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Courtesy of William Holland
William Holland, a family researcher from Georgia, tours a village in the Oku region of Cameroon.
Over the past year, William Holland's African-American family tale has grown in the telling, thanks to genetic testing and a whole lot of trans-Atlantic travel. The latest twist is a doozy: The Georgia resident has turned his research into a story that goes back to the seventh century.
Holland says he has found links to ancestors who lived in the Cameroonian region of Oku, who were captured by neighboring tribes and taken as slaves in Virginia. His story illustrates how the descendants of slaves can go beyond a painful chapter of American history and find their place in the broader sweep of world history. But the outcome isn't as precise as a paternity test.
"You have to put together the science and the history to make sense of it," he told me after his latest trips to West Africa. "To be honest, this is not an easy thing to do. You have to understand history, you have to understand migration patterns, you also have to understand culture. Most people would say, 'This is too much, because it's too complicated.' I would say this is a master's degree-level task."
Real families, real feelings
And it's not just an academic exercise. We're talking real families here. A year ago, Holland thought the genetic linkages showed a strong tie to royalty in a Cameroonian region known as Mankon. But after additional genetic tests and consultations with historians in Africa — including Samuel N. Wambeng, Nji Oumarou Nchare and Aboubakar Mgbekoum — he has focused on Oku instead. In fact, some of the people living around Mankon just might be the descendants of tribes that were involved in the slave trade.
"In Mankon, there were people who were dealers in trading people," Holland said. "They didn't trade their own people, but they were trading people from outside their community. So now it makes sense that I was not directly related to the palace in Mankon. Did my people come from there? No. Did they pass through there? Yes."
Even though the abduction from Africa happened in the 1770s, that part of the story has sparked bad feelings between Holland and some of the Cameroonians he came to know. "I didn't speak to them for a month," Holland told me. "It's still painful. ... Have you ever had a bad dream about being chained up in the bottom of a ship?"
Solving family mysteries
Unraveling history can leave scars, but it can also solve family mysteries. For example, the historians told Holland something that meshed with his memory of his sister's nickname. "Her name is Delores, but we always call her 'Nene,'" he said. "In Oku, 'Nene' basically means 'Mother.' That name was given to her by my father. These are very old names."
The DNA tests that Holland has taken mark marked the beginning of Holland's story, not the end. Most recently, Holland took a Y-chromosome test from Ancestry.com that looked at 46 genetic markers, and then he plugged the results into a database on the Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation website. In some cases, comparisons with African test subjects in the database produced 33 matches out of 36 common markers.
"Normally they'll say, 'We're not related to someone,'" Holland observed. "Now the results show that, guess what, something must have occurred in those days for them to have nearly the same DNA as myself. Thirty-three out of 36 is pretty high."
Holland followed up by contacting the likeliest candidates for his kin.
"Genetics will only get you to the airport, but now where do you go?" he said. "You have to really find all the links. I'm lucky to have the information to find the links to the old names. With the names, people in Africa can say, 'This person was from this kingdom.' It's just like when people decide to go back to Scotland or Ireland, depending on whether your name begins with an 'M-A-C' or an 'M-C.'"
I can relate to that: I took a Y-chromosome test a decade ago in hopes of tracing my genetic roots in Ireland. I still haven't found a match close enough to confirm family ties in the old country, but the historical record provides enough information to make for a good tale about my great-grandfather's escape from western County Clare in 1847, during the Great Famine.
