Dublin is the biggest in the Republic of Ireland.
The darker the shading on the map below, the more customers who report grandparents from that region.

 <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-style-default"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="461" height="512" src="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/ireland.png" alt="" class="wp-image-28129" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/ireland.png 461w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/ireland-270x300.png 270w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 461px) 100vw, 461px" /></figure>
 
<h6>Coming to America</h6>
As a result of the Irish potato famine between 1845–1849, Ireland experienced a sustained <a href="https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/heritage/great-famine-s-impact-illustrated-by-interactive-map-1.3428848">exodus</a> of people — and to date, the island’s population has not recovered to pre-famine numbers. 
Many of those immigrants wound up in the United States, but what is interesting is that our data showed patterns of recent Irish ancestry that mimicked historical patterns of migration to the United States.
So 23andMe researchers dug a little deeper. We did this by looking at data from customers with grandparents from Ireland. Sure enough, we saw higher concentrations of people with recent Irish ancestry in the Northeast, particularly New York, Massachusetts, and Connecticut.  Mapping that data we saw more clearly where in the United States many of these immigrants wound up. (See Census map from 2019 below that aligns with our own look at the distribution of where people with Irish ancestry live.)
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-26929 aligncenter" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/irish-american.jpg" alt="" width="612" height="648" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/irish-american.jpg 612w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/irish-american-283x300.jpg 283w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 612px) 100vw, 612px" />
The data also showed fewer individuals with recent Irish ancestry in the Deep South and the Southwest. It’s important to note that this is not mapping genetic ancestry. Rather it is looking at concentrations of where people who reported having grandparents that were born in Ireland currently live.
While this data was not the most surprising to our population geneticists, what’s interesting is that the state-wide segmentation mirrors U.S. Census data on reported Irish ancestry. It also aligns with long-established patterns of where Irish immigrants have settled since first arriving in the country. Certain communities, like Plymouth County south of Boston Massachusetts, have higher concentrations of people with Irish ancestry in the country, <a href="https://www.census.gov/newsroom/facts-for-features/2019/irish-american-month.html">according to the U.S. Census Bureau</a> 
<h6>Studies of Irish Ancestry reveal unexpected connections</h6>
In a number of recent studies (<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29370172">7</a>, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29222464">8</a>, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20571510">9</a>), researchers identified distinct genetic clusters within the island of Ireland. While Irish people tended to be genetically similar to each other, there were a few regional differences the study was able to identify within the DNA.  
For example, southern Ireland was the most genetically distinct from the rest of the island, followed by Northern Ireland and central Ireland (which split rather unexpectedly into a northern half and a southern half).  
Why unexpected?  
Historically, there were four traditional Irish provinces: Ulster in the North, Munster in the South, Connacht in the West, and Leinster in the East. According to the DNA, It seems that people migrated between East and West in Central Ireland over time, obscuring some of these traditional borders.  

 <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-style-default"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="512" height="216" src="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Orkney.png" alt="" class="wp-image-28130" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Orkney.png 512w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Orkney-300x127.png 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px" /></figure>
 
<h6>Why “British &amp; Irish” ancestry peaks in Ireland</h6>
Our own researchers were able to explore the impact of ancient and historical migration from mainland Europe into the British Isles (<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26712024">1</a>, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26783717">2</a>, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15309688">3</a>, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29466337">4</a>, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26783965">5</a>, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12082121">6</a>). There are clear geographic differences in our customers’ average ancestry percentages. Customers with four grandparents born in Ireland tend to have more British &amp; Irish ancestry than customers with four grandparents born in Great Britain.
You can clearly see that French &amp; German ancestry reaches over 25% in England’s Southeast, where British &amp; Irish ancestry hovers around 50%. Compare that to more than 90% British and Irish ancestry in western Ireland, or more than 75% in western Wales and northern Scotland. 

 <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-style-default"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="512" height="313" src="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/British-Irish-French-German.png" alt="" class="wp-image-28131" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/British-Irish-French-German.png 512w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/British-Irish-French-German-300x183.png 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px" /></figure>
 
<h6>What’s the “Celt Belt” and where did Celtic languages come from? </h6>
Celtic languages and culture first appeared in Central Europe, extending from the British Isles to the Black sea by the 3rd century BCE. But, the rise of the Roman Empire spelled the downfall of a Celtic-speaking Europe. 

 <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-style-default"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="512" height="276" src="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/celtic-expansion.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-28132" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/celtic-expansion.jpg 512w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/celtic-expansion-300x162.jpg 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px" /></figure>
 
Today, while Celtic languages can only be found along the “Celtic Fringe” or the “Celt Belt” along the far western periphery of their former territory, Celtic cultural heritage remains deeply meaningful to millions of people around the world.

