{"id":751,"date":"2024-03-18T00:43:54","date_gmt":"2024-03-17T23:43:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cvraiz.com\/?page_id=751"},"modified":"2024-03-18T19:03:00","modified_gmt":"2024-03-18T18:03:00","slug":"ancestrydna-surveys","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/cvraiz.com\/?page_id=751","title":{"rendered":"AncestryDNA surveys"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ever since I got my first DNA test results in 2010<\/a>\u00a0I have been researching my Cape Verdean roots from several angels<\/strong>.<\/span>\u00a0Of course everything starts with\u00a0personal genealogy<\/a>. But for deeper understanding I also take into account: population genetics, historical demography and cultural retention. In 2014 I created a website exactly with this purpose in mind:\u00a0CVRAIZ: Specifying The African Ethnic Origins for Cape Verdeans.<\/a>\u00a0In that same year I also started a separate blog called\u00a0Tracing African Roots<\/em><\/strong>.<\/a>\u00a0I have used this blog for taking a broader perspective. Among other things also aiming to\u00a0apply a comparative analysis to see how Cape Verde fits in the broader picture of the Afro-Diaspora.<\/p>\n

Right from the start in 2010 I have been actively engaging with other DNA testers on online forums, Facebook and also by way of sharing profiles etc.. This is how I was able to have access to an ever growing dataset of Cape Verdean personal DNA test results. As well as from other parts of the Afro-Diaspora and mainland Africans. This has given me an invaluable opportunity to explore the regional African origins of people from across the Afro-Diaspora. And additionally also to gain greater insight into Cape Verdean genetics by way of survey-based research<\/strong>.<\/span>1<\/sup><\/p>\n

Table 1<\/strong>\u00a0(click to enlarge)<\/p>\n

\n
\"\"<\/a>
Source<\/strong>:\u00a0Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Database<\/a>\u00a0(2020) (www.slavevoyages.org) This overview clearly highlights how\u00a0the<\/strong>\u00a01500\u2019s\u00a0are fundamental for tracing back most of the African roots of Cape Verdeans<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

***<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

I discovered the indispensable\u00a0Slave Voyages website<\/a>\u00a0around the same time I received my own 23andme results in 2010. And ever since I have often relied heavily on the\u00a0Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Database<\/a>\u00a0as some sort of baseline. To\u00a0establish historical plausibility within my ongoing research efforts<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0on how personal DNA test results (regional admixture & African DNA matches) of Cape Verdeans and other Afro-Diasporans may already be in alignment with historical expectations.2<\/sup><\/p>\n

On this page I will merely post a brief summary of my main surveyfindings based on AncestryDNA results. I myself got tested with AncestryDNA in 2016. But these survey efforts were started in 2013 already.3\u00a0<\/sup>Please\u00a0read the original blogposts for more detailed discussion, incl. methodology and relevant disclaimers<\/strong><\/span>:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. African breakdown for AncestryDNA testers across the Afro-Diaspora<\/a> (Fonte Felipe, 2022)<\/li>\n
  2. Fula, Wolof or Temne? Upper Guinean AncestryDNA results 2013-2018<\/a> (Fonte Felipe, 2019)<\/li>\n
  3. DNA matches reported for 50 Cape Verdeans on AncestryDNA (part 1)<\/a> (Fonte Felipe, 2018)<\/li>\n
  4. 100 Cape Verdean AncestryDNA results<\/a> (Fonte Felipe, 2018)<\/li>\n
  5. Update: Afro-Diasporan AncestryDNA Survey<\/a> (Fonte Felipe, 2018)<\/li>\n
  6. Diaspora Comparison<\/a> (Fonte Felipe, 2016)<\/li>\n
  7. Cape Verdean AncestryDNA Results<\/a> (Fonte Felipe, 2015)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    ***<\/p>\n

    1) <\/span><\/strong>African breakdown for AncestryDNA testers across the Afro-Diaspora (2022)<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