From Arabia to Virginia
Here's Holland's story, based on his visits to Ghana and Cameroon as well as the genetic results and the reports from the historians:
"We left Saudi Arabia around 622 when the time of Prophet Mohammed was implementing Islam. A war ensued, and the Mboum people left and went to Egypt, then to the Sudan, then in the Tigray area of Ethiopia. The city was in a town called Axum. Please note the Tigray province and the current tribal name of Tikar/Tikari. From Ethiopia, the Mboum people went to the valley in Lake Chad in the north of Cameroon and arrived finally in 933 in the Adamawa region. The village that was set up in the Adamawa region was called Ngan-Ha, and Nya Sana was the first Fon [king]. The story told to me was that he (Nya Sana) was the youngest of the leaders that arrived from Ethiopia, but became the king because he retrieved the most powerful idol that fell from the sky. There were a total of four leaders that came from Ethiopia, and all got their hands on one of the idols that fell from the sky. These idols were in Mecca (Makah) in Arabia that flew from there and headed to Egypt then to the Sudan, Ethiopia and finally to Ngan-Ha.
"Took Gokor ruled from 1186 to 1217, as he was a direct descendant from Nya Sana. Princess Wouten (Wou-Ten or Betaka) ruled around 1201-1246, during which she founded the Tinkala kingdom. So the tribal name change was from Mboum to Tinkala and finally to Tikari/Tikar. The Tikar kingdom was created around 1300. The migration pattern was from Ngan-Ha to Tibati, Ina and finally Bankim or Kimi. Kimi and Bankim are names that are used interchangeably when referring to this ancient area of various tribes in Cameroon. Around 1387, Fon Mbe left Bankim due to chieftancy disputes, and also he did not want to be killed while ruling. Nchare Yen supposedly had the right to become the next Fon, but was passed over by his half brother. Mbe, Ngonnso and Nchare Yen were siblings from the same mother and father. They left in fear, founding the kingdoms of Bankim, Foumban and Banso. Ngonnso founded Banso, while Nchare Yen founded Foumban. Nchare was the youngest of the siblings.
"I believe my common ancestor [linked to the royalty] lived around 1550, during the time when Fon Ngang was on the throne. He ruled from 1540 to 1588. According to the SMGF DNA results, the time period for the common ancestor was about 440 years ago. Also, there is a possibility that it could have been in Foumban. The eighth Fon of Foumban founded Banka, and his name was Ngapna (1590-1629). The familes that are in Banka and Bafang must have descended from the Prince of Ngapna.
"The Wambeng family of Oku descends from the third Fon, who was named Ney. Oku was founded around 1650, so the third Fon would be close to accurate for the 1770s time period. The people of Bali were hired by the coastal slavers, who gave them guns to capture individuals for the Virginia plantation owners. Bali is not too far away from Mankon. I asked the elder about this whole scenario, and he told me the year adds up to when Ney was ruling. Those who were captured, including my ancestor, were guards of the palace.
"The Bali people came with guns and created quite a scene, resulting in the capture of my ancestor. They were taken to the coast, and the rest is history. Meanwhile, in Foumban, the 11th Fon also lost children due to the fighting that was going on at the same time. It's very possible that when all of them arrived in Bimbia, they knew they were the same people, but spoke different languages and could not communicate with each other. I was told that the slavers arranged things intentionally so that you would be separated if you spoke the same language/dialect, to prevent insurrection on the ship.
"Because of Ngonnso, the kingdoms of Oku, Banso (Kumbo) and Mbiame are related, and also Kom would have to be included. There is a good relationship between all of them today, and who knows? Maybe a big party would happen if we all go back to meet the family in Oku."
So now what? Holland is still working on the later chapters of his family's story — the part that includes his slave ancestors in Virginia, including one ancestor who was taken into the Confederate Army for a time. But the chapters that excite Holland the most are the ones that go way back into the past.
"I guess I'll always have a curious gene in there, a gene that makes me want to find out," he told me. "Will I stop after this? Hopefully there's be a different thing to work on. I'd like to go to the east — to Egypt, and Ethiopia."
Earlier chapters in the African-American saga:
- Sept. 8, 2010: DNA points to royal roots in Africa
- Feb. 1, 2011: Family roots get tangled up in Africa
- Feb. 28, 2011: Black history saga comes full circle
- July 3, 2011: Africans visit their American cousins
- African American news from theGrio
Connect with the Cosmic Log community by "liking" the log's Facebook page or following @b0yle on Twitter. You can also add me to your Google+ circle, and check out "The Case for Pluto," my book about the controversial dwarf planet and the search for new worlds.
