Maasai DNA
Genetic origins and closest populations · Kenya and Tanzania · Sub-Saharan Africa
The Maasai are cattle herders of the Rift Valley in southern Kenya and northern Tanzania, known for keeping much of their pastoral way of life. They speak Maa, an Eastern Nilotic language, and moved into the region from the north several centuries ago, into lands where herders had already lived for thousands of years. In our model, the Maasai average is 77.9% Nilotic East African, 19.0% Natufian, 1.9% Iranian Neolithic and 1.2% Levantine Neolithic. Next to the Kalenjin (84.0% Nilotic, 12.1% Natufian), the Maasai carry more of the Near Eastern-related share, which ancient DNA links to the first herders of East Africa, whose ancestry came partly from northeastern Africa and the Levant. Their closest ancient group fits that history: Iron Age pastoralists from Kenya (0.0392). After another Maasai sample, the closest modern averages are the Ogiek of Kenya (0.0307), Tutsi samples, including one from Burundi, and the Elmolo of Lake Turkana.
- Largest ancient components in our model: Nilotic East African 77.9%, Natufian hunter-gatherers (Levant) 19.0%, Iranian Neolithic farmers 1.9%
- Closest other population in our data: Ogiek (Kenya), distance 0.0307
- Closest ancient group in our data: Kenya Pastoral IA, distance 0.0392
Maasai is one of the 335 modern populations in our population genetics atlas. The numbers on this page describe the average Global25 (G25) genome of the Maasai individuals sampled in Kenya and Tanzania, listed in the G25 sheet as "Masai". Like every population average, it smooths over a lot of variation between individuals.
Ancient make-up of the Maasai average
Modelled as a mix of deep ancestral reference populations, the Maasai average comes out as 77.9% Nilotic East African, 19.0% Natufian hunter-gatherers (Levant) and 1.9% Iranian Neolithic farmers. The Nilotic East African component reflects ancestry found in East African populations. The Natufian hunter-gatherers (Levant) share (19.0%) reflects the early farmers of the Levant and the Natufian foragers who came before them. With well over half of the total, this single source dominates the profile.
Smaller traces of Iranian Neolithic farmers and Levantine Neolithic farmers (under 5% each) also appear. At that level they can reflect real minor ancestry, but also simple model noise, so they should not be over-read. The fit is acceptable (fit distance 0.039): treat the proportions as a good approximation rather than exact values. This population was modelled with a global set of reference populations (ancient genomes, plus modern stand-ins where no suitable ancient genome exists), because West Eurasian sources alone cannot describe it.
Sankofa – African Ancestry Report
Closest modern populations to Maasai
Ranking every modern population by genetic distance puts Masai (Kenya) first for Maasai, at 0.010, then Ogiek (Kenya) and Tutsi (other sample set). Leaving aside the other regional samples listed under the same name in the G25 sheet, the nearest other populations are Ogiek (Kenya) (0.031), Tutsi (other sample set) (0.041) and Tutsi (Burundi) (0.043). By the tenth closest (Hima) the distance grows to 0.059, a common pattern for a population that shares ancestry with its neighbours while keeping a profile of its own.
| # | Population | Distance | Closeness |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Masai (Kenya) | 0.0096 | Very close |
| 2 | Ogiek (Kenya) | 0.0307 | Close |
| 3 | Tutsi (other sample set) | 0.0405 | Close |
| 4 | Tutsi (Burundi) | 0.0430 | Close |
| 5 | Elmolo | 0.0438 | Close |
| 6 | Tutsi | 0.0486 | Close |
| 7 | Tutsi (Banyamulenge) | 0.0498 | Close |
| 8 | Sengwer | 0.0502 | Moderate |
| 9 | Kalenjin | 0.0588 | Moderate |
| 10 | Hima | 0.0588 | Moderate |
Distances are Euclidean distances between averaged G25 coordinates. On our scale, below 0.025 is very close, below 0.050 close, below 0.080 moderate, and beyond that distant.
