I just had to do more research after my last post. Discovering that I am “52% Nigerian” was not enough for me. Being 22% “Ghanaian, Liberian & Sierra Leonean” was even worse as those are 3 seperate countries.
I took another test which broke things down to an ethnic level. As it turns out, I am 26% Yoruba, 20% Esan, and 7% Igbo. That represents the Nigerian side. I am also 7% Akan and 7% Kassena, which represents the Ghanaian side. I am also 8% Mende from Sierra Leone.
Overall, the 3 ethnicities which make up the largest portions of me are Yoruba, Esan, and Mende, in that order.
I love all of my ethnicities. I am proud of all of my rich cultures. Since Yoruba is my biggest portion, I have been learning about Yoruba culture. I have also been studying the Esan culture which makes up my second-biggest portion.
I will definitely study the rest of my cultures… Mende, Akan, Mossi, Kassena, etc. For starters, I will focus on those cultures which make up the largest portion of my mixed ethnicity.
Learning about this has left me feeling reborn. All my life, I had carried this pain and anguish of not knowing who my African ancestors were. Not knowing my very own ethnic makeup. I knew of my European side. I knew of my Arab side. I knew of my Jewish side. But my African side was a mystery due to the horrors of the Maafa. Slowly but surely as I studied and researched, the African side started to narrow down. First, West Africa, then mainly Nigeria and Ghana, and now, a group of beautiful people.
I recently purchased a lot more books. I should get back to reading instead of typing away at this blog. See you soon!