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Well as CaribDoll pointed out, there are different companies. Also, you don't need to necessarily have the maternal and paternal samples analyzed at the same time. You could save $250 over a six month or year period (if you are strapped for cash) and use the money to only have your maternal genetic test conducted. The following year or two, you could request and pay for the paternal testing kit.
Shop around for the best pricing and company that works well for you.
If you do 23andme, you get both, your paternal and maternal lineage for merely $100. Plus you get an autosomal reading.
I think it's important, because many people of African ancestry in the U.S. suffer from an identity crisis. I can't speak for others, but I've never liked the generic "black" label. What does black denote? It tells me nothing about my culture and identity. If anything, "black" in the dictionary is used to describe everything evil, while "white" is used to describe everything pure and good.
My non African American friends can talk about their family's origin, culture and language, but I can only speak English and have no extensive knowledge of my ancestors. I imagine it would be great to unlock that history, travel to the region of my ancestors and learn about their traditions, cultures, language and customs.
Exactly...not sure why that's so difficult for some to grasp.
Imagine what you could do with such knowledge, once you've uncovered your actual ancestral identity.
For starters, if you are a descendant of the Igbo in Nigeria, you could book a trip to Nigeria and start unraveling your ancestors identity and your true composition. You could also learn (or at least attempt to learn) the lgbo language and customs of your ancestors. This would free you from the generic "black or African label" because you would actually know where in Africa your ancestors hailed from.
What are your thoughts?
The problem with many is that after the trip and language learning they'll have to get back to the usual unemployment, low wages and more reality check. I am curious how many would choose to stay in Nigeria and be treated as equal citizens. Not many, I guess.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lena2345
I understand your point, but knowing your full ancestry is very valid. Notice that the "house of Windsor" (English royal family) knows everything about their lineage. Why do you suppose that is? Don't you find it interesting that those with the least, often know the least about their ancestors, while those with the most, know the most about theirs...
Excellent example! The British royal family (and other European monarchs) are a bunch of degenerated folks, that constantly bring shame to the Brits. The fact that you know your ancestry doesn't help with becoming a better person.
That's cool. I imagine there was much tribal inter-marrying on this side of the oceans that would make it more complex/interesting. I can trace my ancestry back to specific villages in the UK in the late 1700's/early 1800's. I never thought of DNA testing and in my case am not sure what useful info it would/could reveal.
At least you know that your ancestors are English. Most African Americans don't even know which specific countries in Africa their ancestors hail from. The great thing about the DNA testing is, they can map the actual African tribal group as well as the countries of origin.
I looked at the results, but they didn't exactly go into detail about the specific African tribal groups. I think African Ancestry provides more comprehensive results about one's African Ancestry. That's what I'm really interested in to be quite honest.
I looked at the results, but they didn't exactly go into detail about the specific African tribal groups. I think African Ancestry provides more comprehensive results about one's African Ancestry. That's what I'm really interested in to be quite honest.
African Ancestry sucks!!!!!It's more expensive, and the results are misleading. The tribal group that it supposedly links you to is only one line out of hundreds of your ancestors. Besides, you can't infer that a given haplogroup belongs to this or that ethnic group since various ethnic groups share haplogroups.
For the same reason that more white Americans don't get DNA testing, don't visit the "olde country", and (apart from kids of recent immigrants) don't learn the dances and languages of their ancestors.
Actually, most whites don't need to get DNA testing because they know from their surnames and family histories where at least some of their ancestors came from. And if they don't, they can look in library and census records and find out. DNA is all we've got.
I would love to have a DNA test to learn more about my ancestry---all my ancestry. I know from years of doing my genealogy that I have a number of European and Native American ancestors in addition to my African family lines. But I have to have realistic priorities. I'm not going to spend hundreds of dollars on DNA testing when I am struggling to pay my monthly mortgage.
Well as CaribDoll pointed out, there are different companies. Also, you don't need to necessarily have the maternal and paternal samples analyzed at the same time. You could save $250 over a six month or year period (if you are strapped for cash) and use the money to only have your maternal genetic test conducted. The following year or two, you could request and pay for the paternal testing kit.
Shop around for the best pricing and company that works well for you.
Ancestry.com, as well as most companies currently conducting dna testing, charge $99. Whether people chose to do this or not is there choice, but please post the correct info on pricing. I'm Black and I gladly had the test.
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