 <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-style-default"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="512" height="216" src="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/celtic-fringe.png" alt="" class="wp-image-28133" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/celtic-fringe.png 512w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/celtic-fringe-300x127.png 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px" /></figure>
 
<h6> </h6>
<h6>Genetic Origins of the “Celtic Curse”</h6>
Bagpipes, intricate metalwork and red hair are often associated with Celtic heritage, but less familiar is the link between “Celtic-like” ancestry and hereditary hemochromatosis. Hemochromatosis is a condition characterized by the absorption of too much dietary iron, which can cause damage to the joints and certain organs.
Today, the DNA variants associated with this condition are common in Ireland, leading to the nickname, “The Celtic Curse,” as it’s commonly known in the scientific and hemochromatosis communities. However, most evidence points to a central European origin of the most common variant (HFE C282Y), which was likely carried to the British Isles thousands of years ago and further spread by medieval Viking migrations. Some scientists have proposed that the C282Y variant may have protected our farming ancestors from iron-deficient diets, but the evidence for this “protective” role is limited.

 <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-style-default"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="512" height="216" src="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/HH.png" alt="" class="wp-image-28134" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/HH.png 512w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/HH-300x127.png 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px" /></figure>
 
 
If you’re a Health + Ancestry customer, your Hereditary Hemochromatosis (HFE-related) report is available <a href="https://you.23andme.com/reports/ghr.hemochromatosis/">here</a>.
(See references <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9836708">10</a>, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15290237">11</a>, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12972035">12</a>, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10953956">13</a>, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12791037">14</a>, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10657371">15</a>, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11159767">16</a>, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9783719">17</a>, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16920278">18</a>, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14740507">19</a>).