Leave a Comment:
Puleeeze. Beyond a certain point, within relevantly recent history, this is all speculation. Anyone can put out a story like this and unless someone else wants to spend the time, effort and money (who's paying for this?) to disprove the sequence the story stands. Enjoy the fantasy....but don't expect the rest of us to buy into it. This is yet another attempt by sub-Sharan africans to discover, and affirm, an identity. (Yeah.....I know, it's the white guy's fault.....deal with it.)
I am descended from a waiter at the Last Supper.......prove me wrong.
You know what? You may be right. I don't think you are but you may be. However you've posted this same thing 3 or 4 times already so I will respond. How is this an attempt by sub-Saharan Africans to discover and affirm an identity? I'm going to assume you've never been to sub Saharan Africa, because I have, and I assure you they have their own identity. Some of the most beautiful natural beauty I've ever seen and nicest people I've ever met.
This story is actually about one mans quest to track his roots. Again, I'm going to assume that you are of European ancestry. It is quite a bit easier for you to trace your roots back to whatever village in whatever European country your family is from than it is for me.
As an African American I've always been interested in trying to trace my roots. And I've tried, but like most African Americans the trail goes cold somewhere around 1850-1860. I actually found and met decendants of the people that owned my forefathers. Good or bad this period is part of the American story. Just because the journey to find our ancestors is a lot harder, and some of us share that journey with the public does not mean we aren't "over it" or are "placing blame". We all know what happened and how it happened. We don't have the luxury of knowing our family names, and tracking them through Ellis Island. The only records kept on the ships my ancestors came on were the number of slaves in the hold.
So far from all of the posts I've read here you and one or two others are the only ones talking about blame, and getting over it. Obviously for whatever reason you aren't over it. Tracing your roots can be a very time consuming, often frustrating yet very rewarding trip. White, Black, Asian or whatever it is something that I think everyone should try.
RyanNYC, thank you for the best post of the day.
Actually, with all due respect (and that's sincere), I posted my comment only once. Others may have had the same train of thought, none of which I had seen when I wrote. And, no, I wasn't trying to place or avoid "blame" when I mentioned the "white guys" comment. It was simply made to (hopefully) ward off any cliched, liberal (re: my screen name), castigating comments involving the "finger of blame."
Further, I apparently should have been more clear when it came to my comment regarding discovering and affirming identity. I was not referring to "sub-Saharan Africans" who actually are sub-Saharan Africans, my comment was aimed at those of sub-Saharan, African ancestry who live in the United States. In my lifetime your race has gone from "colored," to Negro, to black, to African-American with the latter two being in a tie for politically correct usage today.
To be quite frank about it, I'm tired of being concerned about what you and yours (and the guilt-ridden, liberal community) find acceptable when it comes to referring to people who are darker than me. I can deal with "black" if you're comfortable with it but, to be honest, I rail at the P.C. usage of "African American." Although it's a cliche to say, "Hey, I don't call myself an Irish/Italian/Danish/Native/etc. American" but, Hey, I don't call myself a (fill in the blank) American. If you were born here you're an American.....period. To choose to do otherwise indicates, to me at least, the need to separate yourself and establish a form of separate identity. If you find it absolutely necessary, in my mind (I don't deign to speak for anyone else....although, I think I probably do) I'm cool with "American, of African descent" but, first and foremost, you're an American.
