Hey Beautiful People,
What do you think about your heritage? Do you feel that it is important? Or that it is not important to know where you came from?
JT and hubby
I used to think that it was not really a big deal because it was all in the past. My mother and grandmother would tell me my great-grandmother was a Cherokee Indian. My Grandmother said that my great grandmother had long black hair and how she would brush it when she was a little kid. I always wondered why I never saw a picture of her. My father did not talk much about his family, maybe because his own father passed away when he was only six years old. When I was in grade school, the other kids would tease me and call me Injun Joe (a derogatory term for a Native American). Where the heck did this come from? My mother told that people would look at me when I was a baby and that I would get darker over time; but I never did.
Am I Native American?
My hubby and I took the 23 and Me DNA test this year so that we could confirm or discredit the myths and theories that existed that had been presented to us about our ancestors. We were not shocked by the results; but we were surprised at the diversity of our ancestors. I discussed the DNA complete findings in an earlier post (found here). I found out that the Native American DNA was only a very small percentage (0.5%), which discredited my grandmother’s story. It made me rethink what my family had told me. I learned that through history that most African Americans are multiracial with European blood. And even though this occurred through many Africans being enslaved, not all were enslaved. Yes, some Africans were free and married Europeans.
One Drop Theory
According to the 23 and Me test, one-fourth of my DNA is non-African, with 22% being European and about 4% coming form other peoples of the world. For me to say I have African ancestry alone would be a disgrace and an insult to all the cultures that are found in my genetic makeup. I am a multiracial, African-European-American. It is a good feeling to know where my ancestors lived. Just because you have two parents who are African American, does not mean that you are 100% African American. The term ‘biracial’ really is saying you have two parents of different cultures; but the DNA doesn’t necessarily come out 50/50. I really am sorry to break this to you; but the majority of African Americans are multiracial. And being multiracial comes in all variations of skin color, isn’t that beautiful.
How do you feel about someone being called an African American?
I would often wonder myself about the term African American because what about the Africans who come to American and become an American citizen? They are African Americans too. My former pastor would say that he is not an African American because he did not come from Africa, but instead he come from Los Angeles. He would say that he is not black. The heels under his shoes are black, and that he is brown.
After I took the DNA test and saw in the results what parts of Africa my ancestors came from made me think a little more about the politically correct term, “African American.” If you are not 100% African American; do you also recognize the other ancestors? So many questions come up because again the majority of African Americans are mixed. I am multiracial. From my genealogical research, I determined that my grandfather on my Dad’s side is listed as a mulatto — derogatory term used in the 19th Century for a person whose parents are European and African. I still need to do some additional research to find out more about him.
Research
I am an American with SubSaharan African, Northwestern European, Native American, Scandinavian, Iberian, and Oceanin ancestry. There are still many more questions that need to be answered, but my husband and I will be doing more research to see what we can find out. We have been searching for more on my grandfather on my Dad’s side, but it is not easy. We want to find out what his story is and what that story can tell us.
I would like to know if the Africans in my ancestry were all enslaved, free or both. I would like to know who the European ancestor was that was a part of my father’s family.
What’s the point?
Through this journey, I am learning about my parents, about my ancestors and most importantly about myself. It is worth the time and effort. I know that as a child of God and that I come from our father Abraham. However, my ancestors individual stories are being pieced together to create an amazing story. A story that tells the world what makes me uniquely me.
It is just amazing that this journey all started by me sending a saliva sample in a test tube.
Your thoughts
Let me know your thoughts about the DNA research.
Is the research worth the time and effort? At the end of the day, does it even matter. Do you agree with the term African American? Do you recognize all of the ancestry that exists in your DNA?
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