My African Ancestry

Some of my STR autosomal DNA genetic results from DNATribes.

I have some North African DNA (which is considered to be part of the Caucasoid European - Near Eastern genetic group, see below) and a miniscule amount of DNA from the Horn of Africa (which is considered to be part of Sub-Sarahan Africa, see above). My own North African genetic connection is through the Berber tribe (to which I have distant genetic matches and which are considered to be of Caucasian origin).

The Horn of Africa is known from ancient manuscripts to be the original home of the Berbers (Bilad al-Barbar or Land of the Berbers). My Northern European Saami-North African Berber connection (through my U5b1b1-T16192C! genetic motherline is at least 9000 years old, and given that the amount of genetic input I received from the Horn of Africa is very miniscule as compared to the North African genetic input (which is itself miniscule as compared to the pan-European genetic input), I'm guessing that the Horn of African genetic input likely occurred before anatomically modern humans (AMH) left Africa - in other words, before the differentiation of the races as we know them today.

At the time anatomically moderns humans were all in Africa, the racial type distinctions we are familiar with today (Caucasoid, Mongoloid, Negroid) did not yet exist. The different human racial types evolved through time as AMH mixed genetically with other archaic hominids particular to their regions of evolutionary development.

One cool thing I found by re-examining my African genetic ancestry - by oral family tradition, I have some Native American ancestry, but my specific Native American genetic panel came back all negative, yet evidence for it is here in this chart - my Native American genetic ancestry is seen as Mestizo in the graph, which is a mixture of Native American and European ancestry.

Motherline Ancestral Origins - More Precise Full Sequence mtDNA Matches

Here are three full sequence motherline mtDNA matches for me that I have found in two databases, one at Family Tree DNA and another at mtDNA Community. These three individuals are identified to be in my very specific motherline haplogroup U5b1b1-T16192C!. At least two of the three matches are "4 steps away" from matching my own mutations exactly - none of these individuals carry all seven (315.1C 522.1A 522.2C A12366G A13911G T16093C C16519T) of my "private extra mutations". The match at Family Tree DNA does not report differences in the match results, so I don't know how many "steps away" the UK match is from me.

Anyway, from these three individuals who match me (as it pertains to ancestral genetic motherline) more closely than anyone else in the world so far, it looks like my motherline originates most precisely from Sweden and the UK; where likely the ancestral U5b1b1 pan-clan for both of the two modern regional populations (where my European matches are found) found refuge among the Berbers during the height of the last Ice Age. Scientific population genetic research has demonstrated that Scandinavian U5b1b1 tribes found refuge among the indigenous North African Berbers during the last Ice Age when Northern Europe (including most of the UK) was covered by glaciers.

With my "extra private mutations", it is very likely that, as more people in various European populations get genetic testing done (adding data to the databases), and others in the U5b1b1-T16192C! haplogroup are found who share my unique mutations, the origins and migrations of my motherline will be even more precisely identified. Identifying the European regional origin of my "private mutations" will provide more insight as to my motherline ancestry. My extra mutations could have arisen anywhere in Europe, but given that oral family tradition is that I am of English, Irish and German ancestry primarily, it is very likely that my extra mutations may have arisen in one of these areas of Europe during more recent historical (or late prehistorical migrations) of my motherline.

At any rate, from all that I've learned so far, my deep ancestry seems to be Scandinavian (Sweden), with migration of my Clan during the Ice Age into North Africa, followed by a return to Europe following retreat of the ice sheets, when then, members of my Clan may have re-settled in both Celtic and Nordic areas of Europe (i.e., Northwestern Europe generally).

My Ancient Saami Ancestors By Whatever Name

Family Tree DNA scientist Gail Tonneson writes to me on U5b1b1: 

U5b1b1 is found throughout Europe and is ancestral to the Saami signature U5b1b1a and the Berber signature U5b1b1b. So the Saami and Berber lines are sister groups to your line with a common maternal ancestor for all U5b1b1 probably around 8,000 years ago. Another way to view this - your maternal lines defines a new branch in the U5b1b1 tree dating to about 8,000 years ago. I'd suggest trying to contact your exact match to see if your maternal ancestors are from the same country or region. It is uncertain how long ago your common maternal ancestor is with your exact match - it could be anytime between a few hundred years to a few thousand years.