The "get over it" statement was made to, again, express my fatigue with many people's inability to live in the here and now and look to the future. I have absolutely NO guilt about historical slavery, whether it be your ancestors....or mine, and it's a source of great irritation that even today that thread runs through our society and is often used as a club.....even by some people against those that are the same color. Al (the race pimp) Sharpton is noted for saying Obama isn't black enough because he's "not down for the struggle" and/or "he doesn't have any slave blood in him." Puleeeeze. Justice Thomas was severely maligned by a majority of (coloreds, Negros, black, African Americans, fill in with your favorite description) when, in fact, his achievement should have been used as a model of accomplishment for young people OF EVERY COLOR! And now we have Herman Cain being put upon in the same way. "Uncle Tom," "House N___," etc., terms applied to these two men, are directly from an era past.....or should be.
There is no one alive that suffered directly from slavery in America. Get over it and, more importantly, move on!
As to this article, you solidify one of my points by your own experience. You indicate that you ran into a wall about a hundred fifty years or so ago. What would have kept you from generous speculation and saying your lineage goes back to the pharaohs? As you've stated, you've actually been to Africa, nearly as much basis as the author used. When was the last time you saw such an extensive article on an American of Finnish ancestry researching his/her bloodline?
Bottom line, I have grown weary of race fixation and, as a result, refuse to accept anything that perpetuates the intentional separation of "Americans." (That goes for you too MichigIndian.)
Anti-Lib, for someone who claims to be weary of race fixation you sure seem obsessed by it. Yes, some people of ALL races are overly fixated on the subject, and some are not. But where we differ most I think is with your notion that somebody who is interested in, and proud of, where they came from is somehow not "pure" enough of an American for you. We are all Americans, and we are all individuals; we all have a history; and we do not want to be all exactly the same.
You make some interesting points about race in your second comment, and we all have rights to strong opinions, but perhaps you should respect others' opinions as much as you expect them to respect yours. And it doesn't help to have started off with such a negative and condescending first comment.
@MURPHY-568551... You need to go to Africa and learn more about this. Is it all you can think of to make yourself feel good? People were told that they would return after their journey to a far land. Then white people kept coming and asking for more. And then Africans insisted to have their people back before sending others. That's when the white attacked them with their guns and captured as many as they could. Come on now.. Whites have shown their tendancy to enslave others... Did the Indians sold their people too? Africans are people of great hospitality and they were taken advantage of. No blame towards Whites but we have to tell the truth and not try to mask it. No one is asking for anything... it's good to have people like radar-3240012 who shows real sympathy...The past is the past!
Tribal warfare and slavery exist on the African continent at this very moment. The past is not over yet unfortunately.
I find this story a little disturbing..To go back that far with out some type of documents; is like asking science what 100% proof do they have to show we came from apes..Sorry gap theory don't cut it..
Interesting story. My direct descendant owned two slaves in NH; they were bought in Methuen, MA for 60 English pounds a piece, by a slave merchant named Jacob Whittier. A 'Negrow' couple, their given names were Cisco and Dynah, they were buried at his side the cemetary in Holderness. Where did they come from I wonder, were they allowed to have children? I wish I could research and tell their story, but this is going back about 9 generations and might not be possible.
It's time the whole truth of slavery came out and maybe this will lead to true forgiveness of blacks against whites. The slave trade has a, very black, black history too. We are all capable of enslaving others so long as we see the world as "I and Thou". And it's still very alive in Africa especially in the child sex trade.
Most African Americans are well aware that the slave trade has a black history. This is something I've known my whole life. These were things my mother told me and I'm sure her mother told her etc....And for the most part, it's all been forgiven. Sure there are some radicals, no more than any other ethnic group.
As I stated in a previous post, I've tried to trace my family back to Africa and got to a dead end between 1850-1860. However I did find the name of the family that owned my relatives, and I got a chance to actually meet them. I can honestly say that the great great great grandson of the man who owned my great great great grandfather and myself are today very good friends.
Everybody would like to believe they are descended from royalty. Even Camilla
Cool story and a commendable effort. Fascinating!
