East African Origins — DNA Map
GEDmatch EthioHelix K10 · Oracle v1 · Oracle-4 · Ancestry.com

East African Origins

Horn of Africa · Nile Corridor · Ancient Lineages · Fulani Prehistory

Language note
The percentages and regional labels in these visualisations describe DNA sequence similarity to reference populations, not fixed proportions of ancestry. Following Kampourakis & Peterson (Genetics, 2023), the term “admixture” has been avoided throughout. What these calculators measure is how closely segments of your DNA resemble segments found in defined reference groups — a statistical similarity score, not a genealogical fraction. All human populations are genetically continuous; the reference categories are analytical tools, not biological essences. Results vary across calculators because each uses different reference panels and mathematical methods. Consistency across multiple independent analyses strengthens confidence that a pattern is real.

Kampourakis K & Peterson EL. “The racist origins, racialist connotations, and purity assumptions of the concept of ‘admixture’ in human evolutionary genetics.” Genetics 223(3), iyad002 (2023). doi:10.1093/genetics/iyad002

Mediterranean Sea Atlantic Ocean Indian Ocean S A H A R A Red Sea Nile Horn of Africa EAST AFRICA ~14.04% Ethiopia · Horn of Africa · Bantu Kenya EAST-AFRICA2 ~11.86% Cushitic · Horn · Highlands BANTU KENYA Oracle Rank #2 dist. 32.08 HADZA ~1.59% Tanzania · Rift Valley NILO-SAHARAN ~1.30% Nile · Chad basin FULANI CORRIDOR prehistoric bridge NORTH AFRICA 23.98% context — Nile link WEST AFRICA 55.04% context anchor Fulani Corridor — Senegal → Mali → Niger → Nigeria → Sudan Nile Corridor KEY FINDING The East African similarity signal is most consistent with similarity patterns embedded within the Fulani reference population rather than a discrete separate reference lineage. N Schematic · not to geographic scale · Kit NJ7476284

Circle size reflects strength of DNA sequence similarity to each reference population group. Percentages are similarity scores, not fixed ancestry fractions. Kampourakis & Peterson, Genetics 2023.

East Africa Combined
14.04%
East-Africa2 (11.86%) + East_Africa1 (2.18%). Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa. Second largest non-West-African signal after North Africa.
East-Africa2
11.86%
Dominant East African component. Captures Cushitic and Ethiopian Highlands genetic similarity — Oromo, Somali, Afar and related Horn of Africa peoples.
Bantu Kenya
Oracle Rank #2
Second closest single-population similarity match at distance 32.08. Represents Bantu-speaking peoples of Kenya and Tanzania — more than double Fulani's distance.
Hadza
1.59%
Ancient East African hunter-gatherers of Tanzania's Rift Valley. Among the most genetically divergent human populations — an echo of deep African prehistory tens of thousands of years old.
Nilo-Saharan
1.30%
Nilotic and Sahelian peoples of the Nile corridor and Chad basin. Bridges East African and North African genetic similarity streams via the ancient trans-Saharan migration highway.
Fulani Corridor
The Bridge
Most likely vehicle for the East African signal. The Fulani carry ancient East African genetic similarity embedded in their genome — the researcher's East African component almost certainly is consistent with Fulani reference population similarity.
East African Similarity — Population Context
Oracle v1 — East African Populations in Top 20
Bantu Kenya32.08 — rank #2
Luhya (W. Kenya)33.61 — rank #3
Nguni (S. Africa)34.15 — rank #8
Bantu South Africa34.66 — rank #9
Pedi (S. Africa)34.85 — rank #10
EthioHelix K10 Breakdown
East-Africa211.86%
East_Africa12.18%
Hadza1.59%
Nilo-Saharan1.30%
Why the East African Signal Likely Enters via the Fulani

The Fulani are genetically unusual among West African peoples. They carry ancient East African genetic similarity from prehistoric population movements across the Sahel — movements that predate the Atlantic slave trade by thousands of years.

The Oracle's closest single-population match (Fulani, dist. 14.18) suggests that the researcher's DNA similarity profile is best explained by a Fulani-connected lineage. The Fulani's embedded East African component then surfaces in the EthioHelix K10 calculator as a distinct East African signal.

This interpretation is supported by the Oracle 4-population models, which consistently combine Fulani with Libya, Igbo, and Yoruba — never with a discrete East African population as a primary component.
The East African component at 14.04% is the third largest signal after West Africa (55.04%) and North Africa (23.98%). Rather than indicating a discrete East African ancestral line, it most likely reflects the ancient genetic heritage of the Fulani people — the closest single-population similarity match — who carry East African genetic similarity embedded in their genome from prehistoric Sahelian population movements. The Nile Corridor connecting East Africa to North Africa, and the Fulani Corridor spanning the entire Sahel, are the two prehistoric highways that best explain how East African genetic similarity reaches the researcher's genome.

Source: GEDmatch EthioHelix K10 Africa Only · Oracle v1 · Oracle-4 · Ancestry.com · Kit NJ7476284

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