(I have one exact full sequence mtDNA match in the Family Tree DNA database.) Taken together with earlier information, 48% of Saami are in U5b1b1, some of them living today are even further defined as belonging to U5b1b1a - a more derived line which is not shared by the Berbers or by anyone else in Europe (which is why it is called the Saami Signature, as it is exclusive to some of the the Saami living today). U5b1b1 is still an ancestral Saami motherline and part of major motherline 1, and not all Saami living today are U5b1b1a. The Saami living today (those of major motherline 1, at least) and I share the same ancestors, though obviously, I don't live in Scandinavia and am not Saami in that sense. My motherline has developed into it's own unique branch which has yet to be exactly defined by geneticists, and which is itself a sister line to some currently living Saami (48%) and Berbers (2%). 

Still, my motherline is part of ancestral Saami major motherline 1. My ancient ancestors are the ancient ancestors of today's Saami, whether or not these ancient ancestors were or are called Saami or something else. My meaning when I say "my Saami ancestors" is that my ancient ancestors were the indigenous population of Scandinavia and Europe, the same as many of those Saami living in Scandinavia today. I call them Saami for convenience, since I don't know what they called themselves way back then or what scientists call them today.

Confirmed U5b1b1 mtDNA Haplogroup

My (FS) Full Sequence mtDNA results are back!!! I'm so excited! I'm confirmed to be in haplogroup U5b1b (and more specifically, in U5b1b1) - the Saami haplogroup also found in 2% of the North African Berbers. U5b1b is found in 48% of Saami and forms the foundation of Saami major motherline 1. My differences from the CRS are:

HVR-1:
16093C
16189C
16270T

HVR-2:
73G
150T
263G
315.1C

Coding Region:
750G
1438G
2706G
3197C
4769G
5656G
7028T
7385G
7768G
8860G
9477A
10927C
11467G
11719A
12308G
12366G
12372A
12618A
13617C
13911G - unique to U5b1b1
14182C
14766T
15326G

When I uploaded my raw data to the mtDNA Community tool at Family Tree DNA, it also reveals that I have a back-mutation at T16192C!. The two mutations I have which place me definitely into U5b1b1 are: A7385G, T10927C.

My prediction was right on target!

UPDATE - Key U5b1b1 Results 

U5b1b Vs. U5b1b1

In follow-up to my earlier post, using a chart at Family Tree DNA and comparing them again my own known HVR-1 and HVR-2 mtDNA genetic markers (namely 16093.C, 16189.C, 16270.T, 73.G, 150.T, 263.G, 315.1C), and still waiting for my Control Region markers as determined by Full Sequence (FS) mtDNA testing, I can easily predict that my U5 subclade is very likely going to be U5b1b(1), a subclade shared by the Saami of Northwestern Europe and the Berbers of North Africa (an mtDNA match for me through Roots For Real). I don't have the HVR-1 mutation at 16144 (exclusive to the Saami and not shared by the Berbers), so I'm rather doubtful that I my FS results will place me into the further derived (Saami-specific, Berber-excluding) U5b1b1a subclade of U5.

My prediction is further supported by all the genomic links I have (both autosomal and mitochondrial DNA) to specific parts of Finland, Norway, Sweden, Russia and Asia as do the Saami, and given both the Saami and I tend to be outliers on many world population graphs, I think it's pretty clear that my Northwestern European motherline came through and from among the Saami.

A recent genetic link between Sami and the Volga-Ural region of Russia

Studies of multiple DNA markers have confirmed the overall similarity of Sami with other European populations, but some genetic markers yield results that are consistent with a genetic contribution from Asian populations, distinguishing Sami from the peoples of Southern and Western Europe.

Predicting a U5b1b mtDNA Haplogroup For Me

Based on a chart at FTDNA, from my already known mtDNA genetic markers, I predict that my full sequence mtDNA haplogroup may be U5b1b. I expect the actual results around 7/4.

Saami and Berbers—An Unexpected Mitochondrial DNA Link

Saami People