When I had my own DNA tested, and then my mother's, I was shocked to find that we are of 100% Northern European descent, with a very rare mitochondrial haplogroup. My mother told me we are Jewish on the maternal side; we are not, although she still stands by that. My maternal grandmother told me that we have Native American on the fairly recent maternal side, but as a genealogist I've been unable to find it (admixtures in the past few hundred years won't show up on the deep DNA tests, I'm told). So, what is TRUE when DNA, familial stories passed down through the generations, intermarriage between different groups, and the culture we practice and pass down to our kids is thrown in the same pot and stirred?
A mystery! That's what!
Razib discusses this on his blog Gene Expression.
"There is also a general insight. How can a people “forget” their past origins? How can they create entirely fictive genealogies? As economists would say: incentives matter. Many human populations emerge through a process of genetic amalgamation, but cultural identity is not governed by the laws of segregation. Cultural identity and memory can rupture and shift far more rapidly because the laws of cultural inheritance are more plastic and protean. There was a clear folk migration of massive numbers of Germans into what became England, but their history and folkways were adopted wholesale by the native peoples whom they conquered. This sort of process likely has occurred many times across human history."
And from the comments, poster AG adds:
"I was indoctrinated by my family as pure blood Northern Han who are proud of people as origin of Han culture. I believe the family tale without any doubt until modern ancestry genetic analysis comes. DNA analysis indicates my 90% mongol ancestry.
When I studied the hometown village history, it all made sense now. The very village was established right after fall of Mongol Yuan dynasty. Many Mongol soldiers served under Ming (Han) emperor were settled in the region and converted into farmers as Han people. Mongol names and intermarriage were forbidden under Ming laws.
Mongols are not very ethnic centritric in the first place. We are happily embracing inter-ethnic marriage and new ethnic identity."
Franks: Un-Romanized Gauls.
ReplyDeleteGauls: Romanized Franks.
I'm quite evidently some kind of white mongrel. I could get the workup done - and being adopted, I have!
ReplyDeleteI have no clue as to my family disease history, so it would be stupid not to avail myself of testing when it became affordable. So I did that.
But the choice I made was to focus purely on medical. I got no racial/ethnic makeup data.
That way I can identify as Celt or Saxon or Norman or Frank or Lombard or whoever, as the mood suits me.
Not actually sure I'm kidding. Long term exposure to Portland is clearly warping my mind.
I have been tempted to see what my makeup is. I must be a mix of a lot of things, some of my maternal ancestors going back to the revolution. My father side is almost purely Irish, as his grandfather came from Ireland. I think the same could be said about his mother’s side as well, but I am not quite as sure. However, my father was surprised to find out one of his grandmother’s maiden name as the only people he knew with that name were Jewish.
ReplyDeleteWho knows?
Two shocking things about tracing your family tree: 1} the skeleton’s in the closet (I did not find out until 11 years ago that my father had a brother, although I had a strong suspicion that I was not be given all, if any, of the story), and 2) I have probably entered the realm of being one of the longest living people in my family. Yes, there are those who made it into their mid 80’s, but there are probably just as many whom I have outlived already.