Africa Speaks Reasoning Forum

From Where in Africa Did African Americans Come?
This information comes from P.D. Curtin's book, "Atlantic Slave Trade" p. 221. Obviously, this is not the only version available, but Curtin is a heavyweight on the subject (along with W.E.B. DuBois, R.R. Kuczynski, E. Donnan, Davies, H.S. Klein, etc) and I like the way the data is presented:



PROJECTED EXPORTS OF THAT PORTION OF THE FRENCH AND ENGLISH SLAVE TRADE HAVING IDENTIFIABLE REGION OF COAST ORIGIN IN AFRICA, 1711-1810.



Senegambia (Senegal-Gambia) * 5.8%

Sierra Leone 3.4%

Windward Coast (Ivory Coast) * 12.1%

Gold Coast (Ghana) * 14.4%

Bight of Benin (Nigeria) * 14.5

Bight of Biafra (Nigeria) * 25.1%

Central and Southeast Africa (Cameroon-

  N. Angola) * 24.7%



* The countries in parentheses

are rough approximations to help

you find the location on a modern map.



Now I will try to relate the above regions to selected ethnic groups. I've collected this data from a variety of sources, and I can't vouch for all of them. The central question for me is always, "Were these people called by that name during that time in that place?" I don't know how to show the nomadic and semi-nomadic groups, but I included several below anyway.



SENEGAMBIA: Wolof, Mandingo, Malinke, Bambara, Papel, Limba, Bola, Balante, Serer, Fula, Tucolor



SIERRA LEONE: Temne, Mende, Kisi, Goree, Kru.



WINDWARD COAST (including Liberia): Baoule, Vai, De, Gola (Gullah), Bassa, Grebo.



GOLD COAST: Ewe, Ga, Fante, Ashante, Twi, Brong



BIGHT OF BENIN & BIGHT OF BIAFRA combined: Yoruba, Nupe, Benin, Dahomean (Fon), Edo-Bini, Allada, Efik, Lbibio, Ljaw, Lbani, Lgbo (Calabar)



CENTRAL & SOUTHEAST AFRICA: BaKongo, MaLimbo, Ndungo, BaMbo, BaLimbe, BaDongo, Luba, Loanga, Ovimbundu, Cabinda, Pembe, Imbangala, Mbundu, BaNdulunda



Other possible groups that maybe should be included as a "Ancestral group" of African Americans, and in what region:



Fulani, Tuareg, Dialonke, Massina, Dogon, Songhay, Jekri, Jukun, Domaa, Tallensi, Mossi, Nzima, Akwamu, Egba, Fang, and Ge.



Best Regards,

Kwame Bandele
The original source of this map is:
(http://www.homestead.com/wysinger/files/miller_xiii.gif)

MacMillan Encyclopedia of World Slavery: Volume II Paul Finkelman & Joseph C. Miller eds. (Macmillan Reference USA - Simon and Schuster Macmillan New York, 1998), p. xiii.
Atlantic Slave Trade to the Americas 1500 to 1800
(http://www.homestead.com/wysinger/files/source2a.jpg)
ABOARD THE SLAVE SHIPS
(http://www.homestead.com/wysinger/files/source2b.jpg)