When Everything You Thought You Knew Wasn't True
Just a quick story, this one.
Recently, my wife and I had our DNA done, through Ancestry DNA. Out of curiosity really. Growing up, on my father's side, I was always told we had Native American, (or American Indian - as Russell Means preferred - or Indigenous peoples, or First Nations, if you're from Canada), ancestry. Cherokee. Which is what most people say, since most can't name but one or two tribes, or bands of those tribes. My Grandpa was born in Ada, Oklahoma, (the post forced-march home of the Chickasaw Nation).
Growing up, I held a certain pride in that ancestry, attributing my rebellious streak to the fact I had some connection with the original care-takers of this country we now call America. They resisted, so will I! And so, that mystique stuck. My father had done some research into our past, but could never find a living Native American relative to clear a murky picture.
All I can say is that when my DNA came back, I was surprised and not surprised at the same time.
I think the surprise was from the Central Asian and Spanish/Greek/Finnish mix. I knew I was Polish and Hungarian. I'm a true mutt in every sense of the word!
I'm not upset by any of it, quite the opposite. It's given me a connection to my past that I'd never had before. To my French, Greek, Finnish, Asian, Scandinavian, and other parts I never knew about. It's opened a doorway to where to look now. So, the journey will continue!
Anyone else have a story like this? Share it and leave a comment!
Previous posts:
Once a Marine, Now a Psychedelic Explorer
From Machinegun Marine to Grateful Gardner
There are issues using those sites and in spite of "Knowing" I am american indian and being a researcher and have proven my lines my siblings results claimed she had none. 4 other siblings showed 2 as NA and 2 as having none. So 6 siblings tested and the results were half and half.
That's essentially what my uncle was saying. I wonder how that could be rectified? Unfortunately, I just don't know enough about DNA to say much more.
If I remember right it is how they have the NA listed, one could be under asian and another Iberian. Each of the testing places does it different.
Another point we discussed. My father had South-Asian, my older brother had South-Asian as well. I do think some theories have NA descending from ancient Asiatic tribes? I could be way off base though, again, way out of my wheel-house! I didn't know that about the Iberian Peninsula. Thank you!
very cool! my parents just got the tests and are getting results soon. i'm very curious! what was pandora?
Irish!!! Nearly 40%. And Scandanavian. It was fascinating. The things that are passed down from generation to generation could be completely wrong. My father and my grandpa did one, and neither showed any NA blood-types. Pandora had same situation. Told she had NA ancestry, and didn't either. I'm curious as to how many American families have this type of thought, narrative, that they have NA ancestry, but really don't. I mean, why would anyone lie about it? Since it was so "detrimental" to be a Native. Some sort of guilt? Romantic notion? And where does a thing like that start?! Such mysteries! You guys should totally do one.
There was no way my mother and her siblings could be looked at and not see their NA heritage.