DNA Results

DNA Results

Well, I'm gonna sound really petty. I remember when I was a kid, people occasionally asked dad if he was an Indian. His reply was always the same, "Oh, I hve a little Indian blood, not much though."

Here's a photo of my parents; dad -- Alpha Omega Hawkins (1915-1992) and mama -- Elmyra Louise (Plaster) Hawkins (1915-2002). Mama is mostly German, English, and Scots-Irish. Some of Dad's ancestors were harder to find.

And that's all I have ever claimed, really. Then other people come up to me and say I am faking it . . . THEY are the ones making a big deal out of it. My dogs are all sleepy and I feel I have time to write down a few things. I wanted to find out more about our native blood, and so about 30 years ago I started trying to find out more information about them. My quest morphed from a research into the Cherokee into one looking into the history of the Catawba and other bands associated with them. That's all. All my research culminated in looking into our DNA. That's how we got here.

Well finally, I got a major DNA testing company to admit their results depend on the algorithm they use. I asked Family Tree DNA -- why did [another testing company's] autosomal DNA test reveal a tri-racial ancestry (which agrees with both family stories and photographic evidence), while your test said I was 100 % Caucasian?"

— Different companies use different algorithms, test different SNPs, and use different population clusters. This means that the results will vary. 

In the past they had said I was about 98% Caucasian and the rest unknown, or something like similar. 

They also forwarded me a link -- Ancestral DNA Percentages – How Much of Them is in You? | DNAeXplained – Genetic Genealogy (dna-explained.com)

At that kink was the followinig table and accompanying paragraph --

One of the most common questions I receive, especially in light of the interest in ethnicity testing, is how much of an ancestor’s DNA someone “should” share.

I was a math major in college so making this simple chart is easy. But my opinion carries no weight at all, as everything I say gets criticized. Maybe since the genealogical site created the link to this table, people will be more apt to believe it. The chart above shows how much of a particular generation of ancestors’ DNA you would inherit if each generation between you and that ancestor inherited exactly 50% of that ancestor’s DNA from their parent. This means, on the average, you will carry less than 1% of each of your 5 times great-grandparents DNA, shown in generation 7, in total. You’ll carry about 1.56% of each of your 4 times great-grandparents, your 6th generation ancestors, and so forth.

From this chart I can assume I inherit the following; From the "Gist/Guess ancestors -- me, dad, gramdma, , Josephine, Harriet, Rachel -- Rachel being g-g-g-grandma -- maybe 1.56%. It might have been her husband that was Native American.

From the Brown's -- me, dad, grandma. Josephine, David, John -- maybe 0.78% -- John wasn't full blood.

From my Wayland's -- me, dad, grandma, Jeffrey, Sarah, William, and Kezziah -- maybe 1.56% -- or maybe 0.78 -- It's impossible to know who was full blood, or mixed race, or how mixed, someone was that long ago. Our emperical data agrees pretty good with the algorithm showing our ntive ancestry of about 3%.

These three ancestors would give me, my generation, about  (2)*(1.56)+0.78= 3.90% Native heritage; or in the case our Wayland's are just 0.78%,Native; then we'd be  3.12. That would be equivalent to 2*(1/64th)+(1/128)=(5/128th), or maybe just  (4/128ths, => 1/32nd); which is exactly 0.0390625, or maybe just, which is 0,03125. If you toss this away and consider it just "statistical noise" . . . well, that's  when/where we have a problem. So we don't have a lot of Native blood. but WE DO HAVE SOME. Our mixed-Catawba ancestors were denied federal recognition in Indian Territory (Oklahoma) because we were said to have already been assimilated into Caucasian culture -- we were known to have been of mixed heritage. About 1900 when we were rejected being rejected just affected a few of us. Today and into the future, more and more Native peoples will  have smaller and smaller percentages of Native blood. This is the way of eventually diffusing us until we disappear, one day.