    Figure 1.1<\/strong>\u00a0(click to enlarge)<\/p>\n

    \n
    \"Senegal<\/a>
    Source<\/strong>: Ancestry. This screenshot shows the areas where the \u201cSenegal\u201d and \u201cMali\u201d regions can be found according to Ancestry\u2019s updated info. Take note how so-called \u201cSenegal\u201d expands all the way into northern Sierra Leone<\/span><\/strong>. And also includes Gambia, Guin\u00e9 Bissau\/Conakry and western Mali. While according to my African survey findings<\/a> \u201cMali\u201d actually also is frequently reported for people in Senegambia, Guinea Bissau\/Conakry and again Sierra Leone. The country labeling is therefore not to be taken too literally but is still quite indicative, on condition of correct interpretation, see also this blogpost<\/a>.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    ***<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

    Table 1.1<\/strong>\u00a0(click to enlarge)\"Stats<\/a>Based on the updated results for 50 AncestryDNA testers from across the Afro-Diaspora. The share of so-called “Senegal” in the African breakdown of Cape Verdeans has reached the 90% level.\u00a0 <\/span><\/strong>This share has been steadily increasing with each update on AncestryDNA. With “Mali” still being the most important secondary region. Even if greatly minimized (possibly through oversmoothing) regional scores from outside of the Upper Guinea area are still persistent. The individual results can be seen by way of this spreadsheet<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

    ____________________<\/p>\n

    \n

    “In order to judge how Ancestry\u2019s 2022 update has impacted the results of people across the Afro-Diaspora I have yet again performed a small but still comprehensive survey for various Afro-descended nationalities (n=50). And I must say the results are more in line with historical plausibility than ever before<\/strong><\/span>.”<\/em> (Fonte Felipe, 2022)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

    ____________________<\/p>\n

    2) Fula, Wolof or Temne? Upper Guinean AncestryDNA results 2013-2018 (2019)<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

    link<\/a><\/p>\n

    Table 2.1<\/strong>\u00a0(click to enlarge)<\/p>\n

    \n
    \"Stats,<\/a>
    \u201cSenegal\u201d is primary for most countries throughout the wider Upper Guinea area.<\/span><\/strong> Usually with \u201cMali\u201d as secondary region. This goes even for the northern part of Sierra Leone. But this country shows greater variation. With \u201cIvory Coast\/Ghana\u201d also being a prominent component overall. An almost equal \u201cMali\u201d group average (38-39%) was obtained for 6 samples from Mali when compared with 3 Gur\/Senoufo speaking samples from Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast & Ghana.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    ***<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

    Table 2.2<\/strong>\u00a0(click to enlarge)<\/p>\n

    \n
    \"Stats<\/a>
    This table features an approximation of an Upper Guinean component by combining \u201cSenegal\u201d and \u201cMali\u201d group averages. The ranking among Afro-Diasporans is more or less in line with historical sources. Illustrating how a Upper Guinean founding effect among Hispanic Americans<\/span><\/strong> may have been very significant! I have blogged about this topic many times already (starting in 2014<\/a>).\u00a0<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    ____________________<\/span><\/p>\n

    “When I talk about an<\/em> \u201cUpper Guinean genetic component\u201d <\/strong><\/span> this is strictly speaking from a macro<\/span>-regional perspective. Relating to generic DNA to be found in higher frequency within the wider\u00a0Upper Guinea area<\/a>. And therefore not unique to any given ethnic group or country!\u00a0However this approach will\u00a0allow for a distinction to be made with the remaining part of West Africa (Ghana-Nigeria etc.), Central & Southeast Africa as well as North & East Africa. Such a perspective can be very valuable even when it lacks finer resolution (it is still sub-continental though!). Especially when combined with other insights.”<\/em> (Fonte Felipe, 2019)<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

    “Your \u201cSenegal\u201d and \u201cMali\u201d amounts are likely to be traced back to numerous family lines and not a single one (unless you happen to have relatively recent West African ancestry). Just as an example: a 25% \u201cSenegal\u201d score for a typical Cape Verdean might be due to the genetic contributions of at least 250 different ancestors born throughout Upper Guinea! On average the\u00a0DNA contribution of an ancestor living in the mid 1600\u2019s could be a mere 0.1%<\/span><\/strong>.<\/span>\u00a0(leaving aside\u00a0pedigree collapse<\/a>). And in fact for Cape Verdeans and also many Latin Americans it might even be that much of their Upper Guinean ancestry traces back further even. Into the 1500\u2019s! See also: DNA inheritance from 1 single ancestor<\/a>“<\/em>(Fonte Felipe, 2019)<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    ____________________<\/p>\n

