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

West African Origins

Nigeria · Ghana · Mali · Senegambia · Bight of Benin · Bight of Biafra

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 S A H A R A Bight of Benin Bight of Biafra Atlantic Slave Trade routes WEST AFRICA ~55.04% Nigeria · Ghana · Mali · Senegambia NIGERIA Igbo · Yoruba Oracle 4-pop every model GHANA Brong · Akan Oracle Mixed Mode #2–3 MALI Bambaran · Mandenka Ancestry.com + Oracle confirmed SENEGAMBIA Mandinka Oracle rank #6 · dist. 33.83 HAUSA N. Nigeria · Niger Oracle rank #14 · dist. 37.55 FANG · KABA Central Africa Oracle ranks #4–5 FULANI CORRIDOR dist. 14.18 NORTH AFRICA 23.98% pairs in every Oracle model Fulani Corridor — Senegal → Mali → Niger → Nigeria → Sudan Oracle 2-pop: 50% Brong + 50% Morocco-S @ 8.396 Oracle 4-pop: Fulani + Igbo + Libya + Yoruba @ 3.299 Mixed Mode #1: 64.2% Igbo + 35.8% Algeria @ 3.15 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.

West Africa
55.04%
Strongest similarity signal across all tests. Nigeria confirmed by Ancestry.com and every Oracle result. Closest reference population cluster spanning the Bight of Benin to the Senegambian corridor.
Nigeria — Igbo & Yoruba
Oracle Top
Present in every Oracle 4-population model. Igbo + Algeria was the single closest Mixed Mode fit (dist. 3.15). Ancestry.com Nigeria signal confirmed independently.
Ghana — Brong / Akan
Oracle #2–3
Brong appeared in Oracle Mixed Mode at positions #2 and #3. The Oracle-4 2-population model was 50% Brong + 50% Morocco-S — the clearest two-way split.
Mali — Bambaran & Mandenka
Dual Signal
Identified by Ancestry.com as a regional signal and confirmed in Oracle results. Bambaran rank #13, Mandenka rank #6. Linked to Fulani range across the Sahel.
Senegambia — Mandinka
Oracle #6
Mandenka at Oracle rank #6 (dist. 33.83). Historically associated with the Mali Empire. The Senegambian corridor was a primary slave trade route to American plantations.
Hausa
Oracle #14
64.7% Hausa + 35.3% Algeria was the 4th closest Mixed Mode result. Sahelian people of northern Nigeria and Niger, positioned at the trans-Saharan trade intersection.
West African Population Similarity Data — Detailed Results
Oracle v1 — West African Populations (Top 20)
Fulani14.18 — rank #1
Fang (Cameroon/Gabon)33.63 — rank #4
Kaba (Chad/CAR)33.69 — rank #5
Mandenka (Senegambia)33.83 — rank #6
Kongo (DRC/Congo)34.04 — rank #7
Bamoun (Cameroon)35.68 — rank #11
Bambaran (Mali)37.01 — rank #13
Hausa (N. Nigeria/Niger)37.55 — rank #14
Igbo (Nigeria)38.29 — rank #15
Brong (Ghana)38.91 — rank #17
Dogon (Mali)39.19 — rank #18
Yoruba (Nigeria/Benin)— top 20
Oracle Mixed Mode — Top West African Pairings
64.2% Igbo + 35.8% Algeria3.15
63.1% Brong + 36.9% Moroccans3.18
63.8% Brong + 36.2% Algeria3.21
64.7% Hausa + 35.3% Algeria3.36
64.5% Brong + 35.5% Morocco-N3.44
62.6% Yoruba + 37.4% Algeria3.52
61.9% Yoruba + 38.1% Moroccans3.81
65% Bambaran + 35% Algeria3.88
Oracle-4 Best Fit Models
Fulani + Igbo + Libya + Yoruba3.299
Brong + Fulani + Igbo + Libya3.349
50% Brong + 50% Morocco-S8.396
West Africa at 55.04% is the strongest similarity signal and the closest reference population cluster. Nigeria is the strongest specific country confirmation — present via Ancestry.com's regional analysis and in every Oracle 4-population model. Ghana (Brong/Akan), Mali (Bambaran/Mandenka), and Senegambia (Mandinka) all appear consistently across Oracle results, painting a picture of genetic similarity spanning the entire West African coastal and Sahelian corridor from Senegambia to Cameroon. The Fulani at genetic distance 14.18 — more than double any other population — is the single most distinctive finding, linking the West African core to the North African, East African, and Mali signals as a unified ancestral thread.

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

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