I, too, have tried to trace my ancestry. My research came to a block at the arrival of my European forefathers in the USA. The records end when the American experience begins. My surname IS still in Germany, but the actual linkage is unknown. While genetics can give us a location and probability,of our history, it can't give specifics. I know that the fog of history will only give us speculation and conjecture. Regardless, I feel happy to trace my mother's side to 1805 and my father's to 1882. My surname continues, in Germany, and there is a web page dedicated to that name. My German is week, but the translations tell of interesting legends and I am grateful for them!
Hello..your name is "Holland". Don't you think you have some Dutch ancestors?
Chalk up anotherone for That GREAT reigion of piece "ISLAM" Peoples from Arabia practised slavery and when It spread to africa the practise moved with it. It is even taught in the Koran today! It was muslim slave traders that is responsible for most of the black slaves taken from thier homes and sold....and to think blacks today turning to ISLAM so they can fight "whitey" what a joke....
You obviously haven't read up on that GREAT "religion" of "peace" Christiany......Open a bible sometime. You'll see that the practice of slavery was kind of a big, and widely accepted practice thousands of years before the African slave trade....
There were slaves ever since man decided not to work and became a Ceo.But in reality.When one nation defeats another.Those who were defeated become slaves.Yes even the tribes of Africa slaved there own color..This is nothing new.Isn't that right dear? Now go and get me my beer...:P
Slavery is "taught" in the Bible at least as much as in the Koran. It was an almost universal human institution, as is religious bigotry.
I am so glad that articles like this are coming out. The part about 'neighboring tribes' selling each other into slavery is very telling. Roots did a very good job in dating the long list of ancestors before Alex Haley. However it did not point out the subtle fact that the people involved in the slave trade (very profitable at the time) were not all white/Western/caucasian/European. Slavery was the universally accepted practice in the middle ages. It was jointly abolished when Abraham Lincoln in the United States signed the Emancipation Proclamation and Czar Alexander II of Russia signed the Emancipation Decree. Both were opposed and backed by huge groups of people who equally opposed the horrors of slavery. I am descendant from people who fought in the Civil War, ran underground railroads and preached abolitioinism. I, too, went to Ancestry.com and saw records of a grandfather who signed up for an 1864 campaign in which he ultimately lost a leg. I heard many stories from a great-aunt in Pennsylvannia of Civil War homes there with basement tunnels which 'ran back into the hills for miles'. No one thought about what might come through there and harm their own families, only but about rescuing escaping slaves. Another grandmother turned completely against her own family from Virginia and preached abolitionism. She was a noted speaker on this subject, according to her eulogy. With 7 billion people now in this ever advancing technologically advanced world, we best teach children the way to fight bigotry is to emphasize the worth of the individual. White/brown/black individuals all can go from bad to good in a lifetime. No one group is solely responsible for all the good/all the evil in the world.
I love this story. In part because this man seems to be succeeding where so many other African Americans, including myself have failed. The act of tracing your roots back to their origin can be an absolutely amazing, and incredibly emotional thing for any American, as we all have roots somewhere else. For African Americans even more so because we have no records. There is no registry at Ellis Island. The African Americans quest to trace his or her roots is flying blind in every sense.
A few years back, my wife and I, before we were married decided we would trace our roots. For her it was relatively easy. It went from Illinois, to Wisconsin, back to New York, Ellis Island, and we celebrated our first wedding anniversary in the little town in Denmark that her great great grandfather was born in.
For me however it wasn't so easy. It went from Illinois, to Alabama and a dead end. I was able to get to 1857 on my fathers side and 1850 on my mothers side. An unexpected surprise however came when I found the name and county in Alabama of the people that owned my great great great grandfather. I actually found their descendants. We met, we spent a weekend with them and today the great great great grandson of the man that owned my great great great grandfather and I are very good friends. Our families visit once or twice a year and he will be attending my daughters Christening in a few weeks.
My wife is fortunate enough to tell our daughter when she is old enough about where she is from and how her family got here. I would love to be able to point to a place and tell her that she also has roots there.