I have some observations concerning the DNA testing facilities. They try hard and want to have scientific unbiassed observations. However, they don’t always succeed in this endeavor. I’d advise using commonsense as well as known ancestry, known genealogical records. Based on family stories, I’d guess my ancestry was in order of most to least, English, German, Scots-Irish, Catawban and/or Cherokee, perhaps Scandinavian from Viking-European era from the U. K., West-African from the era of the Slave trade, and one of mama’s ancestors might have been Jewish from the surname “Jonas”. I recall mama saying her Jonas ancestors were called “Black Dutch” in early day America. I read a book discussing the origin of the word "Black Dutch". They suggested many possibilities, one being German Jew, or a dark complected German. One surname “King” on Mama’s side was  Anglicized from “Koenig” – Koenig is the name of a large city on the southeastern corner of the Baltic coast. All these ancestors were in America before or came to America during the Revolution.  We can trace only one surname as far as Europe, and that from a man born in Ireland, but it was said that his parents were Englishmen who moved to Ireland. This is what we know from genealogical and historical records.

I have NO ancestry from India, Iran, or southeastern or southwestern Asia, despite what various algorithm’s say about the origins of my DNA. As I said, there’s a chance one of my great grandparents might have been mixed-Jewish. But my grandma was part Native American, and so there should be a higher probability of Native DNA than Middle Eastern. That makes me think geneticists are giving higher priority to some DNA, yet are calling small snipits of Native American DNA as nothing but "statistical noise". That is, they are trying to be inclusive to some ancestors, and exclusive of others.

Based on these observations, I’d “guess” my ancestors were 30% German (all from Mama’s side), 50% English/Scots-Irish (from both parents), 10% Native American, 5% sub-Sahara African, 5% unknown. The last 20% is all from dad’s side. And this is just a wild guess based on what we both can prove and what our family stories, and migration patterns suggest. This much I could have guessed a few decades back.

Then DNA testiing became a reality. What would it say? Here are my results from 2005. If you "click" on it, it will expand, 

and

                            

Here are the results one by one person who performed a “painting” of my DNA results. She only tested for Native American ancestry.

On chromosome # 1 you are SouthAmericanIndian at 25-30M, 209M, and 243-244M. You are NorthAmericanIndian at 5M, 29-30M, 94-97M, 209-211M, and 243-246M. You are ArcticAmericanIndian at 17-18M, 178-179M, 201M, and 209-214M [Sigfnificantly so at 213-214M]. You are MesoAmericanIndian at 39-41M, 94-96M, 159M, and 209M.

On chromosome # 2 you are NorthAmericanIndian at 0-1M, 26-28M, 59-60M, 73-74M, 106-108M, 119-121M, 151-156M, 168-169M, and 213-215M. You are ArcticAmericanIndian at 15M, 23-28M, 102M, 114M, and 192M. You are MesoAmericanIndian at 26-28M, 86M, 102M, 144-150M [significantly so at 147M and 150M], 192-193M, and 215M.

On chromosome # 3 you are NorthAmericanIndian at 6-8M, 23-26M, 30-32M, 38-44M [significantly so at 40M], 117-118M, and 181-182M. You are ArcticAmericanIndian at 23-24M, 71M, and 116-118M. You are MesoAmericanIndian at 118M.

On chromosome # 4 you are SouthAmericanIndian at 127-131M [significantly so at 130M]. You are NorthAmericanIndian at 80-81M and 127-131M. You are ArcticAmericanIndian at 63-67M, 88-89M, 175-176M, 180-182M, and 186-190M. You are MesoAmericanIndian at 80M and 136M. 

On chromosome #5, you are:  NorthAmericanIndian at 78M, 95M, 101M and 141M.  You are ArcticAmericanIndian at 90-91M and 135-139M.  You are MesoAmericanIndian at 67-69M.

On chromosome # 6 you are SouthAmericanIndian at 148-149M. You are NorthAmericanIndian At 3-4M, 112-122 [significantly so at 114-117M], 148-149M, and 167M. You are ArcticAmericanIndian at 22-23M, 148-149M, and 152M. You are MesoAmericanIndian at 0-1M, 1-2M, 22-24M, 113-119M, and 148-149M.

