Those DNA Tests

A few of my (rich) friends have had DNA tests run to find out where there ancestors came from. Specifically, most of them want to know from what region of Africa their people came. The procedure goes like this: you get a packet in the mail and you swab the inner lining of your cheek. You send that swab back and a DNA analysis is done to determine where your folks are from. I was on the verge of doing this when I decided to read more about it.

These tests do not exactly tell you where your direct descendants came from. There’s an article here that explains some of the confusion. You can send in your sample to two different companies and get two different results. The author of the article tells his experience.

Six weeks after I submitted the first samples, the results started to roll in. Every company told me that my mother’s female ancestors were all African. But after that, things got murky.

African Ancestry said my DNA was a match with that of the Mende and Kru people from Liberia. Family Tree DNA’s database showed a match with one person who was Mende. But my DNA also matched that of several other groups, like the Songhai in Mali, and various ethnic groups from Mozambique and Angola. Other peoples cited were the Futa-Fula (also known as the Fulani), who live in eight African nations, and the Bambara, who are primarily in Mali.

Why so many? “We try to be brutally honest and give you everything the test results show,” said Mr. Greenspan of Family Tree DNA. “If there are multiple matches, we’re going to show you that.”

The State Of . . . your ancestory. Before going through with this test please be mindful that this is not an exact science. Some of these companies may just be taking your money. But I’m curious as to how many of you out there have had these tests done. How’d it turn out? Were you pleased with what you got?