The Project
Why we are doing this.
The AmaQithi are San (AbaThwa) descendants. The genetic evidence of that origin exists in our DNA. This project is how we find it, document it, and preserve it before it is further diluted or forgotten.
Qithi and Mqithi carry the palatal click consonant Q — a Khoisan linguistic marker not native to Bantu languages. Qwabi follows a parallel family etymology from axab (son), adapted in local speech over time. The DNA project is the scientific parallel to these linguistic lineages.
What participants do: sign up via the form below, receive a test kit (logistics being finalised), submit a sample, and become part of the first AmaQithi genetic database.
Future implication
In the future, only people with confirmed AmaQithi DNA will be eligible for clan support, trust resources, and full platform access. This is not in effect yet. We are building the database first. The DNA tier will be introduced once the genetic map has sufficient depth. This is serious, irreversible, important work.
If you believe you carry Qithi blood but cannot trace your lineage in writing, the DNA project is for you too. Come forward.
How It Works
What you need to know.
What we are mapping
The AmaQithi San genetic signature across all known family lines — Lady Frere, Ngcobo, Cofimvaba, Free State, and beyond.
The linguistic anchor
Q (palatal click) in Qithi, Nqabayo, Mqithi preserves a Khoisan phonetic layer in Xhosa orthography, while Qwabi is traced to axab ("son") in family etymology. Scientific confirmation is the next step.
The oral-history anchor
Oral tradition says Ntande's twins, Qithi and Cube, were incorporated through black-cow slaughter rites. We treat that as a key hypothesis bridge and test it against documents in the Lesotho research section.
Haplogroups tracked
L0 and L1 — the deepest San maternal lineages. These are the oldest human mitochondrial lineages on Earth, concentrated in southern African San populations.
Your participation
Voluntary. Confidential. You receive a test kit, return a sample, and are notified of results as the database is built.
Data sovereignty
Your data belongs to the AmaQithi community. It will not be shared, sold, or used for any purpose outside this project.
Why now
Every generation of assimilation dilutes the San genetic signal. The people alive today are the best chance we have.
Oral History Archive
Submit what you know.
The AmaQithi Genomy project is not only genetic. The oral record — izibongo, family accounts, village histories, photographs, and stories — is equally irreplaceable. Elders hold knowledge that does not exist anywhere in writing.
Submit what you know: names, villages, lineage chains, accounts of events, descriptions of elders you remember. Every contribution is preserved and attributed to the contributor.
Priority is given to accounts that: reference specific named individuals, name specific villages or landmarks, document conflicts or alliances, or extend the documented lineage back before Qwabi Joka (1842).
Submit Your Account
Use the oral history form in the Applysection to submit your account. Select “Oral History Archive” as your submission type. No membership is required to contribute oral history.
Submit oral history →Sign Up
Join the AmaQithi Genomy project.
Apply for clan membership.
Genomy participants who are not yet verified members are encouraged to apply for membership in parallel.