Where 23andMe Customers’ Irish Ancestors Lived, And More

By Brianne Kirkpatrick, MS, LCGC
Whether it’s a mother <a href="https://blog.23andme.com/articles/mother-son-meet">finding her son</a>, or a daughter <a href="https://blog.23andme.com/23andme-customer-stories/this-fathers-day-is-their-first/">finding her father</a>, or <a href="https://blog.23andme.com/23andme-customer-stories/seoul-sisters-and-brothers/">brothers and sisters meeting</a> for the first time, stories of adoptees using DNA testing to connect to their biological family are profoundly moving.
But DNA testing is also profoundly powerful because it can give adoptees —and their children and grandchildren — an opportunity to discover health risks they might not learn otherwise.
<h2>Tools for Adoptees</h2>
Whether it is uncovering unknown health risks or finding family, DNA testing is a powerful tool for adoptees. Here are some of the ways DNA testing can help adoptees:
<ul>
<li>Identifying genetic family — “Do I have biological relatives who might be interested in connecting?”</li>
<li>Exploring ancestry —“What’s my ethnic background?”</li>
<li>Learning about genetic health risks —“What could a DNA test add to what I know about my medical history?”</li>
</ul>
At-home DNA testing has surged in popularity in recent years, with well over 12 million kits sold at 23andMe. The boom in DNA testing comes at a time of other societal shifts in the world of U.S. adoptions. A <a href="https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2019/s3419">New York State law</a> went into effect in 2020, enabling adult adoptees access to their original birth certificate. Many other states have already made the change, and others will be expected to follow in the future.
The reasons behind a search for biological relatives are unique in every instance. On top of a search for information about biological origins, interest in the health information that can be gleaned from DNA also grows. More uses are available for DNA testing in the medical sector each year, ranging from the prescription of medications to the prediction of who is at higher risk of developing certain cancers.  
<h2>Types of Information to Come from At-home DNA Tests</h2>
23andMe offers direct-to-consumer <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-27264 size-full" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/33111270506_6cdfd74444_k-1-e1563554749812.jpg" alt="" width="1054" height="859" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/33111270506_6cdfd74444_k-1-e1563554749812.jpg 1054w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/33111270506_6cdfd74444_k-1-e1563554749812-300x244.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/33111270506_6cdfd74444_k-1-e1563554749812-768x626.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/33111270506_6cdfd74444_k-1-e1563554749812-1024x835.jpg 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/33111270506_6cdfd74444_k-1-e1563554749812-880x717.jpg 880w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1054px) 100vw, 1054px" />might choose from:
<ul>
<li>Ancestry + Traits Service</li>
<li>Health + Ancestry Service</li>
<li>VIP Health + Ancestry Service</li>
</ul>
The options all use the same type of testing&#8211;genotype analysis&#8211;and look at markers that give information on ethnic ancestry, DNA relatives, select traits influenced by genetics, and certain health-related* reports.
<h2>Whether (and When) to DNA Test?</h2>
Just like non-adopted individuals, people who are adopted have needs as unique as their DNA. There is no one test or one reason for testing that fits all. Even the right time to order a DNA test varies from one person to the next.
23andMe puts customers in control of deciding what information they want to learn and what information they want to share. Customers also have a choice to opt-in to research or other features throughout the product. But those considerations are up to each individual. <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright wp-image-28657 size-medium" src="https://blog-api.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/lock.0a035f691712.svg" alt="" width="300" height="300" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads//2020/12/lock.0a035f691712.svg 150w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads//2020/12/lock.0a035f691712.svg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads//2020/12/lock.0a035f691712.svg 1024w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
No one else can tell you what’s the right decision, and <a href="https://www.23andme.com/">DNA testing</a> doesn’t assure that all your questions will be answered. Consider a kit from 23andMe as another way to gather additional information if you’re adopted and have gaps in your information about your past or health.
If someone is looking into getting a kit for another person, for example, adoptive parents who might be looking into testing for a child, keep special considerations like age and preparation in mind. A specialist like a genetic counselor would be a good fit for considering the ins and outs (and the whether and when) of DNA testing in these situations.
<h2>DNA Testing that Matches Family Members</h2>
All of the 23andMe service options allow you to opt into family tree features, DNA Relative Finder, and Automatic Family Tree Builder. These features are of interest to those seeking genetic family, whether or not they have built their own family tree. These tools are not mandatory for customers, and customers can choose to opt-in and opt-out at any time.
