I did a 23andme DNA test recently to get a closer look into my ancestry and impatiently waited on the results. Being from the Caribbean it is very difficult to trace my ancestry and family history accurately. So I was excited to see what my DNA would reveal. The 23andme test was the easiest one to get my hands on during a recent trip to the US. To start I will just provide a quick synopsis of the result. Then I will dive into the finer breakdowns of the results then finally some of the quirky/unusual/interesting data 23andme provides. Let’s get into the results!
My Ancestry according to 23andme
According to this test 85% of my DNA is from Sub-Saharan Africa with about 15% from Europe.
Of the 85% African DNA, about 51% is from Nigeria specifically the Igbo people. 25% is from Ghana, Liberia and Seira Leone with the rest mostly just “Broadly West African”. About 8% of the African DNA is from South Congo and Southeast Africa.
Of the almost 15% European DNA, 12.7 is British and Irish with 1% being from Italy. My friend’s dark humour already has him teasing me that I have 1% Christopher Columbus in me. There is also a drop of Ashkenazi Jewish people who settled in Central and Eastern Europe in the late Middle Ages.
DNA Test filled in some blanks
From my own research and genealogy records available in Jamaica, I was only able to go back to the year 1900 on my maternal side. The results were/weren’t surprising and I think the most interesting part was How much European DNA there is and that there is no Asian link as I thought there would be something from India. I am also very happy I can pinpoint the areas of Africa my ancestors were forcibly removed from. Who knows maybe I will visit Nigeria or Ghana one day.
23andme traits report
Now to a selection of the quirky/unusual/interesting data 23andme provides.
– I am not very hairy – true
– no bald spot or limited hair loss/thinning before 40 – true
– longer ring fingers than index fingers – they are the same length
– brown skin and eyes – true (lol)
– I have trouble tasting bitter things – really?!?!
– I prefer salty things over sweet things – kinda
– Unibrow – I keep having to separate my eyebrows
– detached earlobe – true
– ideal wakeup time is around 8 am – true
Have you done any kind of DNA test, ancestry or genealogy research? Let’s chat in the comments below or tweet me @jamaipanese on Twitter.