    3) DNA matches reported for 50 Cape Verdeans on AncestryDNA (2018)<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

    link<\/a><\/p>\n

    Table 3.1<\/strong>\u00a0(click to enlarge)<\/p>\n

    \n
    \"African<\/a>
    The background column is mostly based on informed speculation (plausible surnames\/regional admixture) but at times also confirmed by public family trees. The proportion of Upper Guinean related matches is 88% of all African matches<\/span><\/strong> (south of the Sahara).That proportion being equal to 227\/257. Excluding North African matches from the total. The high number of Fula matches is quite striking. But this could very well reflect a greater popularity of DNA testing among Fula people when compared with people from for example Guin\u00e9 Bissau who are greatly underrepresented in Ancestry\u2019s customer database.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    ____________________<\/span><\/p>\n

    “By applying a more suitable categorization we can establish that the proportion of Upper Guinean related matches is 88% of all African matches (south of the Sahara). […]\u00a0<\/sup>When seen from that perspective the African DNA matching patterns for my Cape Verdean survey group are indeed in line with their predominant historically documented Upper Guinean lineage<\/span><\/strong>. Which was already corroborated by admixture analysis as well! “<\/em> (Fonte Felipe, 2018)<\/p>\n

    “We should then however make allowance for the possibility that especially many of these >8cM matches may be\u00a0 indicative of relatively late African lineage from the 1700\u2019s & 1800\u2019s.<\/span><\/strong> Cape Verdeans will\u00a0have many different ancestors originating in mainland Africa (hundreds if not thousands when tracing back to the 1500\u2019s! see\u00a0this link<\/a>). Also including some relatively recent connections. Even when again I still suspect that\u00a0on average<\/strong>\u00a0Cape Verde\u2019s mainland African connections are\u00a0mostly\u00a0<\/strong>to be traced back to the 1500\u2019s\/1600\u2019s. <\/em>” (Fonte Felipe, 2018)<\/p>\n

    “Seven of my survey participants also shared the AncestryDNA results from one of their parents. \u00a0While one survey participant (CV04) shared the results from both of his parents. Enabling me to determine if African matches were indeed inherited by way of one of the parents<\/span><\/strong>. In other words this allowed me to investigate their share of IBD (Identical By Descent) matches. […] <\/em><\/p>\n

    As they seem to indicate that \u201cexotic\u201d and unexpected African matches may often turn out to be false positives<\/span><\/strong>. As was also the case for the 8 survey participants for whom I could actually determine this (mostly based on a single\u00a0parental phasing<\/a>\u00a0basis). After all I could\u00a0not<\/strong>\u00a0verify that matches from Cameroon, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, South Africa, Sudan were inherited by way of the parents of my survey participants. Also North African matches from Libya and Egypt were\u00a0not<\/strong> being confirmed. Making it more likely that these were just random IBC [Identical By Chance] matches.”<\/em> (Fonte Felipe, 2018)<\/p>\n

    “To be sure direct ancestral connections with Central & Southern Africa as well as West Africa (beyond Upper Guinea) are not entirely impossible<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0for Cape Verdeans. As the presence of a few captives from these areas has actually been documented for Cape Verde. Although very sporadically so and with minimal numbers (see\u00a0this link<\/a> for an overview).\u00a0<\/sup>Another possibility might also occur by way of\u00a0detour.\u00a0<\/strong>Not directly related to slavery but rather via voluntary migrations. Through gene flow from either other parts of the Afro-Diaspora or from other former Portuguese colonies in Africa.”<\/em> (Fonte Felipe, 2018)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    ____________________<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

    \n

    Table 3.2 <\/strong>(click to enlarge)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

    \n
    \"NorthAfrican<\/a>
    This table is showing the North African subset of the 437 African matches I found in total. The Maghrebi (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia) share is clearly predominant<\/span><\/strong>. Which is in line with historical expectations. Although not included under the North African grouping this table also features the 6 most likely Mauritanian matches\u00a0 and one possibly Tuareg match I found for my Cape Verdean survey participants. Because these matches are from intermediate areas between North & West Africa several ancestral scenarios might apply. As in fact is also true for strictly North African matches.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    ***<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