A chat feature and choice over automatic notifications of new matches gives customers control of when and how they choose to pursue a search for DNA relatives and how they communicate with others.
<h2>Adoptees, Health Information, and Reports Offered by 23andMe</h2>
Family health history is often a cornerstone of every medical record. It adds another dimension to a person’s health profile, giving doctors and patients alike the information they can use to manage their health. But for many adoptees, their health history is a mystery.
For most of her life Shellye, a 51-year-old mom in Texas said she had no idea about her
family’s medical history.
“At doctors’ visits when I have to answer questions regarding family history I always wrote not applicable because I’m adopted,” she said.
It wasn’t until her 19-year-old daughter suddenly died from a pulmonary embolism that Shellye wanted to learn more. Her 23andMe report showed she had the factor V Leiden mutation putting her at a higher risk for blood clots.
<h2>Talking to Your Doctor</h2>
Your doctor understands the value of family history and genetic risks and is left wondering how to fill in the gap in those situations when your full history is not available. This can be frustrating for everyone. 23andMe can begin to fill in the gaps by providing information about your risk of being a carrier of recessive conditions.* It allows you to choose whether to receive more information like the risk of late-onset Alzheimer’s disease or Parkinson’s disease.* Although not a full picture of a person’s genetic risk, some information is available.
What about health information for you if you are outwardly healthy? A number of adult adoptees have found DNA testing helpful even if they have no particular medical concern in mind. If you are having health issues, you and your doctor should be aware that DNA testing at 23andMe is not diagnostic or a substitute for clinical testing that is diagnostic in nature. If you are having medical symptoms, talk to your doctor about what testing is best for your individual situation.
<h2>Final Thoughts on DNA Testing for Adoptees</h2>
Like in the story of an adopted son and birth mother connecting as a result of a 23andMe test, a DNA test can’t predict the relationship that might follow. As Doug, a 23andMe customer and adoptee, said, “Just go into it with an open mind.”
There is the potential for valuable information to be gained from DNA testing in adoption situations. Be willing to have open conversations with your family, your medical providers, and others. If you are an adoptee and are in contact with your biological family, try to gather what you can about your family medical history. Consider that information a complement to a DNA test.
<div id="attachment_28650" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-28650" class="wp-image-28650 size-medium" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/image001-300x267.jpg" alt="Brianne Kirkpatrick" width="300" height="267" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/image001-300x267.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/image001-1024x911.jpg 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/image001-768x683.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/image001-880x783.jpg 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/image001-1180x1050.jpg 1180w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/image001.jpg 1596w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />Brianne Kirkpatrick, MS, LCGC</div>
Brianne Kirkpatrick is a genetic counselor and DNA consultant. She is the founder of <a href="https://www.watersheddna.com/">Watershed DNA</a> and the author of the book DNA Guide for Adoptees. An alumnus of Indiana University and Northwestern University, Brianne is a member of the National Society of Genetic Counselors, American Board of Genetic Counseling, American Counseling Association, and International Society of Genetic Genealogy. She lives in Crozet, Virginia with her husband and their three children.
<hr />
<h2>Disclaimer</h2>
*23andMe health predisposition reports include both reports that meet FDA requirements for genetic health risks and reports which are based on 23andMe research and have not been reviewed by the FDA. The test uses qualitative genotyping to detect select clinically relevant variants in the genomic DNA of adults from saliva for the purpose of reporting and interpreting genetic health risks. It is not intended to diagnose any disease. Your ethnicity may affect the relevance of each report and how your genetic health risk results are interpreted. Each genetic health risk report describes if a person has variants associated with a higher risk of developing a disease, but does not describe a person’s overall risk of developing the disease. The test is not intended to tell you anything about your current state of health, or to be used to make medical decisions, including whether or not you should take a medication, how much of a medication you should take, or determine any treatment. Our carrier status reports can be used to determine carrier status, but cannot determine if you have two copies of any genetic variant. These carrier reports are not intended to tell you anything about your risk for developing a disease in the future, the health of your fetus, or your newborn child&#8217;s risk of developing a particular disease later in life. For certain conditions, we provide a single report that includes information on both carrier status and genetic health risk. For important information and limitations regarding each genetic health risk and carrier status report, visit <a href="https://www.23andme.com/test-info/">23andme.com/test-info/</a>