Closest ancient populations to Maasai
If we search ancient DNA for the best match to Maasai, Kenya Pastoral IA (Iron Age) comes first, at 0.039, with Tanzania Early Modern Songo Mnara Swahili (Southern Nilotic Profile) next. That is a close match: much of the modern profile was already present then, while later movements of people added further layers. A close ancient match is not proof of direct descent: it means those individuals carried a similar overall mix of ancestry.
| # | Ancient sample or group | Period | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kenya Pastoral IA | Iron Age | 0.0392 |
| 2 | Tanzania Early Modern Songo Mnara Swahili (Southern Nilotic Profile) | Early Modern, c. 1500-1800 AD | 0.0549 |
| 3 | Kenya High Medieval Kakapel 900BP | c. 1050 AD | 0.0993 |
| 4 | Kenya Early Modern Kilifi 400BP | c. 1550 AD | 0.1159 |
| 5 | Kenya Pastoral N Molo Cave 1500BP | c. 450 AD | 0.1269 |
| 6 | Ethiopia LSA Mota 4500BP | c. 2550 BC | 0.1285 |
| 7 | Libya N Saharan Pastoral Takarkori | Neolithic | 0.1452 |
| 8 | Kenya Pastoral N Lukenya Hill 3500BP | c. 1550 BC | 0.1501 |
| 9 | Tanzania Luxmanda 3000BP | c. 1050 BC | 0.1516 |
| 10 | Kenya Pastoral N | Neolithic | 0.1544 |
Ancient DNA from Kenya and Tanzania
Our ancient DNA database holds 139 individuals excavated in present-day Kenya and Tanzania, dated from about 16,550 BC to 1877 AD. The most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups among them are E1b (36), J1a (14) and A1b (4), and the most frequent mtDNA haplogroups are L3 (52), L0 (27) and L2 (17). These are people who lived on the same land in the past, not necessarily ancestors of today's Maasai population.
Most frequent Y-DNA haplogroups
Ancient DNA studies on Kenya and Tanzania
- Contemporary hominin locomotor diversity (2024)
- Footprint evidence for locomotor diversity and shared habitats among early Pleistocene hominins (2024)
Browse them in our ancient DNA database: 112 from Kenya, 27 from Tanzania.
Compare yourself with Maasai
Paste your G25 coordinates (scaled, one line, with or without a name in front) and we compute your genetic distance to the Maasai average and to its closest neighbours, right in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or stored.
| # | Population | Your distance | Closeness |
|---|
This list only covers Maasai and its neighbours. To find out which of our reports actually fits your DNA, run the free Report Finder: it runs the same fit test that every report uses before an order.
No G25 coordinates yet? Get a free simulated G25 from your raw DNA file, or order G25 coordinates.
About these numbers
A word of caution: these figures describe the average of the Maasai individuals who were sampled, not every person who identifies as Maasai. Individuals vary around that average, and identity is about history, language and family, not about a genetic score. Read this page as a map of deep ancestry, not as a definition.
Method: averaged G25 coordinates, Euclidean distances to other modern and ancient averages, and a non-negative least-squares model against deep ancestral reference populations (data generated 2026-10-01). Read the full method.
Go deeper than the average
This page describes the Maasai average. Your own DNA has its own story: Sankofa – African Ancestry Report (15€) models your genome against the ancient sources and modern communities of the region, era by era, in a personal PDF report.
A report built for people of predominantly Sub-Saharan African (SSA) ancestry: modelling against 230+ regional African populations (West, Central, East & Southern Africa, the Horn of Africa, Madagascar) plus the European, Amerindian and...
More populations from Sub-Saharan Africa
Frequently asked questions
What is the ancient genetic make-up of Maasai?
Modelled with deep ancestral reference populations, the Maasai average is about 77.9% Nilotic East African, 19.0% Natufian hunter-gatherers (Levant) and 1.9% Iranian Neolithic farmers. These proportions are model estimates for a group average, not exact values for any one person.
Which populations are genetically closest to Maasai?
Leaving aside other regional samples listed under the same name in the G25 sheet (such as Masai (Kenya)), the closest modern populations to the Maasai average are Ogiek (Kenya), Tutsi (other sample set) and Tutsi (Burundi). The closest ancient matches are Kenya Pastoral IA, Tanzania Early Modern Songo Mnara Swahili (Southern Nilotic Profile) and Kenya High Medieval Kakapel 900BP.
Can a DNA test tell me if I am Maasai?
No DNA test can confirm an ethnicity or a nationality. What DNA can show is how similar your genome is to the sampled Maasai average and to its neighbours. If you have G25 coordinates, paste them in the comparison box on this page to check that for free.
Which ExploreYourDNA report suits Maasai ancestry?
Sankofa – African Ancestry Report is the report built for this heritage, and its reference panel fits the Maasai average closely. Your own DNA may differ from the average, so the free Report Finder checks every report against your file before you buy.
Where does the data on this page come from?
From the averaged Global25 (G25) coordinates of the sampled individuals: genetic distances to other modern and ancient population averages, and a non-negative least-squares model against deep ancestral reference populations. The full method is described at https://www.exploreyourdna.com/populations#method.