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Since my test didn't show anything other than typical European I should just ignore the results and go with family belief/mythology? What's the point of even bothering if that's the case?
Of course not, I would be skeptical too, in fact I am in a similar situation Native American rumors but no NA in my blood.
But just like you wouldn't take family stories with no proof and take it on blind faith that it's true, you wouldn't take a DNA test which doesn't show you all your ancestry as blind proof you have no NA ancestry. Both make equally little sense.
Your DNA is like a grab bag of ancestors DNA... for hypothetical example you have more or less randomly grabbed 100 or so of your thousands of ancestors DNA in yourself. Just because you don't see the other 900 doesn't mean it doesn't exist.
The way to use DNA to help further is if you can get DNA tests up your ancestry. Get your parents or grandparents. If thats not an option uncles or aunts or great uncles or aunts are good proxies if they have the same combination parents. Barring that any siblings will have inherited overlapping but quite a bit different DNA so that's another option.
Got my results from the National Geographic's Geno 2.0 Project today. Completely European (well the mix of Northern European, Mediterranean and West Asian (Middle East) that all modern Europeans are). No Native American, so that shoots down the long-standing family mythology. Basically, I don't have to recognize or embrace anything besides that but my 1.9% Neanderthal genes (which is a pretty typical amount for a non-African).
LOL I know what you mean about family myths being debunked. We have had a family myth about two "Indian sisters" who married two brothers about 5 generations ago. Instead, I am 100 percent European - 98.6 percent NORTHERN European, with about 70 percent of that being British/Irish and the rest of it being non specific but northern.
LOL I know what you mean about family myths being debunked. We have had a family myth about two "Indian sisters" who married two brothers about 5 generations ago. Instead, I am 100 percent European - 98.6 percent NORTHERN European, with about 70 percent of that being British/Irish and the rest of it being non specific but northern.
I'm the whitest person I know.
Oh, and I'm 3 percent Neanderthal! LOL
Hmm, beware re: the Neanderthal. National Geographic has me at 0.8%, 23andMe at 3.1%. Considering I also have close to 4% SubSaharan, I'm going with National Geographic on this one.
BTW, I'm still "claiming" my NA 2nd great grandparents. Until the companies include a sample population that includes Eastern U.S. Native Americans, I'm sticking with the census records, etc.
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To the OP: I'm also "claiming" my SubSaharan side and am trying to identify my cousins through my maternal line. Why would I not? We share genes and family history. Isn't that the whole point of tracing our roots?
blood runs deeper than we ever could see thru normal eyes.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sprite97
Most americans are mixed. Black americans are mixed with European, yet whites having african ancestry is often ignored. Do white americans embrace their African ancestry? Also, I just read something about Heather Locklear, who is blonde and blue eyed, having African ancestry.
I agree with you on that fact, we do know that all life came out of what is now Africa and yes we have found that almost every white person on this planet has black in them weather or not they want to admit it or not. I knew from a young age that I would marry a man that was black or dark skinned. I knew like I knew the sun was coming up in the morning. I just loved people and all different cultures but I always winded up back to black history. I came to find out by my original birth certificate that my father was a black/white man who had some black features but not many , the hair ,the chin and forehead but he had sun harden skin and blue eyes from his mothers side and my mother is Irish/Spaniard . I did not grow up around either of them, I grew up in a Lilly white neighborhood with my adoptive parents who freaked when I told them that my boyfriend was black. I had no idea they didn't believe in race mixing they never talked about it or about my real parents much, even thou they knew them somewhat. It surprises me that whites can't seem to except there real heritage and now that I look into a mirror i can see the black dots all over my body along with my so natural curly hair , and my nose and lips that my fathers blood goes deep within me . I did marry a black man and we have grown children that are very mixed and it makes me proud that they have not had it hard making a life here in Madison , Alabama. We are all mixed and it is just time for us to just love and respect each other and work together to make this world a better place.