DNA Testing Fills in Gaps for Adult Adoptees 

By Samantha Ancona Esselmann, Ph.D., a 23andMe Ancestry Product Scientist
The <a href="https://www.23andme.com/dna-ancestry">genetic ancestry testing</a> industry† is younger than Facebook.
Since the mid-aughts, around 35 million people have “done their DNA,” and as we chew on our own results, the industry struggles to keep up with an evolving understanding of identity in a genomic era. There’s a lot of learning and adjusting that’s happening in real time.
I’m still learning, too.
I’ve learned that it’s essential that Direct-to-Consumer DNA testing companies be clear about the differences between DNA, ancestry, and identity. And, for this <a href="https://nativeamericanheritagemonth.gov/about/">Native American Heritage </a>Month,‡ I decided to share what I’ve learned about how these concepts impact not only the lives of Indigenous American individuals but also the sovereignties of Indigenous Nations. 
Identity is complex, and the discussions raised in this post are intended to amplify the perspectives of individuals from North America with Indigenous ancestry. In Mexico, Central America, and South America, Indigenous ancestry is more common than in North America, and their perspectives on how DNA does or does not relate to cultural identity are distinct. Furthermore, the adoption of Indigenous children presents a different set of issues related to identity and ancestry that are not explored here.
Whether or not you have “Native American DNA,” it’s essential to understand what it means — and doesn’t mean — to find evidence of this ancestry in your DNA.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-32806 size-large" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Map-of-Indigenous-American-Reference-Panel-1024x786.jpg" alt="A map of the Americas that shades in where 23andMe customers with Indigenous American ancestry come from." width="1024" height="786" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Map-of-Indigenous-American-Reference-Panel-1024x786.jpg 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Map-of-Indigenous-American-Reference-Panel-300x230.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Map-of-Indigenous-American-Reference-Panel-768x590.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Map-of-Indigenous-American-Reference-Panel-880x676.jpg 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Map-of-Indigenous-American-Reference-Panel-1180x906.jpg 1180w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Map-of-Indigenous-American-Reference-Panel.jpg 1249w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />
<h2>What it does mean</h2>
<ol>
<li>With some degree of statistical confidence, some sections of your DNA match a limited set of Indigenous American reference individuals more closely than they do other global reference populations.</li>
<li>Suppose information about a possible Indigenous American ancestor is new to you. In that case, you can be excited about this ancestry and use it as a starting place to learn more about the diverse Indigenous histories of the Americas respectfully. However, your test result should be viewed cautiously in the context of the technology’s limitations.</li>
</ol>
<h2>What it does not mean</h2>
<ol>
<li>You cannot use these results to seek or confirm membership in a Tribe or Nation. These tests simply do not provide enough information to confirm this kind of affiliation. Tribal enrollment processes use genealogical evidence of kinship, not genetic ancestry test results.</li>
<li>It doesn’t mean you should start identifying as Native American based on the results of a genetic ancestry test.</li>
<li>It doesn’t mean you can claim Native identity and then use genetic ancestry testing to “confirm” it.</li>
<li>It doesn’t mean you can go to your Native American friends and say, “Hey, guess what? I took a DNA test, and it turns out I’m Native American, too!”</li>
</ol>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-32813 size-full" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Kim-Tallbear-Quote.jpg" alt="A quote from Kim TallBear's book." width="723" height="531" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Kim-Tallbear-Quote.jpg 723w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Kim-Tallbear-Quote-300x220.jpg 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 723px) 100vw, 723px" />
<h2>Keep in Mind</h2>
If that last point is confusing, perhaps you have a frame of reference that can help you empathize: Would it rub you the wrong way if someone who never lived in your hometown told you they identified as being from there?
Being Native American isn&#8217;t just about having Indigenous American ancestry. It&#8217;s about being part of a culture&#8230;part of a community with shared beliefs, histories, and experiences. And no matter where you’re from, biology is ultimately not how group membership is determined.
Just as countries outline their own processes for obtaining citizenship, many Indigenous North American Nations, Tribes, or Bands determine enrollment based on many factors, such as documented descent from enrolled ancestors. While some Indigenous Nations have used DNA to ascertain close familial relationships (e.g., paternity tests), genetic ancestry estimates like those conducted by 23andMe are not used to determine enrollment.
<h2>Cultural Connections</h2>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-32809" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Criteria-for-Enrollment.jpg" alt="A list of some of the criteria for enrollment in a Indigenous American Tribes or Nations." width="1536" height="989" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Criteria-for-Enrollment.jpg 1536w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Criteria-for-Enrollment-300x193.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Criteria-for-Enrollment-768x495.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Criteria-for-Enrollment-1024x659.jpg 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Criteria-for-Enrollment-880x567.jpg 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Criteria-for-Enrollment-1180x760.jpg 1180w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1536px) 100vw, 1536px" />Today, many people with Indigenous American genetic ancestry have no cultural connection to Native communities. 
There has been a centuries-long, systematic erasure of Indigenous Americans that began with slaughter and continued through the 20th century in the form of cultural assimilation. In North America, the U.S. and Canadian governments <a href="https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/dawes-act.htm">partitioned Native lands</a>, incentivized Native people to <a href="https://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/indian-relocation.html">relocate to cities</a>, and compelled Native families to send their children to <a href="https://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unpfii/documents/IPS_Boarding_Schools.pdf">residential schools</a> far from home, where diseases spread like wildfire, abuse was commonplace, and expressing one’s Native culture was forbidden. For many, the psychological wounds of these institutions are still raw: the last residential school in Canada closed in the 1990s, and many boarding schools continue to operate in the U.S., though attendance is no longer mandatory.
<h2>Identity 
</h2>
Around one million 23andMe research participants, including many who don’t identify as Indigenous, have evidence in their DNA of having an Indigenous American ancestor. 