On chromosome # 7 you are SouthAmericanIndian at 0-1M, 1-2M, and 34M. You are NorthAmericanIndian at 9M, 27M, 29-31M, 34-36M, 82-83M, 89-90M, and 95M. You are ArcticAmericanIndian at 104-105M. You are MesoAmericanIndian at 2M, 4-6M, 19-21M, and 25M.

On chromosome # 8 you are NorthAmericanIndian at 60-63M and 85M. You are ArcticAmericanIndian at 106-108M. You are MesoAmericanIndian at 3M. We share MesoAmericanIndian tribal DNA at 3M on this chromosome.

On chromosome # 9 you are SouthAmericanIndian at 19-23M. You are NorthAmericanIndian at 0-1M, 1M, 110M, and 129-131M. You are ArcticAmericanIndian at 19-20M, 108-109M, and 137-139M. You are MesoAmericanIndian at 103-104M on this chromosome.

On chromosome # 10 you are NorthAmericanIndian at 2M, 13M, 96M, 124-126M, and 130M. You are ArcticAmericanIndian at 53-54M, and 111M. You are MesoAmericanIndian at 123-124M.

On chromosome # 11 you are SouthAmericanIndian at 7M [significantly so]. You are NorthAmericanIndian at 21M and 23M. You are ArcticAmericanIndian at 25-26M

n chromosome # 12 you are NorthAmericanIndian at 15-16M, 18-19M, 29-37M, 91-92M, and 96M. You are ArcticAmericanIndian at 108-112M. You are MesoAmericanIndian at 45-46M and 129M.

Onchromosome # 13 you are NorthAmericanIndian at 27M and 109M. You are ArcticAmericanIndian at 48-49M, 82M, and 109M.

On chromosome # 14 you are NorthAmericanIndian at 80-81M, 97M, and 98M. You are MesoAmericanIndian at 25M, 73M, and 80-81M.

On chromosome # 15 you are NorthAmericanIndian at 20-23M, 25M, 27-29M, 51-54M, and 84-85M. You are ArcticAmericanIndian at 40-43M. You are MesoAmericanIndian at 88-91M.

On chromosome # 16 you are SouthAmericanIndian at 66-68M. You are NorthAmericanIndian at 55-58M [significantly so at 55M], and 65-67M.

On chromosome # 17 you are NorthAmericanIndian at 6-7M. You are ArcticAmericanIndian at 32-33M, 40-41M, 62M, and 65M. You are MesoAmericanIndian at 3M.

On chromosome # 18 you are ArcticAmericanIndian at 1-2M.

On chromosome # 19 you are SouthAmericanIndian at 35-37M and 53-54M. You are NorthAmericanIndian at 8-9M, 44M, and 53M. You are ArcticAmericanIndian at 54M. You are MesoAmericanIndian at 53M.

On chromosome # 20 you are NorthAmericanIndian at 16-17M and 34-35M. You are ArcticAmericanIndian at 0-1M, 2M, 15-16M, and 58-59M. You are MesoAmericanIndian at 16M.

On chromosome # 21 you are SouthAmericanIndian at 14M. You are NorthAmericanIndian at 14M, 30-31M, and 42-44M. You are ArcticAmericanIndian at 27-28M.

On chromosome # 22 you are NorthAmericanIndian at 47M

Here are the results of a percentage of admixture algorithm she showed me that can be found online.

Once you’ve logged onto gedmatch, you should be taken to a page entitled “Tools for DNA & Genealogy Research”. There are a list of websites linked under the title “Information”. These are helpful comments concerning use of DNA information. Under that, is a file named “Upload your DNA files”. Go there to upload the information about your DNA that was sent to you, after you had turned your DNA into them for testing. Once the gedmatch website has received your DNA information, it will give that information a number. Below that, is a section of files under the title “DNA Applications”. These are various algorithms used and created by various individuals to test ancestry of those wishing to discover their ancestry.

Unfortunately, none of them were created specifically to determine Native American ancestry. However there is one that does a better job at this than the others. Under “DNA Applications” click on “admixture heritage”. That will take you to a page entitled “Admixture Utilities”. Select MDLP Project. Go down and use “Admixture Percentage by Chromosome”. Then hit “continue”. You will be taken to a place that will ask you for the kit number assigned to your DNA information. Enter it. Then hit “continue” again. You will be asked to “Select the calculator model to use” I used “world-22” which created the information below. Others are pretty good, too.

