Mende DNA
Genetic origins and closest populations · Sierra Leone · Sub-Saharan Africa
The Mende are one of the two largest peoples of Sierra Leone, living mainly in the forested south and east of the country. They speak a Mande language, related to Bambara and Mandinka. Mende history also reached the Americas: in 1839, Mende captives led by Sengbe Pieh took over the slave ship Amistad, and their case ended in freedom before the US Supreme Court. In our model, the Mende average is 88.5% West African, 5.0% Western rainforest forager (BiAka), 3.2% Nilotic East African, 2.2% Southern African forager and 1.1% Mbuti. Unlike the Mandinka and Bambara of the savanna, they show no Iberomaurusian share and more forager-related ancestry. Their closest modern averages are the Jola of the Gambia (0.021), then the Igbo and Akan, rather than other Mande speakers. Their nearest ancient match lies far out in the Atlantic: Africans buried in the 19th century in Rupert's Valley on Saint Helena (0.0345).
- Largest ancient components in our model: West African 88.5%, Western rainforest foragers (BiAka) 5.0%, Nilotic East African 3.2%
- Closest modern population in our data: Jola (Gambia), distance 0.0210
- Closest ancient group in our data: Saint Helena Late Modern Rupert's Valley (West/Central African Profile), distance 0.0345
Mende 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 Mende individuals sampled in Sierra Leone, listed in the G25 sheet as "Mende_Sierra_Leone". Like every population average, it smooths over a lot of variation between individuals.
Ancient make-up of the Mende average
Modelled as a mix of deep ancestral reference populations, the Mende average comes out as 88.5% West African, 5.0% Western rainforest foragers (BiAka) and 3.2% Nilotic East African. The West African component reflects ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. With well over half of the total, this single source dominates the profile.
Smaller traces of Nilotic East African, Southern African foragers (San) and Central African rainforest foragers (Mbuti) (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 model fits well (fit distance 0.007), so these proportions are a reasonable summary. 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 Mende
Genetically, the Mende average sits nearest to Jola (Gambia) at 0.021, Igbo at 0.022 and Akan at 0.024. On our scale, a distance of 0.021 counts as very close. Even the tenth closest, Cameroon (Mbo), is only 0.028 away: Mende belongs to a dense cluster of related populations, so small differences inside that cluster should not be over-interpreted.
| # | Population | Distance | Closeness |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jola (Gambia) | 0.0210 | Very close |
| 2 | Igbo | 0.0222 | Very close |
| 3 | Akan | 0.0238 | Very close |
| 4 | Manjak (Gambia) | 0.0241 | Very close |
| 5 | Cameroonian (Semi-Bantu) | 0.0248 | Very close |
| 6 | Senegal (Bedik) | 0.0255 | Close |
| 7 | Aghem | 0.0255 | Close |
| 8 | Bedik | 0.0259 | Close |
| 9 | Cameroonian (Bafut) | 0.0273 | Close |
| 10 | Cameroon (Mbo) | 0.0278 | Close |
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 Mende
Looking back in time, the ancient sample that most resembles the Mende average is Saint Helena Late Modern Rupert's Valley (West/Central African Profile) (Late Modern, c. 1800-1950 AD), at 0.035. Saint Helena Late Modern Rupert's Valley (Central/Southern African Bantu Profile) and Democratic Republic of the Congo Kindoki 230BP come 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 | Saint Helena Late Modern Rupert's Valley (West/Central African Profile) | Late Modern, c. 1800-1950 AD | 0.0345 |
| 2 | Saint Helena Late Modern Rupert's Valley (Central/Southern African Bantu Profile) | Late Modern, c. 1800-1950 AD | 0.0430 |
| 3 | Democratic Republic of the Congo Kindoki 230BP | c. 1700 AD | 0.0439 |
| 4 | COG Kindoki 230BP | c. 1700 AD | 0.0443 |
| 5 | Democratic Republic of the Congo Ngongo Mbata 220BP | c. 1750 AD | 0.0535 |
| 6 | COG NgongoMbata 220BP | c. 1750 AD | 0.0566 |
| 7 | Tanzania Pemba 600BP | c. 1350 AD | 0.0665 |
| 8 | South Africa Newcastle 400BP | c. 1550 AD | 0.0720 |
| 9 | Tanzania Early Modern Lindi Swahili (Bantu Zone P Profile) | Early Modern, c. 1500-1800 AD | 0.0721 |
| 10 | South Africa Eland Cave 400BP | c. 1550 AD | 0.0772 |
Compare yourself with Mende
Paste your G25 coordinates (scaled, one line, with or without a name in front) and we compute your genetic distance to the Mende average and to its closest neighbours, right in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or stored.
| # | Population | Your distance | Closeness |
|---|
This list only covers Mende 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
Keep in mind that a population average is a statistical summary of a limited number of sampled individuals. Real people inside any group vary, some carry more of one ancestry and some less, and no genetic profile decides who is or is not Mende. Use these numbers as a map of deep ancestry, not as a label.
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 Mende 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 Mende?
Modelled with deep ancestral reference populations, the Mende average is about 88.5% West African, 5.0% Western rainforest foragers (BiAka) and 3.2% Nilotic East African. These proportions are model estimates for a group average, not exact values for any one person.
Which populations are genetically closest to Mende?
In the G25 data, the closest modern populations to the Mende average are Jola (Gambia), Igbo and Akan. The closest ancient matches are Saint Helena Late Modern Rupert's Valley (West/Central African Profile), Saint Helena Late Modern Rupert's Valley (Central/Southern African Bantu Profile) and Democratic Republic of the Congo Kindoki 230BP.
Can a DNA test tell me if I am Mende?
No DNA test can confirm an ethnicity or a nationality. What DNA can show is how similar your genome is to the sampled Mende 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 Mende ancestry?
Sankofa – African Ancestry Report is the report built for this heritage, and its reference panel fits the Mende 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.