In 2015, 23andMe published a <a href="https://www.cell.com/ajhg/fulltext/S0002-9297(14)00476-5">study</a> showing that over 5% of our research participants who identify as African American have at least 2% DNA predicted to most closely match an Indigenous American reference population (and 22% are estimated to have at least 1% of this DNA). While self-identified European Americans are generally less likely to have Indigenous American genetic ancestry, the numbers vary widely from one state to the next: as many as 8% of European American customers from Louisiana carried at least 1% of this genetic ancestry.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-32810 size-full" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Self-Reported-European-American-with-NA-ancestry.jpg" alt="A map of the US showing concentrations of European Americans with Native American ancestry." width="1539" height="904" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Self-Reported-European-American-with-NA-ancestry.jpg 1539w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Self-Reported-European-American-with-NA-ancestry-300x176.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Self-Reported-European-American-with-NA-ancestry-768x451.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Self-Reported-European-American-with-NA-ancestry-1024x601.jpg 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Self-Reported-European-American-with-NA-ancestry-880x517.jpg 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Self-Reported-European-American-with-NA-ancestry-1180x693.jpg 1180w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1539px) 100vw, 1539px" />
<h2>The Unexpected</h2>
Many of our customers expect to see evidence of Indigenous American ancestry in their DNA but don’t. 
This is among the most common customer complaints we receive, and there are a few reasons why this could happen. As a result of genetic recombination — the process through which DNA is randomly shuffled between generations — the further back in your family history you look, the less likely you are to have inherited DNA directly from every single one of your ancestors. For example, there’s a roughly 5% chance that you inherited zero DNA from a 5th-great-grandparent.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-32811 size-full" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Grantree-for-Inheritance-NA.jpg" alt="An illustration of how ancestry is inherited from grandparents, to parents to child." width="898" height="641" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Grantree-for-Inheritance-NA.jpg 898w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Grantree-for-Inheritance-NA-300x214.jpg 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Grantree-for-Inheritance-NA-768x548.jpg 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Grantree-for-Inheritance-NA-880x628.jpg 880w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 898px) 100vw, 898px" />
This means that you can be directly descended from someone indigenous to the Americas without having any DNA evidence of that ancestry.
<h2>Family Stories</h2>
But, there’s another reason someone might not have “Native American DNA”: In North America during the 19th and 20th centuries, white settlers or their descendants sometimes misattributed an ancestor as Indigenous. This may have been to justify a more native-born “Americanness” or to absolve one’s family of blame for colonialism, and these stories are still passed down through families to this day.
If your family has a story like this but no documentation, it doesn’t necessarily mean those stories are wrong and don’t make you a bad person.
<h2>The takeaway</h2>
Whether or not you have “Native American DNA,” your genetic ancestry may not be consistent with your cultural identity. You can celebrate and reflect on what your results can tell you about your genetic ancestors but understand that falsely claiming a romanticized Native identity based only on that evidence can be deeply offensive to people whose identities, experiences, worldviews, and cultures are shaped by being Native American. Its cultural appropriation <a href="https://qz.com/805704/columbus-day-cultural-appropriation-white-americans-need-to-stop-assuming-native-american-culture-belongs-to-them-too/">stems from colonialism</a>.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-32808 size-full" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Kim-Tallbear-Quote-2.png" alt="" width="716" height="590" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Kim-Tallbear-Quote-2.png 716w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Kim-Tallbear-Quote-2-300x247.png 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 716px) 100vw, 716px" />
I leave you with this: Indigenous peoples are modern peoples 
It’s a simple but essential point.
While it may be easy for you to think of Indigenous peoples as living in the past or to imagine them only in their ceremonial regalia, festooned with intricate beadwork or wearing elaborately feathered headgear, this perception of them does not capture the whole picture of who they are and how they think of themselves today.§
<h2>Learn About Indigenous Culture</h2>
There are countless respectful ways you can engage with Indigenous cultures, and here are just a few:
<ul>
<li>Experience <a href="https://native-land.ca/">Native Land</a> — a resource that “creates spaces where non-Indigenous people can be invited and challenged to learn more about the lands they inhabit, the history of those lands, and how to actively be part of a better future going forward together.”</li>
<li>Follow Indigenous creators on Instagram or TikTok (start by exploring #Indigenous or #Native hashtags).</li>
<li>For Native American heritage month, Amazon Video and PBS are highlighting movies and documentaries featuring Native American voices.</li>
<li>Read the work of the incumbent United States Poet Laureate, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joy_Harjo">Joy Harjo</a>, an enrolled member of the Muskogee Tribe.</li>
<li>Browse <a href="https://americanindian.si.edu/online-resources/exhibition-websites">online exhibitions </a>at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian</li>
<li>Check out the 45th annual <a href="https://www.aifisf.com/">American Indian Film Festival</a>, which ran November 6 &#8211; 14, 2020, or attend the <a href="https://nmai.brand.live/c/nativecinemashowcase">Native Cinema Showcase</a> November 18 &#8211; 27, 2020</li>
</ul>
To dig deeper into this topic, I recommend reading “<a href="https://kimtallbear.com/pubs/how-identifying-native-americans-is-vastly-more-complicated-than-matching-dna/">Native American DNA: Tribal Belongings and the False Promise of Genetic Science</a>” by Kim TallBear.
Have other resources? Share them in the comments below.
Thank you to all of you who continue to grow and learn with us, and thank you for being passionately curious about the world and the diverse stories of the people close to you and those further away.
<hr />
*Did you notice that “Native American DNA” in the title of this piece is in quotes? Krystal Tsosie, a Navajo (Diné) geneticist and bioethicist at Vanderbilt University explains why the phrase is problematic: “It biologically reifies the idea that DNA can be intrinsic to an ethnic group.” Additionally, the term “Native American” is considered U.S.-centric (First Nations people of Canada do not refer to themselves this way), and the phrase is rooted in colonialism: “America” comes from Amerigo Vespucci, an Italian navigator and merchant. For these and other reasons, Tsosie emphasizes, “We, as Indigenous scientists, use the term &#8220;Native American DNA&#8221; to highlight these limitations, but do not consider it a legitimate phrasing.” In this post, the terms “Native” and “Indigenous” are used interchangeably, and “Native American” is the name 23andMe has used for its reference panel for the Americas to date. 
† In 2007, 23andMe became the first autosomal genetic ancestry test available to consumers. However, limited Y chromosomal and mitochondrial DNA analyses were available to consumers before 2007. 
‡ Native American Heritage Month is celebrated during November in the U.S. Canada celebrates National Indigenous History Month in June.
• Even indigeneity is a modern category and people may not understand themselves in this way. For example, modern “Indigenous” Europeans would most likely identify as “European” rather than “Indigenous European.” Colonialism has forced such distinctions between Indigenous peoples and settler colonizers.