Some of it makes no sense, but I thought the Native American part of the algorithm is correct, pretty much. However others were probably more accurate in other areas. They conclude 13% of my ancestry is from the region between the Middle East and Southeastern Asia. I have been told by some lazy researchers were are 100% Caucascian (Family Tree DNA). Only one ancestor is questionable that “might” fit into that south Asian part – My mother’s maternal grandpa was a man with the surname “Jonas”.  He was supposed to be “Black Dutch”. I looked that up and it might mean “German Jew” or dark complected German. I have also heard it might mean Greek or Greek/Turkish/German. But all our ancestors were in America before, or came during -- the Revolution. Mama’s ancestors (except those Jonases) are easily traced. Some of dad’s ancestors are just a dead end.

I’d suggest using any of those MDLP algorithms, just to see what they provide. Some might fit your known genealogy information better than others. These algorithms were developed from Lithuanian sources. They have no pro-Native American bias. But they have no anti-Native bias, as seems to be the case with other testing algorithm's.

Population Percentage (%)

Pigmy     0.031818182

West Asian     8.186363636

North European Mesolegic         3.427272727

Indo-Tibetan     0.222727273

Meso-Amerindian     0.140909091

Arctic-Amerindian     0.318181818

South Amerindian     0.413636364

Indian     1.213636364

North Siberian                             0.322727273

AtlanticMediteranianNeolithic     32.44545455

Samoedic     0.709090909

Indo-Iranian     1.913636364

East Siberian     0.140909091

Northeast-European             47.39545455

South African     0.177272727

North Amerindian     0.545454545

Sub Saharan     0.25

Southeast Asian     0.095454545

Near East     1.668181818

Melanesian     0.077272727

Paleo Siberian     0.172727273

Austronesian     0

N. A. + Siberian     2.763636364

African             0.020867769

ME+Iran+India+SEAsia     13.15454545

I put the Siberian with the Native American. This includes Meso-Amerindians, Arctic Amerindian, South Amerindian, North Siberian, Samoedic, North Amerindian, and Paleo Siberian. I placed Indian (Asian Indian) with the Middle East and Southeastern Asia. The African is undercounted, too. Perhaps it was mistakenly counted as from India or the Middle East. This says 13% of my ancestors came from southern Asia. From Anatolia to Vietnam. I have only one ancestor that might have come from that region, and that. That should make me 7% AT MOST, and this result doubles that! Also percent of African is far lower than what my 2005 test suggested. If 7% of my Middle Eastern/Indo-Iranian/Southeast Asian results went to African leaving 6% for the possible Jewish ancestor, that could account for the differences in the two results.

I have to conclude many DNA algorithms discount people who say they have Native American ancestry, and artificially inflate other nationalities or regions due to some internal bias they hold. For instance the people of India have Blacks in Southern India, Asians in Tibet and Burma (Myanmar) or Indo-European ancestry to the North. These three races are all mixed in much of India. This is a similar status of the Melungeon peoples in America, who are also tri-racial. The difference being our European DNA came from the U/ K. rather than the Russian Steppes, our Blacks from Africa rather than southern India, and our Asian from Native Americans rather than from Tibet or Miramar (Burma). Well, this is all supposition and could probably be easily disproven. I would like to see geneticists ACTUALLY disprove it rather than to smugly just say it is nonsense. As I would have said when I was younger to any math student -- so I would also say to any geneticist – show your work! How do you get from point A to point B? Don’t assume you have it right -- NOW -- because the moment you do that you will quit searching.

I am not one of these nutty-fruitcake Trump inspired (I suspect Trump just LOVES a good nutty fruitcake!) conspiracy theorists that believes the truth is a lie and vice-versa. 

Ut-oh. She woke up. Here comes my one-year-old German Shepherd-mix -- Ouch! Ouch! When she sees me -- Ouch! -- on the computer -- she just loves -- ouch! -- to use my left arm as a chew toy Ouch! Ouch! Okay, I'm done for now . . .Ouch.