I agree with you on that fact, we do know that all life came out of what is now Africa and yes we have found that almost every white person on this planet has black in them weather or not they want to admit it or not. I knew from a young age that I would marry a man that was black or dark skinned. I knew like I knew the sun was coming up in the morning. I just loved people and all different cultures but I always winded up back to black history. I came to find out by my original birth certificate that my father was a black/white man who had some black features but not many , the hair ,the chin and forehead but he had sun harden skin and blue eyes from his mothers side and my mother is Irish/Spaniard . I did not grow up around either of them, I grew up in a Lilly white neighborhood with my adoptive parents who freaked when I told them that my boyfriend was black. I had no idea they didn't believe in race mixing they never talked about it or about my real parents much, even thou they knew them somewhat. It surprises me that whites can't seem to except there real heritage and now that I look into a mirror i can see the black dots all over my body along with my so natural curly hair , and my nose and lips that my fathers blood goes deep within me . I did marry a black man and we have grown children that are very mixed and it makes me proud that they have not had it hard making a life here in Madison , Alabama. We are all mixed and it is just time for us to just love and respect each other and work together to make this world a better place.
Completely agreed. Though seemingly most "white" americans don't have any "recent" African ancestry (though we all come from Africa and are all distantly related).
Depending on the communities in the US finding out you have african DNA, in effect are part "black" or have an ancestor that was "black" can have a hugely different effect.
For me the possibility is exciting (I have 1% African roughly and confirming it with my parents DNA to see how likely it is from an African American ancestor, I have no immigrant ancestors so far that strongly explain it other than that)... though not everyone feels that way, it's easy to forget (or even be completely naive to it if you haven't experienced those areas) that places in the US are still *very* racist.
For example that RNC North Carolina county precinct chairman who was interviewed on the daily show and was blatantly racist and was forced to resign. Not only was he racist but he was openly racist on a national television show.
There are many areas like this, you definitely realize it when you bump into white supremacist forums on the web.
I personally think embracing our individual diversity (even if you are of 100% recent European descent there's still diversity within Europe, a lot of it) but it's easy to forget how racist many areas still are.
...Then we discovered that it was actually invaded by some Spanish which is where our surname comes from. So, am I supposed to have Spanish pride? After 700 years? What about the drib of illegitimate Chinese on the Lancashire side? Should I be proud of my Chinese ancestry too? Seriously where do you draw the line.
Back to the crux of it; the main question nearly seven pages ago was, "Should white Americans recognize/embrace their African ancestry?"
I took the "all you can take" mtDNA test at Family Tree DNA - Genetic Genealogy Starts Here. My ancestral Eve apparently lived in Algeria, a country in Africa, 120,000 years ago, where people now identify as Mozabique. Today, it lies partially in north Africa and partially in the Middle East. But I don't feel a connection to an ancestor who lived 120,000 years ago, and I agree with Cindersslipper that at some point, at least I feel I have to draw a line -- others may not.
I would feel satisfied if I could locate the countries of origin for my three as-yet-unknown (with 100% certainty) direct ancestral lines. But though I can appreciate that even today's DNA can't detect exactly where in Africa my first "true Eve" began life, I feel certain that we all originated in Africa and are thus all connected / related through that origin. But for me, going beyond 500 years doesn't resonate (in terms of embracing and identifying with any community or race of people). But that's just me.
I agree with Tobiashen. If ancestry is very distant it is not going to have much meaning. If people are mostly white or mostly black that is what they are going to connect with and be recognised as. If you have more recent ancestry then it would be easier to connect with and I'm sure if someone had a Great Grandmother who was African they would acknowledge it. It would be interesting to know distant ancestry but it wouldn't change what your majority dna is or how you are perceived by others.
I agree with Tobiashen. If ancestry is very distant it is not going to have much meaning. If people are mostly white or mostly black that is what they are going to connect with and be recognised as. If you have more recent ancestry then it would be easier to connect with and I'm sure if someone had a Great Grandmother who was African they would acknowledge it. It would be interesting to know distant ancestry but it wouldn't change what your majority dna is or how you are perceived by others.
Very true, though this leads to two questions, answers which I believe are not absolute but different (and probably changing and evolving) for each person.
1) You mention that distant ancestry doesn't change how you are perceived by others, how much of your own identity should you create yourself and how you perceive yourself (which can include knowledge of distant ancestry if you so choose) vs. driving your self identify by how others perceive?