What it means to have “Native American DNA”*

Improved accuracy. Less uncertainty. Better science.



We like to call 23andMe’s Ancestry Composition a living analysis of your DNA that gets better and more granular over time as more people from different backgrounds become customers.



This fall, we’re upgrading to that analysis to improve accuracy and reduce the number of “unassigned” and non-specific ancestry assignments. But, some 23andMe users may see some pretty significant shifts in their results. For example, many should expect an increase in their most common ancestry proportion and a reduction in their broad ancestries. The end of this post includes a summary of some of the most common ways in which 23andMe users’ results will change.



In parallel with this 23andMe upgrade to the Ancestry Composition analysis, we&#8217;re updating our reference dataset for our recent ancestor locations feature, so you might see your recent ancestor locations and match strengths change as well.  



This is all part of our ongoing efforts to improve our customer offerings. It’s worth looking back at what we’ve done since 2008 when we first started offering customers a breakdown of their ancestry.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-look-back">A look back</h2>



A lot has happened in the past 12 years. Millions of individuals have joined 23andMe, and ongoing research efforts have helped us understand more about genetic diversity worldwide. 23andMe has also made great strides in improving the underlying algorithms and reference populations we use to deliver these results. In 2008, we divided ancestry into three main categories: African, European, and East Asian. Since then, we&#8217;ve offered a series of updates where we refined those original estimates into more and more granular results. Now, customers can discover if their DNA traces to more than 2,000 regions worldwide.



When we update the algorithms or the reference populations used to predict your ancestry, your results are expected to change. That’s why we call Ancestry Composition a living analysis of your DNA. Mostly, these changes should be minor and hopefully provide you with more detail about <a href="https://www.23andme.com/dna-ancestry" target="_blank" rel="noopener">your ancestral origins</a>. Like almost everything we do, these changes are based on science, and we want to be transparent about our actions. That’s why each time we make an update, we share it in our &#8220;Change Log,&#8221; which can be found at the bottom of the <a href="https://you.23andme.com/reports/ancestry_composition_hd/details/">Scientific Details</a> section of your Ancestry Composition report. If you want even more detail, you can look at our <a href="https://www.23andme.com/ancestry-composition-guide/">Ancestry Composition Guide</a>, or for those with a science bent, check out our White Paper.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-more-about-the-most-recent-update-to-ancestry-composition-nbsp">More about the most recent update to Ancestry Composition&nbsp;</h2>



Since 2014, 23andMe has added or expanded dozens of reference populations, but the core Ancestry Composition algorithm has remained almost completely unchanged. Until now.



In 2020, our R&amp;D team developed a new approach that dramatically improves accuracy while reducing unassigned and nonspecific ancestry. This update is a significant part of our latest 23andMe upgrade.



To understand what’s changing, let’s first review the basics.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-simple-step-by-step-guide-to-ancestry-composition">A simple, step-by-step guide to Ancestry Composition</h2>



Step 1: Assigning



First, in our Ancestry DNA update, we separate the customer’s genome data into small segments, similar to train boxcars. Each boxcar contains data for about 300 DNA markers, out of the total of over 650,000 markers we test on our genotyping chip. By dividing 650,000 by 300 DNA markers, we get approximately 2,000 boxcars.



<figure class="wp-block-image alignright"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="300" height="228" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Boxcar-image-300x228.png" alt="An illustration of compring DNA to reference populations" class="wp-image-28574" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Boxcar-image-300x228.png 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Boxcar-image.png 512w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /></figure>



For each of those 2,000 DNA boxcars, the algorithm picks the most closely matching genetic population out of the 45 we currently have in many head-to-head match-ups.



But this first step is noisy and prone to error, especially if someone has ancestry, say, from two neighboring populations. If an assignment is made to each boxcar without considering the neighboring boxcars, then the algorithm is missing useful information about ancestry segments extending across several boxcars.



That’s where the next step comes in!



Step 2: Smoothing



In our Ancestry DNA update, the next step of the algorithm is called “smoothing” because it makes the results from the first step less noisy. In this step, we use information from neighboring DNA boxcars to make a more informed decision about the most likely ancestry of individual boxcars.



Let’s say a boxcar seems to match Sudanese ancestry, but many of the surrounding boxcars match Ethiopians with high confidence (Sudan and Ethiopia are neighboring countries). The smoother uses that information to adjust the prediction for that middle boxcar and assigns Ethiopian instead.



Or, say there’s a stretch of boxcars that don’t match Ethiopian or Sudanese with high confidence. Here, the smoother can “zoom out” to a broader population called “Northern East African,” at which point it will be highly confident in that assignment.



<figure class="wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-2 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex">
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="512" height="449" data-id="28575" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Sudanese-to-Ethiopian-Image.png" alt="An illustration of refining to more specific regions." class="wp-image-28575" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Sudanese-to-Ethiopian-Image.png 512w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Sudanese-to-Ethiopian-Image-300x263.png 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px" /></figure>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="512" height="475" data-id="28576" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Northern-East-African-Image.png" alt="An illustration going from Ethiopian to Northern East African" class="wp-image-28576" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Northern-East-African-Image.png 512w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Northern-East-African-Image-300x278.png 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px" /></figure>
</figure>



What Are DNA Markers?



DNA markers are specific sequences in the genome used to identify genetic differences between individuals or populations. These markers play a crucial role in genome data analysis by helping scientists match genetic data with reference populations accurately.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-so-what-s-special-about-this-update-to-ancestry-composition">So, what’s special about this update to Ancestry Composition?</h2>



In our Ancestry DNA update, our R&amp;D team realized that we could significantly improve the second step—smoothing—which would dramatically enhance the accuracy of people’s results.



