Many families in who reside in North America believe that they might be descending from African American forefathers. Documented archives can be nearly impossible to trace back, and that is why so many individuals are opting to have DNA testing done to find the answers they’re looking for. DNA can never be lost, and it is a perpetual link to their family’s past. DNA testing can also help you in uniting with your Native American family lines.

Determine What Your Goal Is

First, you have to deliberate what your goal is and what you’re trying to verify. A DNA test is able to assist you with:

Inaugurating your direct maternal or paternal heredity.

Finding out how sizeable the quota of your lineage is Native American.

Connecting with aloof family members to grow your search.

Aiming on researching specific sections or family lines.

If your aim is to discovering your culture or extending your hereditary research, then DNA testing is the right option for you. However, if your aim is to become a registered member of a federally documented tribe, then DNA alone is not only way to achieve this. Even if the test reveals a substantial percentage of Native American lineage, it can’t classify a specific tribe or a blend of tribes. To achieve it you must need to go about it the traditional way with through research and documentation. A DNA test can, however, provide you with the intimations you require or can place you on the right path. Ultimately, you must present documentation proving your direct ancestry during the process of applying to a tribe. DNA tests can go a long way in getting you started.

The Different Methods of DNA Testing

Three leading DNA tests are utilized for genealogy purposes today. Each test evaluates various sections of the DNA, and each analysis can reveal varied things. For a more detailed review of African American DNA testing, click here.

Autosomal DNA

This method is the most preferred and is passed on to you from every one of your descendants and can reveal a lot with regards to your entire family tree. It can’t, however, assist you with tracing backwards more than 5-7 generations. However, if you’re looking to conglomerate with a tribe, it can help.

mtDNA

This is transferred on from moms to all their kids, whether female and male and are intact and nearly unchanged. It can assist in tracking your maternal line backward for fifty generations or further. It can’t tell you anything about your descendants separate from the direct maternal line, though.

YDNA

This is transferred on unbroken and nearly unaffected from a father to his son. This is an indication that it can assist you with letting you trace your paternal lineage from a long time ago, sometimes up to two or three dozen of generations. It can tell you anything about other ancestors, though. YDNA testing can only be performed on men. Females who are wishing to complete a YDNA test must request one of their male relatives within the equal paternal line (father, cousin, nephew, grandfather, etc.) to take the test on their behalf.