Personally I think we all meet our own balance of the two and I don't think there's a right answer... but self identity is very important and in many ways to some people more important than how others identify you.
2) How far is very distant... where do you draw that line, or is it self identify being attributed to ancestors with a diminishing return? Is it just to your great grandparents, what about 2x, 3x, etc... 10x. Your paternal line in which you get your name from (possibly) or maybe an ancestor you were named specifically after.
Again a very personal question in which we all have our own valid answer. Right now my own answer would probably be ancestors in the last 200 years or so are weighed above those 400-500+. Partially since this can parallel to some extent to autosomal DNA.
I for example am about 90-95%+ European in my DNA. I am very white and grew up not knowing of any genuine possibility of any different ancestors. I am about 1-2% African (still waiting, should get in the next couple days or so actually, my parents DNA test to confirm), I am American with a strong ancestry in the South. It seems like I have African American ancestors that would roughly date to about 200 years or so (give or take).
Is that too far for me to self identify? It doesn't make me black of course. I haven't experienced life as a "black" person, leading towards what you mentioned about how others identify you and treat you. It does mean (if true) that an ancestor of mine was "black" (and eventually an ancestor "passed"). I wouldn't be here if they didn't exist, if they didn't have a child with my other ancestors, and subsequent ancestors down.
Do I dismiss it as purely interesting, do I evolve my self identity and how much? 1-2% of my self identity? More, less? I definitely think people have a right to self identify with whatever they choose... though I definitely think knowing the truth vs. family myths, but what you choose to use in your own identity I think is up to you.
We all have to ask these questions and face our own answers, and ideally evolve.
Very true, though this leads to two questions, answers which I believe are not absolute but different (and probably changing and evolving) for each person.
1) You mention that distant ancestry doesn't change how you are perceived by others, how much of your own identity should you create yourself and how you perceive yourself (which can include knowledge of distant ancestry if you so choose) vs. driving your self identify by how others perceive?
Personally I think we all meet our own balance of the two and I don't think there's a right answer... but self identity is very important and in many ways to some people more important than how others identify you.
2) How far is very distant... where do you draw that line, or is it self identify being attributed to ancestors with a diminishing return? Is it just to your great grandparents, what about 2x, 3x, etc... 10x. Your paternal line in which you get your name from (possibly) or maybe an ancestor you were named specifically after.
Again a very personal question in which we all have our own valid answer. Right now my own answer would probably be ancestors in the last 200 years or so are weighed above those 400-500+. Partially since this can parallel to some extent to autosomal DNA.
I for example am about 90-95%+ European in my DNA. I am very white and grew up not knowing of any genuine possibility of any different ancestors. I am about 1-2% African (still waiting, should get in the next couple days or so actually, my parents DNA test to confirm), I am American with a strong ancestry in the South. It seems like I have African American ancestors that would roughly date to about 200 years or so (give or take).
Is that too far for me to self identify? It doesn't make me black of course. I haven't experienced life as a "black" person, leading towards what you mentioned about how others identify you and treat you. It does mean (if true) that an ancestor of mine was "black" (and eventually an ancestor "passed"). I wouldn't be here if they didn't exist, if they didn't have a child with my other ancestors, and subsequent ancestors down.
Do I dismiss it as purely interesting, do I evolve my self identity and how much? 1-2% of my self identity? More, less? I definitely think people have a right to self identify with whatever they choose... though I definitely think knowing the truth vs. family myths, but what you choose to use in your own identity I think is up to you.
We all have to ask these questions and face our own answers, and ideally evolve.
I just think that if you have 2% African ancestry you know that you have had a recent African ancestor and I suppose you would feel more a connection because of that but you don't live your life like a person who is obviously African American and share that experience or recent history. It is the same with people who have had NA ancestors. In fact it doesn't even have to be with how you look because even if someone had an African American Great Grandparent they would be more in touch with that ancestry. That's my personal take on it anyway but others might feel different.
A lot of African Americans have a lot more Euro ancestry but they are still viewed as African Americans and also identifiy that way.
I'm sure with dna testing available now a lot of people might find some interesting ancestry results.
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blood runs deeper than we ever could see thru normal eyes.
