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Here are some commonly asked questions about the African Ancestry Experience:
ABOUT THE TESTS
Our tests place your African ancestry in a present-day country and ethnic group or tribe. For
other ancestries, we report an mtDNA haplogroup and/or geographic region.
Yes. If your mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequence or your Y-chromosome markers have African ancestry, we can tell you what present-day country(ies) and ethnic groups in Africa that they share ancestry with. Please click here for data requirements. We cannot use data from admixture analyses.
The Kit ID# is found on the Kit packaging and on the Activation card inside of the kit.
The Kit ID# protects your confidentiality. Therefore, you must provide your Kit ID# in order to get any information from us about your kit status.
You must activate your Kit. If you send your swabs to us WITHOUT activating your kit AND lose your Kit ID#, we will be unable to locate any information about your sample.
No refunds will be provided if you lose your Kit ID#. Your order number and email are not the same as the Kit ID#. They do not provide access to Test Taker information.
For lineage-based tests, reliability depends on several things: the size of the database, the sampling of the lineages and the accuracy of lineage matches.
Our database is the most comprehensive resource of African lineages available. We have worked with historians, archeologists, anthropologists and other geneticists to build the largest collection of African lineages in the world.
We use a Sequence Similarity Score (SSS) measure to determine matches. The SSS measure is a likelihood estimate based on the frequency of identical and closely related (>99%) haplotypes. It is our degree of confidence in your results. Dr. Kittles explains here.
Our results are highly accurate. For about 85% of the people we test we find identical matches in our database. For the remaining people, we find closely related lineages with greater than 95% confidence. Our database is the most comprehensive resource of African lineages available.
Our tests do not provide percentages. We tell you WHERE in Africa one branch of your family tree goes back to, not HOW MUCH African ancestry you have.
The MatriClan Test traces the ancestry of ONE branch of your family tree, mother to mother to mother on back, for the past 2,000 years.
The PatriClan Test traces the ancestry of ONE branch of your family tree, father to father to father on back, for the past 2,000 years.
In order for a woman to determine her paternal ancestry, she must use the Y-chromosome of a male on her father's side—her brother, father, father's brother, grandfather, etc. It cannot be her son.
The easiest way to trace the ancestry of a deceased family member is to identify a living relative with the same lineage. Give us a call to discuss your options.
African Ancestry will analyze your DNA for ancestry. Your DNA will be destroyed once a result is determined. We do not sell or share our customers' personal, genetic or financial information.
Please click here to review our Terms and Conditions.
Please click here to review the Test Kit Instructions.
ABOUT THE RESULTS
Test results are accessible through an online portal and include:
All results also include:
The estimated timeframe for results is 6-8 weeks after receipt of your swabs. This is not a guarantee.
We will tell you if you share ancestry with one of the 400 ethnic groups in our database. There is the rare chance where we can find an African country but are unable to determine the ethnic group. There is also the chance that your result will not be African.
We do not estimate dates for the lineages since there is a large standard error involved in those estimates. The timeframe of our analysis is 500 – 2,000 years.
Our tests will only tell you about the lineage for which you submit DNA, maternal or paternal. We do not analyze your entire genome and provide a percentage breakdown of different ancestries. We provide mtDNA haplogroups. We do not provide Y Chromosome haplogroups.
If we do not find a match for your ancestry anywhere in the world, we will notify you by mail. We will keep your sequence on file and re-run it against future updates to our database. Or you can choose to receive a refund. WE DO NOT OFFER REFUNDS FOR NON-AFRICAN RESULTS.
No. The PatriClan Test is not a paternity test.
ABOUT YOUR ORDER
Our refund policy can be found here: https://africanancestry.com/policies/refund-policy
Our shipping policy can found here:
The Kit ID# protects your confidentiality. Therefore, you must provide your Kit ID# in order to get any information from us about your kit status. Keep your Kit ID# someplace where you can access it.
The Kit ID# can be found in two places: on the back flap of the black envelope and on the Activation Card inside of the kit.
If you send your swabs to us WITHOUT activating your kit AND lose your Kit ID#, we won't be able to locate any information about your sample. You will not receive your results. You will not receive a refund.
Your order number and email are not the same as the Kit ID#. They do not provide access to Test Taker information.
Please contact Customer Service. We will send you a replacement kit or swabs within 90 days of your original purchase. You are subject to a $25 replacement fee. If you return swabs for a test kit purchased more than 90 days ago, you are subject to a reactivation fee. Kit processing will not start until the reactivation fee is paid. See Section 11 of the Terms and Conditions.
Affirm is a financing alternative to credit cards and other credit-payment products. Affirm offers instant loan decisioning for online purchases to be paid in fixed monthly installments over 3, 6, or 12 months. For example, on a $700 purchase, you may pay $63.18 for 12 months with a 15% APR.
Your rate will be 0%-36% APR based on credit, and is subject to an eligibility check. Payment options through Affirm are provided by these lending partners: affirm.com/lenders. Options depend on your purchase amount, and a down payment may be required.
You must discuss any Affirm payment concerns directly with them at (855) 423-3729.
ABOUT AFRICAN ANCESTRY FAMILY REUNIONS (AAFR)
African Ancestry Family Reunions are specially curated all-inclusive birthright journeys. They are authentic, culturally immersive experiences co-created by experienced professionals in the country. We have partnered with Tourism ministries, local communities, businesses and cultural organizations and embassies, to create an unforgettable reconnection to your family’s ethnic group.
The trips are open to African Ancestry Family Members (who have taken a MatriClan or PatriClan Test) and their extended family.
It depends. There is flight pricing and non-flight pricing. Outside of flights, the AAFR price is all-inclusive. It includes 4-5 star lodging, meals, ground transportation in country and scheduled activities.
You will only see the trip details once you enter a valid Kit ID and/or the email you used to activate your kit.
The Kit ID# can be found in several places: on the back flap of the black envelope, on the Activation Card inside of the kit, on your results letter and in your online account. Please email your request to identify your lost Kit ID# to info@africanancestry.com.
You will only see the trip details once you enter a valid Kit ID and/or the email you used to activate your kit.
We offer Affirm and PayPal as payment options.
Yes.
AAFRs are non-refundable. However, you may apply your payment to any future trip within one year of your original trip date.
Yes. As long as you an African Ancestry Family member, you can attend any AAFR you choose.