    4) 100 Cape Verdean AncestryDNA results (2018)<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

    link<\/a><\/p>\n

    Figure 4.1<\/strong>\u00a0(click to enlarge)<\/p>\n

    \n
    \"admixrange\"<\/a>
    This limited selection is merely intended to illustrate the admixture range across the islands<\/span><\/strong>. Obviously individual variation will not always correspond with the \u201caverages\u201d. Also within each island there will be a wide range of admixture proportions therefore.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    ***<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

    Figure 4.2<\/strong>\u00a0(click to enlarge)<\/p>\n

    \n
    \"Primary<\/a>
    This frequency of regions being ranked #1 (regions with the highest amount in either the African or European breakdown) is perhaps the best indicator of the main ancestral components for my Cape Verdean survey group<\/span>.<\/strong> However only in an extra pronounced degree! Otherwise see also this more detailed overview<\/a>.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    ***<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

    Table 4.1 <\/strong>(click to enlarge)<\/p>\n

    \n
    \"CV<\/a>
    Despite the quadrupling of my sample size this scaled African breakdown showing a predominance of regions associated with Upper Guinea<\/span><\/strong>, is still practically the same as in 2015, see this chart (n=23)<\/a>. Highlighting the relative homogeneity of Cape Verde\u2019s African regional roots.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    ____________________<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

    \u201cThe group averages are displaying a remarkable balance between African & European admixture. Practically 50\/50 proportions. This thorough racial blending marks a key aspect of not only Cape Verdean genetics but also Cape Verdean\u00a0creolized<\/a>\u00a0culture and\u00a0Caboverdianidade.\u00a0<\/strong>One should be careful though to exclusively equate the Creole a.k.a.\u00a0Crioulo<\/strong>\u00a0identity of\u00a0all\u00a0Cape Verdeans with being racially mixed per se, or at least not in balanced proportions. The\u00a0<\/span>all-inclusive<\/span>\u00a0Crioulo identity of Cape Verdeans<\/span>\u00a0<\/strong>(regardless of racial appearance or DNA results) is often misunderstood by outsiders which causes them to apply it for inappropriate and potentially divisive racial classifications.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/em>(Fonte Felipe 2018<\/a>)<\/p>\n

    \u201cSantiago unfortunately remains undersampled<\/span>\u00a0<\/strong>[\u2026] while other CV islands have been overrepresented. [\u2026] My own research is of course very much done on a\u00a0best-effort basis.<\/strong>\u00a0And especially in previous years (2015-2018) there were simply very few DNA testers from Santiago around. Luckily this has been changing gradually. Especially now that DNA testing is getting popular in Portugal as well there are more Santiago test results available. I have always tried to point out such sampling bias in the disclaimers of my blog posts.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0(Fonte Felipe, 2023<\/a>)<\/p>\n

    \u201cThen again, the\u00a0Cape Verdean Diaspora<\/a>\u00a0is often said to be more numerous than the actual island population. And to truly\u00a0do justice to the full spectrum of Cape Verdean diversity<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0one should take them into consideration as well. Especially because due to historical reasons and so-called chain-migration many Cape Verdean descendants abroad might have stronger links with specific islands (such as Fogo and Brava in the USA, Santiago in Portugal and Barlavento in Northwest Europe). And therefore their combined average DNA profiles might also deviate somewhat from the national average in Cape Verde itself.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0(Fonte Felipe, 2024<\/a>)<\/p>\n

    ____________________<\/span><\/p>\n

    Table 4.2<\/strong>\u00a0(click to enlarge)<\/p>\n

    \"cvstats\"<\/a><\/p>\n

    ***<\/p>\n

    Figure 4.3<\/strong>\u00a0(click to enlarge)<\/p>\n

    \n
    \"African<\/a>
    The number in each bar represents how many survey participants had African admixture scores within that range. 74 people (41+33) had African scores of in between 40%-60%<\/strong>.<\/span> Still a considerable number of people showed more widely ranging African admixture.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    ***<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