As I said in a previous post. Whether you are white, black, hispanic, asian or whatever I think everyone should attempt to trace their roots. It is time consuming, can at times be very frustrating, but can be so rewarding. The morning that my wife and I woke up in the town that her family came from was up until the day our daughter was born the most happy and accomplished I had ever seen her. Some of us got here by choice, some by force. We all know this, but regardless there is no reason why any American finding out how they came to be here should be a bad thing, or something looked down upon as some absurd notion that they aren't "over it".
All monotheistic religions are proportionally responsible for genocides and prejudices
Define proportionally, please.
My religion, which, while preaching tolerance and acceptance (we have multiple sects that welcome and embrace LGBT relationships) hasn't always been this way--our far past involved ritualistic sacrifices. The polytheistic religions encompassing the pantheon of Greco-Roman deities were the first 'religion' to try and wipe out followers of another religion (hence Jesus's crucifixion), followed by the Christians trying to wipe out practitioners of other religions (see: Spanish Inquisition and Holocaust). I'm not including the teachings of islam, because that seems to be a crutch; while they profess to be all for wiping out the infidel, by their definition infidels are anyone that doesn't follow their teachings so why aren't the Islamic practitioners wiping out monks in Tibetan monasteries?
Religion is simply a crutch to further the political agendas of the ones in power. A book of religious teachings is just that; a book. It doesn't walk or talk on its own. It's man's interpretation of that book that sways popular opinion on whether those teachings are 'good' or 'bad'. My belief system teaches that 'it's what you do that counts, not whose name you do it in', and I try to live that every day by being the best person I can be, whether it be as simple as giving up a bus seat to an elderly person or stopping a blind person from stepping out in the street in front of a car (those new electric cars are eerily quiet.) So let's leave religion out of this.
This story was, at heart, a story of one man trying to trace his roots. There is an old saying that 'you can't figure out where you're going if you don't know where you came from.' So Mr. Holland definitely knows where he came from.
I must admit to a little envy. I wish I knew that much about my family and where I came from. I was an abandoned baby in a country that doesn't value females so I have no idea who my biological parents are, and I have no original birth certificate (has caused me no end of trouble, let me tell you!) At least my kids know where they came from--they can trace their ancestry to the Eastern US branch of the Cherokee Indians, as well as through Poland, Lithuania, Wales, and we think Korean since the orphanage I was adopted from was in Korea.
the genetic test that trace all people to africa, kind of goes with what the bible says, since some belief the garden of eden was somewhere in africa?
There is a big cameroon community in virgina.
OH MY--you mean that the "excuse" that the "black man" uses to justify retaliation against "whity" is no longer valid??
Read this--"poo' black men"---it was your OWN PEOPLE who sold you into slavery---not the the "white man". What ?? You don't want the truth? That blows the bottom out of you political base for the 'Whity owes the black man" propoganda . YOU were the reason for the "slaves" in the western hemisphere!!
IN fact slavery is still in existance on the African continenant TODAY---and what are YOU doing to stop it???
First of all, everybody knows about the role of different tribes in the slave trade, so the racists' emphasis on that is hardly a "revelation."
Secondly, the fact that African tribes took advantage of the market created by Europeans doesn't absolve either one of them. And it also shows the obvious lie in your statement that "YOU were the reason for the "slaves" in the western hemisphere!!" That's like saying that Colombian coca farmers are the reason for the drug problems in the U.S.
And if you don't want to be accused of racism, perhaps you should say things in a less obviously racist manner.
And slavery still exists on every continent; and what are YOU doing to stop it?
Very interesting read! Thanks Holland. Documented history like this is very important, because African history was passed over orally or sometimes in dipicted by art.
As for “Steve mad dog”, the earth is flat…right? Global warming does not exist…right? Kings only existed in Egypt and Middle East…right? Way to minimize kingdoms of Africa by mentioning Idi Amin…How silly. Try to educate yourself. You probably should also minimize the British Royalty, since the Normans conquered England under William the Conqueror.