Previously, the models used in the smoothing process were trained using the genomes of thousands of customers. (&#8220;Training&#8221; a model means setting its &#8220;dials&#8221; based on a dataset so that it can make the most accurate predictions.) These pre-trained models were then applied to each new customer&#8217;s genome. In practice, this step was prone to over-generalizing, which customers saw as results with higher levels of unassigned ancestry or non-specific ancestry, such as “Broadly Southern European.”



<figure class="wp-block-image alignright"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="300" height="219" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Smoothing-Illustration-45-populations-300x219.png" alt="An illustration of the steps for smoothing using 45 reference populations" class="wp-image-28577" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Smoothing-Illustration-45-populations-300x219.png 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Smoothing-Illustration-45-populations-1024x749.png 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Smoothing-Illustration-45-populations-768x561.png 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Smoothing-Illustration-45-populations-880x643.png 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Smoothing-Illustration-45-populations-1180x863.png 1180w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Smoothing-Illustration-45-populations.png 1547w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /></figure>



It was analogous to estimating an individual’s salary based on statewide salary data. But what if we could estimate that individual’s salary based on data from their specific zip code? So, the R&amp;D team developed a new approach that trains a custom smoother model for each customer, avoiding the over-generalizations of the previous approach. This custom smoother model still reduces the noise across DNA boxcars and produces Ancestry Composition results that are, at the same time, more accurate and more specific.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-will-customers-results-be-affected-by-this-update">How will customers’ results be affected by this update?</h2>



While customers with ancestry from certain parts of the world will be affected more by this update than others, everyone should see some adjustments to their Ancestry Composition.



We understand that changing results can be confusing, but Ancestry Composition is a living analysis, and this update reduces uncertainty and improves accuracy for most customers.



Here are some trends in how customers’ results are changing:&nbsp;



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Many customers, in particular customers with ancestry from Central &amp; South America, could see a significant reduction in the amount of their unassigned ancestry.</li>



<li>Many customers could see a significant reduction in the number of their broad ancestry assignments, such as “Broadly Northwestern European.”</li>



<li>In general, we should now be better able to confidently assign more of your most common ancestry. For example, if you have primarily British &amp; Irish ancestry, you may see your British &amp; Irish percentage increase with this update.</li>



<li>Many customers will see a drop in the number of their trace ancestry assignments.</li>
</ul>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ancestry-specific-changes-general-trends">Ancestry-Specific Changes (general trends)</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="697" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/What-Changes-Illustration-1024x697.png" alt="This is a matrix of some of the changes in this update" class="wp-image-28578" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/What-Changes-Illustration-1024x697.png 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/What-Changes-Illustration-300x204.png 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/What-Changes-Illustration-768x523.png 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/What-Changes-Illustration-880x599.png 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/What-Changes-Illustration.png 1090w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>







Keep in mind that these are general trends, and changes in your own results may be very different from the changes shown here.



Example customer changes:



<figure class="wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-2 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-2 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex">
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="561" data-id="28580" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Another-Before-and-After-comparison-with-Native-American-Ancestry-1024x561.png" alt="Before and After comparison with Native American Ancestry
" class="wp-image-28580" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Another-Before-and-After-comparison-with-Native-American-Ancestry-1024x561.png 1024w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Another-Before-and-After-comparison-with-Native-American-Ancestry-300x164.png 300w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Another-Before-and-After-comparison-with-Native-American-Ancestry-768x421.png 768w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Another-Before-and-After-comparison-with-Native-American-Ancestry-880x482.png 880w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Another-Before-and-After-comparison-with-Native-American-Ancestry-1180x647.png 1180w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Another-Before-and-After-comparison-with-Native-American-Ancestry-271x149.png 271w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Another-Before-and-After-comparison-with-Native-American-Ancestry-372x204.png 372w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Another-Before-and-After-comparison-with-Native-American-Ancestry-574x315.png 574w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Another-Before-and-After-comparison-with-Native-American-Ancestry-980x537.png 980w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Another-Before-and-After-comparison-with-Native-American-Ancestry.png 1283w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="512" height="373" data-id="28579" src="http://35.88.189.111/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/An-example-of-before-and-after-Anestry-Composition.png" alt="An example of before and after Ancestry Composition
" class="wp-image-28579" srcset="https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/An-example-of-before-and-after-Anestry-Composition.png 512w, https://blogcms.23andme.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/An-example-of-before-and-after-Anestry-Composition-300x219.png 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px" /></figure>
</figure>



Visit your <a href="http://you.23andme.com/reports/ancestry_composition">Ancestry Composition report</a> to see your updated results.



This update is only available to customers on our genotyping platform&#8217;s most recent version (Version 5). You can check which version you are on near the bottom of the “Personal Information” section of your <a href="https://you.23andme.com/user/">profile settings</a> page.

Ancestry Service — Page 10