I'm Having an Identity Crisis

I'm having an identity crisis.  Well, ok, just a small one.

My initial attraction to genetic testing was to find out where I might be from in Africa, like a lot of African-Americans.

The first and least defined result you can get is your ancestry composition.  This is generally divided into what percentage African, European and Asian you are (Jewish for some). I tested with 23andMe and assumed it would be the only testing I would do. I tested approximately 80% Sub-saharan African -- no surprise, 17% European and a bit both Asian and unassigned.

Saying that someone is 80% Sub-saharan African doesn't really tell you a lot. What wasn't obvious is that they were telling me that I was primarily Nigerian (the early websites didn't have the best designs). And I later came to understand that this test is called an autosomal DNA test. In addition, part of my testing included the mitochrondrial DNA (maternal) and Y-DNA (paternal) tests.  My maternal line is from Ethiopia/Sudan by way of Nigeria.  My paternal line comes from the hunter-gatherers, and actual tribes who are all related and live in Cameroon, both Congos, Central African Republic, Tanzania, Gabon and Botswana. Taking all three tests produced satisfying results for me. A continent of 50+ countries had been reduced to a handful. The fact that some of these test results point to eastern and central Africa and not just western Africa is a topic for another day.

For the most part, the European and Asian results we no more specific than points on a compass (Northern European, South Asian, etc.).

Nevertheless, I embraced the information, started to explore my cultures and my new identity.

At the time I took my first test, the emphasis was on mitochondrial and Y DNA tests. Realize that the science to really dig into the autosomal (remaining 22 of your 23 chromosomes) was just evolving as people started to clamor for this information. Also realize that your results are only as good as the extent of the reference samples that the company has to test you against.

Part of me was wondering what more could I find out about the 17% European part if I tested with another company.  Another part of me worried that I would find out something contradictory and I was not ready to adjust my new identity. Plus I was under no illusion that the autosomal African DNA was really 100% Nigerian, just primarily Nigerian would be an exceptable result with me.

At the time I tested, it was possible to transfer your autosomal data only from 23andMe to Family Tree DNA (FTDNA). That meant no new test, just a data transfer. In December 2013 I became too curious, bought and performed the data transfer. After all, I'd lived as an Ethiopian/Sudanese/Congolese Nigerian since July 2013. I was secure in my identify.

To my delight and great relief, the FTDNA results were confirmatory and complementary. They further defined the Nigerian as Yoruba and broke down my European into French, Romanian, Spanish and Tuscan (Italian).

In early 2014 I decided to tempt fate a third time.  AncestryDNA's early method of attaching your DNA results to a family tree and searching for family member matches was just too enticing. However, this required a new autosomal DNA test and not just a data transfer. But I couldn't resist.

Then all hell broke loose. You see, once you decide to have your personal genome discovered, you get free upgrades. When the company or companies you test with refine/upgrade/improve their procedures, you get the updated results for free.

First 23andMe updated their algorithm. Only result was dividing African into points on the compass, and a little North African popped out. No surprise to me, but a harbinger.

And before I could get my AncestryDNA results, FTDNA also announced an update to their autosomal reference samples and populations.

OVERVIEW
23andMe: no real major changes
FTDNA: Fun or funky (depends on your point of view) new names for population groups
AncestryDNA: complements FTDNA modifications

AFRICAN
23andMe: directions on a compass, adds North African
FTDNA: Niger-Congo genesis, East African Pastoralist, Kalahari Basin
AncestryDNA: Nigeria, Cameroon/Congo, Ivory Coast/Ghana, Mali, Benin/Togo

FTDNA's East African Pastoralist is essentially Ethiopia/Sudan, which brings my mitondrial DNA results into the autosomal, makes sense. Same with Kalahari Basin, essentially Mbuti, bringing my YDNA results into my autosomal DNA.
AncestryDNA shows some other west African populations, no surprise, but they seem to ignore the rest of Africa.

ASIAN
23andMe: addition of North Africa trace amount (separates North Africa from Sub-Saharan Africa)
FTDNA: Anatolia and Caucasus, no other Asian
AncetryDNA: North Africa and Middle Eastern, essentially Turkey, no other Asian

I'm Turkish!

EUROPEAN
23andMe: silent
FTDNA: My French is reclassified as European Coastal Islands, North Circumpolar (Finland, Northwestern Russia) rather than Romanian, loses trace Italian and Spanish
AncestryDNA: Ireland and Great Britain, Iberian Peninsula, Italy/Greece, adds Scandinavian, Finland/Northwest Russia

REVIEW
The African updates make total sense in light of my mitochondrial and Y-DNA.
I now understand all the forums where people argue about some services not being able to differentiate between Irish and French ancestry.
My Slavic identity is different.
Ancestry DNA uses Iberian Peninsula which is both Spain and Portugal.
AncestryDNA combines Greece with Italy.
I'm a Viking! (Great, since I love Norse mythology)
My Asian identity is Middle Eastern.

Despite the changes in trace amounts, again FTDNA and AncestryDNA are very consistent and complementary to each other and 23andMe.

So there you have it, my identity crisis. Wade into these waters carefully. I think I'll be able to adjust.

Oh well. I had gotten used to saying "It's Cidre, not cider."