    Table 4.3 <\/strong>(click to enlarge)<\/p>\n

    \n
    \"CV<\/a>
    The island origins of my survey participants are not based on a 4 grand parents criterium per se. As many people were not fully aware. Still insightful variation being shown. The African admixture ranges (min. \u2013 max.) were as follows<\/strong>:<\/span> Barlavento (43%-59%); Brava and Fogo (19%-61%) ; Santiago (62%-86%).<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    \n<\/div>\n

    ***<\/p>\n

    5) Update: Afro-Diasporan AncestryDNA Survey (2018)<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

    link<\/a><\/p>\n

    Figure 5.1<\/strong>\u00a0(click to enlarge)<\/p>\n

    \"Afro<\/a><\/p>\n

    ____________________<\/p>\n

    \u201cThis frequency of regions being ranked #1 (regions with the highest amount in the African breakdown) is perhaps the best\u00a0indicator of which distinct African lineages may have been preserved the most<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0among my sample groups<\/em>.\u201d (Fonte Felipe, 2018)<\/p>\n

    “In May 2016 I published my first summary of my Afro-Diasporan survey findings based on 707 results for 7 nationalities (see this blog post<\/a>). My survey has been ongoing ever since. Right now an update of AncestryDNA\u2019s\u00a0Ethnicity Estimates<\/strong>\u00a0seems even more\u00a0imminent<\/a>\u00a0than it was in\u00a02016<\/a>\u00a0(when it was canceled in the beta phase). So that\u2019s why I will yet again provide a \u201cfinal\u201d overview of my survey findings\u00a0\"\ud83d\ude09\"\u00a0. Mainly\u00a0based on 1,264 results for people from 8 nationalities.<\/strong><\/span> Although the total number of results and nationalities in my survey is even greater.”<\/em><\/p>\n

    “A major addition is the inclusion of 45 Brazilian results. Their predominant Central African profiles (as measured by both \u201cSoutheastern Bantu\u201d and \u201cCameroon\/Congo\u201d) are quite striking when compared with my other sample groups. This outcome reinforces how the African breakdown on AncestryDNA has been reasonably\u00a0in alignment\u00a0with historically documented origins of the Afro-Diaspora<\/b><\/span>. Unlike any other DNA testing platform I\u2019m aware of and therefore not to be lightly dismissed despite inherent imperfections.”<\/em> (Fonte Felipe, 2018)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    ____________________<\/p>\n

    <\/header>\n
    \n

    Tablre 5.1<\/strong>\u00a0(click to enlarge)<\/p>\n

    \"Afro<\/a>
    \u00a0In this overview the surveygroups are listed according to degree of their Central African share. In line with historical expectations Brazilians are shown on top. The African breakdown of Cape Verdeans is overwhelmingly Upper Guinean but does still show a considerable share of Lower Guinean and Central African. But compared with the other surveygroups these non-Upper Guinean shares for Cape Verdeans are clearly the smallest<\/span><\/strong>. See this previous chart from 2016<\/a> which is sorted instead on degree of Upper Guinean share and which shows Cape Verdeans on top.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    ***<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

    6) Diaspora Comparison (2016)<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

    link<\/a><\/p>\n

    Figure 6.1<\/strong> (click to enlarge)<\/p>\n

    \"AA-CV<\/a>
    These Cape Verdean and the African American results are featuring the most significant regions detected among their respective sample groups. Illustrating seemingly distinctive regional compositions<\/span><\/strong> among my sample groups for persons of an identical or comparable level of African descent.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    ____________________<\/span><\/p>\n

    “The scope of my survey (707 results for 7 nationalities) compares favourable to published DNA<\/strong>\u00a0studies<\/strong><\/span>,\u00a0<\/strong>which also focus on the regional within-Africa origins of Afro-descended nationalities.\u00a0In particular the inclusion of Cape Verdeans, Haitians and Jamaicans\u00a0seems to be a novelty. At least when considering genomewide analysis based on autosomal genotyping and not just merely haplogroups. Otherwise see\u00a0Stefflova et al., 2011<\/a> for a cross-Diaspora comparison which also features Cape Verdeans. The total number of results for these 3 nationalities especially my Haitian sample group (n=24) is admittedly rather limited. But as the results were randomly obtained they could still be reasonably indicative of the African diversity present in their genepools and its main tendencies.”<\/em> (Fonte Felipe, 2016)<\/p>\n

