Jamaican Genetics

Photo: Nappy

Hello all! Today we are going to talk about Jamaican genetics to get a better idea of which African DNA best aligns with ours. Initially we will focus on the African contribution and finally, on any contribution from other sources, such as Asian or European. Let's get started!

In one study which performed genetic tests on a group of 390 Jamaicans, it was found that the Gold Coast region or modern-day Ghana made up 60% of Jamaican matrilineal DNA, with minimal contribution from populations from the Bight of Biafra and West-Central Africa, despite increasing numbers of these peoples arriving in Jamaica in the later and final years of slavery.

The Gold Coast in 1922

Photo: Dudgeon Gerald C

When another study tested Jamaica’s patrilineal ancestry, African DNA was reported to comprise 66.7% of the Jamaican paternal gene pool. This was followed by 18.9% European paternal DNA, 3.8% Chinese paternal DNA and 1.2% Indian paternal DNA.

The data from these studies were gained from small sample sizes and did not have complete regional representation, because of this, the findings may be less generalisable to the entirety of Black Jamaicans. Despite this, the data is said to be consistent with historical accounts of a high slave importation rate and small European population size.

Individuals from East and Southeast Africa were greatly disadvantaged, and it is theorised that they more frequently did not survive the acclimatisation process in Jamaica

Reinforcing the notion that Jamaican genetics mostly come from West Africa, Pepin (2005) reported that 90.4% of the total slave population in Jamaica disembarked from West African ports. The remaining 9.6% were transported from Mozambique, Madagascar, and Tanzania (the difference is well portrayed in the below picture!).

Map of The Trans Atlantic Slave Trade

Photo: Slave Voyages

Enslaved Africans that embarked from ports further away from Jamaica also suffered greater mortality than those Africans from further west along the coast. Individuals from East and Southeast Africa were greatly disadvantaged, and it is theorised that they more frequently did not survive the middle passage, and the acclimatisation process in Jamaica, and as such, they have less contribution within Jamaican matrilineal DNA.

...what makes a Jamaican, "a Jamaican" has been a dynamic element over the course of the Atlantic slave trade...

Amongst the available studies, European genetic contributions range from no genetic influence to as high as 18%. This large range is thought to be attributed to the genetic marker system used during testing within these studies.

Genetic contributions from Europe most likely derive from the influx of British soldiers, white bond servants and, later, as a result of the immigration of Western European indentured laborers.

Contributions from East Asian most likely stem from the influx of indentured servants contracted from China between 1852 and 1884 to replace the dwindling flow of Africans to the island.

It is stated by some academics that what makes a Jamaican, a Jamaican has been a dynamic element over the course of the Atlantic slave trade due to the importation of different groups over time and poor survivability. This makes the conversation on the demographic history of Jamaica more interesting.

In summary, most Jamaicans can reliably say that their genetics come from the region of Africa that is now modern day Ghana! That is why, in our next posts, we are going to briefly look into some of the ethnicities prevalent within Ghana, beginning with the Akan!