Will do my DNA

Found out I'm not African america. Mother is part Nigerian, congo, and a couple off ball ones; and father is cuban.

Don't know if my father's father side is African American but my grandmother is definitely not from here.

Mother thought she was native American actually. US has a genuine thing about finding where we are from. We're all over the place.

Anyway. I guess I'll keep you guys up to date. Mother knew since she was young she wasn't black (not a bad thing just makes sense from upbringing).

I don't know what I would do with my discovery and future discovery, but it does help with knowing more of who my ancestors are and honoring them. No one wants to talk in our family.

What is “African American” DNA? Isn’t that just someone of African ancestry who is a US citizen?

fantome profane said:

What is “African American” DNA? Isn’t that just someone of African ancestry who is a US citizen?

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Often black woman raped by a slave owner historically.

fantome profane said:

What is “African American” DNA? Isn’t that just someone of African ancestry who is a US citizen?

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African ethnicity and America and American culture nationality. No. Don't think so. But I wasn't born and raised outside the states, and the US called anyone dark skin somewhere from Africa.

Since America is so mixed, I wouldn't know what would be considered "American" DNA since it's not an ethnicity.

Being 50+ I am likely a victim of America's one drop laws. Meaning I have African ancestry therefore I am "black". Yet, I pass for a caucasian. I've done DNA and it confirms this. I was raised white in whiteness and with white. I also have native DNA and Asian. I've been confused my whole life about my ethnic background and identity. This will go on forever probably. I joke about being Murican a lot. That's probably what I am. All I am.

Viker said:

Being 50+ I am likely a victim of America's one drop laws. Meaning I have African ancestry therefore I am "black". Yet, I pass for a caucasian. I've done DNA and it confirms this. I was raised white in whiteness and with white. I also have native DNA and Asian. I've been confused my whole life about my ethnic background and identity. This will go on forever probably. I joke about being Murican a lot. That's probably what I am. All I am.

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You're a mutt which is our future.

I grew up knowing absolutely nothing at all about my family origins. I thought, partly because of my colouring but also from what I thought were hints from the Children's Aid Society, that I might have some native Canadian in me.

Then, at 70, I took the Ancestry DNA test, and I have found quite differently. I'm 50% Scot, the rest English, Northern Ireland and Wales, with a little Scandinavian -- and I've also discovered that I have 16 half-brothers and sisters (all of whom are parents and grandparents, so guess how big my family tree is now!!!). And I've met many of these previously unknown relatives.

Boggles the mind, really. Attached is a picture of me at a family barbecue the year before the world shut down. I'm in the very back, right in the middle, under the purple arrow. All the others are my family, who I never knew. And only about half of them showed up!!

And, can you believe it, at this 2-day reunion at my brother's house (he's the one with his arms and a beer raised 3 in from the right side), I had only met 3 of these people (my sister with the blue hair and baseball shirt down and to the right of me) and her two daughters, my nieces, a few weeks before. Everybody else in this picture -- this was our very first meeting.

Evangelicalhumanist said:

I grew up knowing absolutely nothing at all about my family origins. I thought, partly because of my colouring but also from what I thought were hints from the Children's Aid Society, that I might have some native Canadian in me.

Then, at 70, I took the Ancestry DNA test, and I have found quite differently. I'm 50% Scot, the rest English, Northern Ireland and Wales, with a little Scandinavian -- and I've also discovered that I have 16 half-brothers and sisters (all of whom are parents and grandparents, so guess how big my family tree is now!!!). And I've met many of these previously unknown relatives.

Boggles the mind, really. Attached is a picture of me at a family barbecue the year before the world shut down. I'm in the very back, right in the middle, under the purple arrow. All the others are my family, who I never knew. And only about half of them showed up!!View attachment 51477

And, can you believe it, at this 2-day reunion at my brother's house (he's the one with his arms and a beer raised 3 in from the right side), I had only met 3 of these people (my sister with the blue hair and baseball shirt down and to the right of me) and her two daughters, my nieces, a few weeks before. Everybody else in this picture -- this was our very first meeting.