The following is additional info for you. I hope you are curious enough to read through…
West Africa Kingdoms B4 Colonization..
Very interesting read! Thanks Holland. Documented history like this is very important, because African history was passed over orally or sometimes in dipicted by art.
As for “Steve mad dog”, the earth is flat…right? Global warming does not exist…right? Kings only existed in Egypt and Middle East…right? Way to minimize kingdoms of Africa by mentioning Idi Amin…How silly. Try to educate yourself. You probably should also minimize the British Royalty, since the Normans conquered England under William the Conqueror.
The following is additional info for you. I hope you are curious enough to read through…
West Africa Kingdoms B4 Colonization..
Very interesting read! Thanks Holland. Documented history like this is very important because African history was either transmitted orally or sometimes deduced through art and way of life.
As for “Steve mad dog”, the earth is flat…right? Global warming does not exist…right? Kings only only existed in Egypt and Middle East…right? Way to minimize kingdoms of Africa by mentioning Idi Amin…How silly! Just read and educate yourself. You probably should minimize the renowned British Royalty, since the Normans conquered England under William the Conqueror. For your information, England used to be comprised of lots of small prince and duke doms after the Romans pulled out. There was no law and order. They were all brought together as one kingdom by Athelstan in 927, although both Kings Offa of Mercia and Egbert of Wessex used the title King of England. After Edmund Ironside, Canute suceeded him and began the House of Denmark. Why do I say this…There always is a bigining of kingdoms and a threshold to judge Kingdom-hood … My friend, READ!!!!
The following is additional info for you. I hope you are curious enough to read through…
West Africa Kingdoms B4 Colonization..
You know, the Klu Klux Klan must hate this stuff. A Jewish Confederate Secretary of war ?? Two Jewish war heros, Blacks & Hispanics authorized in 1865 to fight in the Army ?? Must make them kinda want to burn the Stars & Bars in protest!! Teaching them their own history, will sicken them.
You are absolutely right, slavery by todays standards is a horrible thing. Unfortunately it is also something that has happened in every culture that ever existed, to different groups through out all recorded history and is still happening today in various regions all over the world. The Spanish and Arabs were some of the most brutal and savage examples, entire peoples are extinct as a result of those groups.
What a tall genetic tale! Previous genetic tests suggested that Holland's African roots went back to Nigeria, later to Mankon in Cameroon and subsequently Ghana. Of recent, Oku.It is very likely that further research in this area will continue to produce intriguing results. Lets examine the following allegations by Holland keenly;
"In Mankon, there were people who were dealers in trading people," Holland said. "They didn't trade their own people, but they were trading people from outside their community. So now it makes sense that I was not directly related to the palace in Mankon. Did my people come from there? No. Did they pass through there? Yes."
The question here is , is it possible that a slave from OKU who has no genetic relations with Mankon by merely passing through Mankon then develop genetic links because he is being traded by a Mankon slave dealer? I don't think so. Perhaps Holland's former Nigerian and Ghanian ancestries were also slave dealers.
About time...being white I am tired of being associated with the plight of African Americans. Persons of African descent have to take ownership of their contribution to their own history. Slavery was not only part of the black history but also of the other races...slaves were not just only black.
Actually, in some points of history. Indentured servants were in a worse plight than slaves. Thats because there were actual rules on owning a slave. Indentured servant .......not so much.
How can one seriously research family history in Africa? The further one goes back in time, the greater the illiteracy rates of the population, we're talking about tribes that constantly fought each other (with the black victors selling black losers to white or black slave traders) and prayed to various Voodoo gods; keeping written records was a virtual impossibility. Indeed, it appears that in many parts of that God forsaken continent they are still illiterate, busy murdering each other, and praying to various Voodoo gods. Some may call this "racist," (yawn...) but I don't see how facts can be labeled as such, "the facts are the facts," whether one likes them or not.
Try 23andme.com you can learn alot for only $100 bucks