    “From all the nationalities in my survey\u00a0only Cape Verdeans show a predominant proportion of their African\u00a0DNA coming from just one region (\u201cSenegal\u201d)<\/span><\/strong>.\u00a0As can be verified from their average \u201cSenegal\u201d scores (58.7% when \u201cAfrica North\u201d is excluded). Also \u201cSenegal\u201d is\u00a0almost consistently being\u00a0ranked #1 in their\u00a0results (36\/40). Combining the average scores for \u201cSenegal\u201d with \u201cMali\u201d this AncestryDNA analysis seems to confirm for the first time (afaik) that Cape Verdeans are overwhelmingly (~75%) of Upper Guinean origins according to autosomal genetics (see\u00a0chart 2.3<\/a>).”<\/em> (Fonte Felipe, 2016)<\/p>\n

    “Hispanic Americans show higher degree of Upper Guinean roots than African Americans – <\/strong><\/em>One of the most intriguing outcomes of this AncestryDNA survey for me personally was seeing the genetic legacy from the earliest victims of the Trans Atlantic Slave Trade (1500\u2019s\/1600\u2019s) being confirmed.<\/span><\/strong> Many of these persons arrived in the Hispanic Americas from the\u00a0Upper Guinea region<\/a>\u00a0(Senegal, Gambia, Guinea Bissau\/Conakry and Sierra Leone), often by way of Cape Verde (see also\u00a0this page<\/a>). We can verify their \u201cfounding effect\u201d\u00a0by reviewing\u00a0chart 2.3<\/a>. The\u00a0combined average scores of\u00a0\u201cSenegal\u201d and \u201cMali\u201d, together forming the Upper Guinea area, are significantly higher for all Hispanic nationalities when compared with African Americans.”<\/em> (Fonte Felipe, 2016)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    ____________________<\/span><\/p>\n

    Table 6.1<\/strong>\u00a0(click to enlarge)<\/p>\n

    \"SEN<\/a><\/p>\n

    ____________________<\/span><\/p>\n

    “As was to be expected this first Upper Guinean region convincingly peaks for Cape Verdeans<\/strong><\/span>, even predominantly so (>50%). While it is almost absent for my Nigerian sample group (however Nigerian Fulani will very likely\u00a0show significant amounts of \u201cSenegal\u201d). Cape Verdeans also showed the highest frequency of \u201cSenegal\u201d #1 rankings within the African breakdown (36\/40, see\u00a0chart 2.4<\/a>). The predictive accuracy of this region therefore seems to be solid and verifiable. It should be noted that not only stricly Senegambian ancestry is being measured. Aside from Guinea Bissau\/Conakry this region is also describing DNA markers found in persons from as far south as Sierra Leone (see\u00a0also the \u201cAfrican\u00a0Results<\/a>\u201d page).”<\/em> (Fonte Felipe, 2016)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    ____________________<\/span><\/p>\n

    Table 6.2<\/strong>\u00a0(click to enlarge)<\/p>\n

    \"MAL<\/a><\/p>\n

    ____________________<\/span><\/p>\n

    “The socalled \u201cMali\u201d region might be the least solidly defined genetic cluster according to Ancestry\u2019s own information<\/a>. However as expected my Nigerian sample group only shows a trace amount for it (again Nigerians with Fulani origins might show more of it). Significant regional overlap to the east and south of Mali might still occur especially with Burkina Faso. But otherwise \u201cMali\u201d seems a fair enough indicator of Upper Guinean ancestry, even if less convincingly so than \u201cSenegal\u201d. This therefore second Upper Guinean region is again showing the highest averages among Hispanics and Cape Verdeans<\/strong>.<\/span> <\/em><\/p>\n