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What a great outcome from a DNA test!

MikeF said:

What a great outcome from a DNA test!

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For those who really did know little -- it can be amazing.

I understand, however, that there can be downsides. I've already heard of people who've discovered that one of the siblings they've known all their life has only one parent in common. That can be traumatic, I think.

Unveiled Artist said:

Found out I'm not African america. Mother is part Nigerian, congo, and a couple off ball ones; and father is cuban.

Don't know if my father's father side is African American but my grandmother is definitely not from here.

Mother thought she was native American actually. US has a genuine thing about finding where we are from. We're all over the place.

Anyway. I guess I'll keep you guys up to date. Mother knew since she was young she wasn't black (not a bad thing just makes sense from upbringing).

I don't know what I would do with my discovery and future discovery, but it does help with knowing more of who my ancestors are and honoring them. No one wants to talk in our family.

Click to expand...

I have a younger sister that got her undergrad in History and Anthropology. It has been a while and I have forgotten the details, but in one of the classes she took, they did measurements of facial features and she said some of her numbers indicated some Asian ancestry. More recently, she had her DNA tested and it came back indicating some Asian ancestry. She was freaked out and kept asking me if I was sure our mother had been pregnant with her. I assured her that she was my sibling biologically and that I remember when my parents had her. My mother was half Croatian and I am betting that the Asian ancestry came in from there. Everyone passed through that part of the world at one time or another and the borders shifted as much as the winds.

Evangelicalhumanist said:

For those who really did know little -- it can be amazing.

I understand, however, that there can be downsides. I've already heard of people who've discovered that one of the siblings they've known all their life has only one parent in common. That can be traumatic, I think.

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True story. Today I found my aunt is my second cousin. Threw me for a loop.

fantome profane said:

What is “African American” DNA? Isn’t that just someone of African ancestry who is a US citizen?

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I reread. African American/black...many don't know where we came from and depending on the sub culture, depends on how much they identify within the American black subculture.

Africans are not part of American black subculture, so even though America tends to see both as "black," by technicality, they are not.

I wasn't raised in black subculture and my grandmother told my mother "you're not one of Them" during I think the civil rights movement when they came back to the states.

So, by part ethnicity so I'm part Nigerian, nationality American, but not part of a subculture as many of my other family members are.

One time I was on the bus talking to one black guy and he was actually from DC (stereotype) but I was born on military base in DC and was raised in VA. He looked at me and said "you're not one of us."

It was a weird statement, but I'm not. I won't know my direct DNA till maybe a month since it takes three weeks and probably a week to get the kit.

fantome profane said:

What is “African American” DNA? Isn’t that just someone of African ancestry who is a US citizen?

Click to expand...

When goggling "African American”....
"African Americans (also referred to as black Americans or Afro-Americans) are Americans of ancestry from black racial groups of Africa. ... Immigrants from some Caribbean, Central American, and South American nations and their descendants may or may not also self-identify with the term.

When goggling "African American DNA” this is what comes up first...
Most African Americans are descendants of enslaved people within the boundaries of the present United States. On average, African Americans are of West/Central African and European descent, and some also have Native American ancestry.

sun rise said:

You're a mutt which is our future.

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We strive for pure bred breeds in cats, dogs, horses, cattle, etc but for ourselves we just breed with what ever is handy lol.

I took a test a few years back with livingdna. According to them, I'm mostly British with a tad bit of Scandinavian, northern German, and a little bit of Tuscan.

There were family stories that my great great grandfather was half native American, but that turned out not to be true, apparently. There was also supposed to be Ashkenazi in my grandfather's line, but that also doesn't seem to be the case.

As for my dad's side, their record keeping has been spot on and lines up squarely with the DNA results. The Mormons sure love their genealogy.

Some of that interest in ancestry has rubbed off on me, too. I've always had a love for the past, though. Let us know if you find anything else! I love hearing about your family roots too.