Black Like Me
If you have idyllic attitudes of your family's heritage that you're holding on to, you may not want to get your DNA tested.
Case in point: A friend of mine, who has believed his whole life that he's Sicilian, did a 23andme DNA test and found out he's Greek. It was a shock to his self-identity. One day he's who he's always thought he was, the next day he's not.
I also, recently, got my DNA tested. It was a birthday present. For the record, I've always believed I was 50% Irish, 25% Portuguese with the rest being mutt (even having some Native American Indian in my background).
Well - no.
I am 65% Irish and 16% Portuguese. Then there's some minor Italian and German along with 0.1% Sub-Saharan African (there was no American Indian at all). The African blood was a surprise, but when I thought about it, it made sense. The Moors had been in Spain for 800 years, there had to be some mixing in the region.
Now, a DNA screening can't really tell you about your heritage. Feel free to look up the genetics of crossing over. But, it does tell you what your makeup is, and if you do it, prepare to be not exactly the person you thought you were (genetically speaking).
Cheers!
Case in point: A friend of mine, who has believed his whole life that he's Sicilian, did a 23andme DNA test and found out he's Greek. It was a shock to his self-identity. One day he's who he's always thought he was, the next day he's not.
I also, recently, got my DNA tested. It was a birthday present. For the record, I've always believed I was 50% Irish, 25% Portuguese with the rest being mutt (even having some Native American Indian in my background).
Well - no.
I am 65% Irish and 16% Portuguese. Then there's some minor Italian and German along with 0.1% Sub-Saharan African (there was no American Indian at all). The African blood was a surprise, but when I thought about it, it made sense. The Moors had been in Spain for 800 years, there had to be some mixing in the region.
Now, a DNA screening can't really tell you about your heritage. Feel free to look up the genetics of crossing over. But, it does tell you what your makeup is, and if you do it, prepare to be not exactly the person you thought you were (genetically speaking).
Cheers!
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