    Very intringuingly however it peaks among Mexicans, which\u00a0might<\/strong> be suggestive of specific ethnic lineages from Upper Guinea being more prominent for them (and to a lesser degree also Dominicans and Puerto Ricans) than for Cape Verdeans. Given historical evidence these lineages are more likely to hail from Guinea Conakry or Sierra Leone rather than Mali itself, despite the labeling of this region. Making allowance for any inherent restrictions of the current AncestryDNA analysis it seems at least noteworthy that the proportional ratio of \u201cSenegal\u201d and \u201cMali\u201d is nearly balanced for Mexicans (28,3% versus 24,5%) while it is clearly shifted to \u201cSenegal\u201d for Cape Verdeans (58,7% versus 15,3%)<\/span><\/strong>.”<\/em> (Fonte Felipe, 2016)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    ____________________<\/span><\/p>\n

    7) Cape Verdean AncestryDNA Results (2015)<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

    link<\/a><\/p>\n

    Table 7.1<\/strong> (click to enlarge)<\/p>\n

    \"statspluscv\"<\/p>\n

    ____________________<\/span><\/p>\n

    “The second chart features an additional macro-regional breakdown into \u201cUpper Guinea\u201d, \u201cLower Guinea\u201d and \u201cCentral Africa\u201d which is of my own making. In order to get a strictly \u201cSSA\u201d comparison i have excluded the region \u201cNorth Africa\u201d and corrected the other averages accordingly. Making this distinction is admittedly arbitrary and\u00a0can only produce a rough proxy,\u00a0<\/strong>given the limitations of AncestryDNA. Still I find it useful because you get to see some patterns more clearly<\/span><\/strong> and it conforms with what\u2019s common in slave trade literature. For ethnolinguistical and historical maps from these 3 main regions of provenance see:\u00a0Upper Guinea<\/a>,\u00a0Lower Guinea<\/a>,\u00a0Central Africa<\/a>.”<\/em> (Fonte Felipe, 2015).<\/p>\n

    “Undoubtedly with more Cape Verdean testresults available you might also see additional or different patterns. Still i think the screenshots i will post in the last section of this page might be representative to a large degree <\/span><\/strong>for how many other people of Cape Verdean descent would score hypothetically speaking”<\/em> (Fonte Felipe, 2015).<\/p>\n

    “Combining the average scores for \u201cSenegal\u201d with \u201cMali\u201d this AncestryDNA analysis seems to confirm for the first time (afaik) that Cape Verdeans are overwhelmingly (~75%) of Upper Guinean origins <\/strong><\/span>according to autosomal genetics, see also second chart. Previous haplogroup studies have also come to the same conclusion, however they were restricted in the sense that they didn\u2019t measure the complete, genomewide ancestry of Cape Verdeans but only focused on maternal lineages.”<\/em> (Fonte Felipe, 2015).<\/p>\n

    “In order to improve the understanding of the Upper Guinean origins of Cape Verdeans it would be very helpful though if somehow a more specified genetic distinction could be made<\/span><\/strong> between the coastal ethnic groups of Casamance and Guinea Bissau (Papel, Bijagos, Beafada, Balanta, Jola etc.) on the one hand and the strictly Senegambian (Wolof, Sereer, Mandinga etc.) on the other hand. This finerscaled resolution will probably not be available in the foreseeable future eventhough some DNA studies have already made some fruitful attempts (see\u00a0Jallow et al.,2009<\/a>).”<\/em> (Fonte Felipe, 2015).<\/p>\n

    “Surprisingly also\u00a0minor contributions are\u00a0showing up for both Lower Guinea and Central Africa<\/strong><\/span>. This is unexpected when going by\u00a0Cape Verde\u2019s geographical location and what historical sources have documented about slave trade patterns between Cape Verde and the mainland (see\u00a0\u201cCabo Verde, Raizes na Africa<\/a>\u201c). These sources clearly describe the area in between Senegal and Sierra Leone as practically the only provenance zone for African captives brought to Cape Verde safe for some individuals who came on atypical slave voyages from further away.”<\/em> (Fonte Felipe, 2015).<\/p>\n

    “Also given other\u00a0limitations<\/a> of the AncestryDNA analysis it might therefore perhaps be premature to speculate on what these findings might really represent or how robust they might be. They might merely be reflecting generic West African DNA markers which cannot be distinguished yet with greater reliability<\/span><\/strong>. Or it could be a misreading of ethnic origins from especially Sierra Leone. Probably only an update of AncestryDNA reference populations might bring more clarity or else comparing with the AncestryDNA results of actual Upper Guineans (to verify if they also show other regions besides \u201cSenegal\u201d and \u201cMali\u201d).”<\/em> (Fonte Felipe, 2015).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    ____________________<\/span><\/p>\n

