African American Genealogy

Reconnecting with Your African Roots

What is your tribe? Each year more Americans, especially African Americans, are asking that very question. Celebrities like Oprah Winfrey have even participated in genealogical studies to discover, with some certainty, the answer.

Winfrey, who long thought she was of South African or Zulu descent, learned otherwise, a common surprise to many Americans who are undergoing DNA “Roots” tests. Why? Because the majority of slaves taken to the new world were not, in fact from South Africa.

Children in a classroom

Of the 45 African ethnic groups forced into slavery and taken to the new world, the overwhelming majority hail from Western and Central Africa–especially from the lauded mask-making tribes and regarded artisans. Tribes from present-day Ghana, Benin, Cote d’Ivoire, Senegal, The Gambia, Angola, Cameroon, Guinea, Nigeria, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo are among the most prominently documented ancestors to many African Americans today.

Regardless of whether genetic testing is in your plans, there are many ways Americans can reconnect to African roots or reconcile a dark history between the two continents. One such way is through educating oneself on African and African American history. Since establishing programs and departments of African American studies in the 1960s, there has been a steady increase of students majoring in fields related to the Diaspora.

Even the smallest country on Africa’s mainland, The Gambia, hosts a bi-annual event to encourage Americans and Europeans alike to rediscover their African roots. Calling it simply, “The Roots Festival,” Gambians gather an impressive number of visitors to their weeklong lineup of music, dancing, and cultural celebrations. African studies majors, heads of state, and descendants of former slaves all convene–and invite anyone to join in–for a celebratory reconciliation and return to African soil. These visitors can watch traditional African mask makers carve, taste authentic West African foods, and take home a handful of the region’s arts and crafts.

Obviously, DNA testing, returning to college or traveling to Africa are not all feasible options for every African American seeking to rekindle their African roots. Rather, many Americans choose to take pride in the indigenous arts and culture of Africa from afar–a noble venture.

An accessible way that many Americans are choosing to reconnect with their roots or rebuild a positive relationship with Africans is through supporting present-day artisans by making purchases of their goods. Supporters collect artworks, masks, crafts, baskets, pottery and other tribal artifacts from West Africa and throughout the continent of Africa.

Around the world, those who purchase these arts understand their importance in preserving traditional African culture, against a modern migration of Africans being forced into urban areas seeking employment.

People playing a variety of instruments in Gambia