About us
- 12/03/2015: two participants from known Le Kef branches, both descending from the original founder, match each other genetically in the way we expect from documentary genealogy. This validates project methods, and confirms what we know about Le Kef branches. In addition, we have just recruited an additional project member from an independent Tunis branch, results soon.
- 27/04/2013: some DYS464 values were modified by FTDNA following a technical issue. The cladogram has been recomputed to take the new values into account. The new cladogram shows that the Lybian branch is quite remote from all the Tunisian branches, which suggests the migration to Lybia occurred several centuries ago, perhaps 500-600 years.
- 01/01/2013: Happy New Year! We are opening the project to bearers of the SCHAMA surname or one of its variants.
- 28/08/2012: we have welcomed a participant who is a documented descendant from one of the famous "caïds" branches. This will allow us to answer many questions on which other branches are related, and how closely. This will also help solve tough genealogical mysteries at the top of the "caïds" family tree in the 18th and early-19th centuries, where little known documentation exists.
- 27/04/2012: it turns out that two project members are closely related to one another, which neither of them knew.
- 23/04/2012: recruited new member from previously unknown branch in Tunis. Preliminary test results on 25 markers show perfect correspondence with another member, so we're eagerly awaiting the last 12 markers...
- 22/01/2012: recruited new member from the Tunisian branch in Le Kef. Oral tradition has it that SAMAMA individuals from Le Kef all descend from a single ancestor. We would like to verify that using genetic genealogy, so if you know SAMAMA/SCEMAMA males with ancestors from Le Kef, send them our way!
- 30/12/2011: all project members for whom we have results so far turn out to be exact Y-DNA12 matches. This suggests a single common ancestor in historical time - a non-obvious result, since no two project members seem to share a common ancestor in the last 8 generations.
- 28/10/2011: test results have arrived for two group members. Both belong to haplogroup J2.
- 29/09/2011: welcome to our third project member, the first descendant from a Lybian SAMAMA branch in the project! This member joined because his Y-DNA12 matched one of the project's member's. We will now obtain more detailed information from upcoming Y-DNA37 results, which will tell us more precisely how far away in the past our Most Recent Common Ancestor lived.
- 22/09/2011: the project has already yielded an exciting result in traditional genealogy (no genetics involved yet), by merging two previously distinct SAMAMA branches. It turns out these two branches have a known common ancestor born at the end of the 18th century. We will try to confirm this result using genetic genealogy.
- 20/09/2011: welcome to the second project member, from a distinct SAMAMA branch! More members expected soon, stay tuned.
- 11/09/2011: results for the first member of the group expected end October.
- 18/08/2011: project created. Please share with your favorite SAMAMA/SCEMAMA male relative!