    Table 7.2<\/strong>\u00a0(click to enlarge)<\/p>\n

    \"Stats<\/a><\/p>\n

    ____________________<\/span><\/p>\n

    “This third chart is showing an inter-island comparison for those samples who mentioned both parents being from the same island. It\u2019s obviously\u00a0very limited because of the minimal samplesize. Also some of the results were from close relatives (siblings, parents\/child). Still perhaps already 1 or 2 visible trends might also be obtained with larger samplegroups.<\/strong><\/span>“<\/em> (Fonte Felipe, 2015).<\/p>\n

    “Cape Verdeans can be expected to be a very closely interrelated people across the islands because of their shared history. But it might still be useful to study any of the seemingly small differences occuring between the various islands. As it could tell us more about which ethnic groups might have been involved in the settlement of each island <\/strong><\/span> to a possibly greater degree than elsewhere. Genetic differentation between the northern islands (\u201cBarlavento\u201d) and the southern ones (\u201cSotavento\u201d) has already been reported in DNA studies (see \u201cDNA Evidence<\/a>\u201c). And it has been correlated with\u00a0\u201ca common origin in\u00a0Santiago, followed by differentiation through genetic drift and subsequent input of independent external migrations\u201d\u00a0(Beleza et al., 2012).<\/a>” <\/em>(Fonte Felipe, 2015).<\/p>\n

    “So that leaves us to search for any explanations which might validate this AncestryDNA outcome as representing genuine origins from most likely Angola and\/or Mozambique. If found to be truly so (even if only partially) I suppose this could be\u00a0the first time a noticeable Central African contribution to the Cape Verdean genepool has been detected in a systematic manner. <\/span><\/strong>My samplegroup being admittedly limited in number, yet also randomly picked and with most of the islands represented.”<\/em> (Fonte Felipe, 2015).<\/p>\n

    “Again much caution\u00a0should be applied when interpreting\u00a0this outcome but it\u00a0<\/span>might be an\u00a0ancestral hint that somehow\u00a0<\/span>people of Congolese or (northern) Angolan origin were present in the northern islands\u00a0to a relatively greater degree than elsewhere and left a minor yet detectable genetical legacy diffused among the general population. However keeping all options open it could also be something specific for only these 6 samples and reflecting unique lines in their family trees. Possibly even involving intermarriage with (mixed-race or black) Brazilians who are also likely to be carrying these Central African DNA markers.<\/strong><\/span>” <\/span><\/em>(Fonte Felipe, 2015).<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    ____________________<\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n
    \n

    Santiago<\/strong><\/h4>\n

    “This guy made an excellent Youtube video about his results, which can be seen via this link<\/a>. Or also below. His original \u00a0\u201cSenegal\u201d score of 50% is the highest among my samplegroup<\/span><\/strong> but also calculated as a ratio to total African ancestry it\u2019s above average (50\/75=66%). (see this screenshot<\/a> of his results).<\/em><\/p>\n

    He mentions in the video he could have at least 1 possible Fula ancestor from somewhere in the 1800\u2019s. But that might be just one out of several i guess. It might explain the rather high \u201cMiddle East\u201d although his \u201cNorth African\u201d seems about average. Very interesting to compare his overall breakdown with someone of Fula descent (see African results<\/a>). On first sight the results look quite similar. But given their long history of intensive creolization and intermixing of various people from across Upper Guinea it\u2019s unlikely Cape Verdeans would be of exclusive Fula descent<\/span><\/strong>. However a partial Fula contribution, significant even, is not be ruled out either of course. It\u2019s noteworthy therefore that not only the predominant \u201cSenegal\u201d+\u201dMali\u201d combination is mirrored (around 60% for both) but also to lesser degree \u201cNorth Africa\u201d is showing up (2% versus 16%) and even the \u201cMiddle East\u201d (6% versus 17%). “<\/em> (Fonte Felipe, 2015)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    ____________________<\/span><\/p>\n