My ancestry search ended in Lagos royal family, US-born Nigerian, Olomo

For many in the African diaspora, the journey to uncover ancestral roots often hits a historical wall, with documented family histories beginning only after arrival in America. This was the case for Olomo, a US-born Nigerian, whose personal quest for deeper ancestry led him not only to connect with the Yoruba people of Nigeria but also to a specific lineage within Imota.

Olomo's professional background in entrepreneurship, marketing, and business development provided him with the skills to build systems and companies. However, a persistent question about his family history before America began to shape his worldview. He realized that while the history of slavery and the civil rights movement in the United States is well-documented, the identities, communities, languages, and family relationships of African ancestors prior to enslavement had largely vanished from the record.

This realization fueled his genealogical research, which eventually pinpointed his family's connection to the Yoruba people and a specific lineage in Imota. This discovery highlighted a gap in existing services: while some companies could identify broad African origins, few offered guidance on what to do with that information. This insight became the foundation for his organization, Tribal Tapestry.

Tribal Tapestry aims to address this gap, helping individuals of the African diaspora understand their heritage more deeply. Olomo believes that professional accomplishment is important, but his perspective on success has evolved. It is now less about personal accumulation and more about recovering, building, and passing forward a more complete ancestral legacy.

Growing up in the United States, Africa was a broad concept within the African American identity. Olomo notes that Africa is an enormous continent, and knowing one is African does not reveal their specific people, family, or language. His journey underscores the profound significance of understanding these pre-American chapters of identity, which existed long before enslavement and continue to shape legacies today.