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                                                      Images Bibliography

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                                                      Images Bibliography

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"Afar people East Africa." Pinterest, in.pinterest.com/pin/474637248210647456/.

"African Women." Pinterest, www.pinterest.com/explore/african-women/. Accessed

Allen, Darina. "Irish Soda Bread." Fine Cooking, www.finecooking.com/recipes/

irish-soda-bread.aspx. Accessed 10 Jan. 2017.

"BaAka mother with albino son." Pinterest, www.pinterest.com/pin/

325314773057509808/. Accessed 10 Jan. 2017.

"Borana People from Southern Ethiopia." Pinterest, www.pinterest.com/explore/

oromo-people/. Accessed 10 Jan. 2017.

"The Flash List: North Texas Irish Festival." Pinterest, www.pinterest.com/pin/

349732727283037928/. Accessed 10 Jan. 2017.

Griffin, Molly. "19 Irish Foods, Drinks + Traditions (Minus the Corned Beef)."

Brit + Co, 2 Mar. 2015, www.brit.co/irish-food-drink-traditions/.

Accessed 10 Jan. 2017.

"Irish Stew." Cook Diary, 2 Sept. 2015, cookdiary.net/irish-stew/. Accessed 10

Jan. 2017.

"Mitochondrial DNA inheritance pattern." YouTube, 24 Dec. 2012, www.youtube.com/

watch?v=6oP-Bc-w0CU. Accessed 10 Jan. 2017.

"The Old Irishman." Jeff Smallwood Photography, www.jeffsmallwood.com/index.cfm/

photographs/view/id/55. Accessed 10 Jan. 2017.

O’Shaughnessy, Kate. "Halloween Customs and Traditional Irish Barmbrack Recipe."

Mannings Bakery, 22 Oct. 2015, www.manningsbakeryshops.ie/blog/

irish-halloween-customs-tradtional-brambrack-recipe/. Accessed 10 Jan.

2017.

"Regions." National Geographic, National Geographic Society,

genographic.nationalgeographic.com/results/yourregionalancestry. Accessed

10 Jan. 2017.

Walsh, Jane. "Mary Murphy." Irish Central, 8 July 2016, www.irishcentral.com/

news/did-an-irishwoman-in-pennsylvania-live-to-be-134-years-old. Accessed

10 Jan. 2017.

"White Pudding." Wikipedia, 4 Nov. 2016, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_pudding.

Accessed 10 Jan. 2017.

"Your Deep Ancestry." National Geographic, National Geographic Society,

genographic.nationalgeographic.com/results/yourdeepancestry?gpid=XT443J6DC7.

Accessed 10 Jan. 2017.

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                                                       Bibliography

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                                                       Bibliography

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"Definition Haplotypes." Scitable by Nature Educaition, Nation Education, 2014,

www.nature.com/scitable/definition/haplotype-haplotypes-142. Accessed 10

Jan. 2017.

Festivals in Ireland. Irish Tourism, www.irishtourism.com/

must-see-attractions-in-ireland/festivals-in-ireland/1225. Accessed 10 Jan.

2017. Advertisement.

"Ireland." Food in Every Country, www.foodbycountry.com/Germany-to-Japan/

Ireland.html. Accessed 10 Jan. 2017.

McKeown, Marie. "Blood of the Irish: What DNA Tells Us About the Ancestry of

People in Ireland." Owlcation, 28 Dec. 2015, owlcation.com/stem/

Irish-Blood-Genetic-Identity. Accessed 10 Jan. 2017.

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General Organic Chemistry of the CSIC, www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQsu3Kz9NYo.

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"Tracing Ancestry with MtDNA." NOVA Online, PBS, Jan. 2002, www.pbs.org/wgbh/

nova/neanderthals/mtdna.html. Accessed 10 Jan. 2017.

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                                     Video 1

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                                     Video 1

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A video of me explaining to my mom the process scientists took to find our ancestry.

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                                     Part 10: Project Evaluation

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                                     Part 10: Project Evaluation

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Through completing this project, I learned that as African-Americans, our regional ancestry can really be all over the place. Of course I mean that in the most humorous way possible, but seriously, we as a people are very scattered. When comparing my DNA ancestry to Matthew’s, there were more differences than similarities. In fact, I shared a larger percentage of DNA similarities with Cece Catto than I did with him! It was really cool seeing the physical similarities and differences veres regional similarities and differences in each place. What I liked most was the fact that I went into the project mainly clueless about what my ancestry would be. I knew that I would  be from Western Africa and that the percentage would be at least half, if not ¾, but other than that, I had no idea. The part I disliked most was explaining our ancestry to my mom on video. Although it was an excellent way of showing whether or not we knew the material, I found that I had a really hard time “acting natural” while in front of the camera, which made me focus more on that than the words that I was saying. I do not think that there is a better way to go about that though, because the video was a great component of the project.

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                                                                Part 7: Exploring Culture

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                                                                Part 7: Exploring Culture

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The regional aspect that was most unexpected was the 15% Great Britain and Ireland. This part is unexpected mainly because of how high the percentage is. When I think of myself and my ancestors, I would expect a small portion of that heritage to be white because of the ways in which black women were often forced to have relations with white men, but I would have never predicted 15% of my distant regional ancestry would be white. My mother, on the other hand, expected more regional ancestry to come from white countries. Others who have a high frequency of regional ancestry from Great Britain and Ireland live in Ireland. In doing research on the population, I found that the old idea that Irish people were just related to European Celtics has since been proven incorrect. The Celts are associated with Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, but people from Ireland have many genetic similarities to people farther away due to constant migration.

The aspect of Irish history that I find most interesting is the confusion and misunderstanding when it comes to Irish origins. The earliest settlers came to Ireland around 10,000 years ago, and many people lump the Irish in with Celtic Europeans. The categorization of the Irish as Celtic stood for a long time, until advancements in DNA technology allowed scientists to further explore their origins. Analysis of the remains of of a 6,000 year old Irish farmer suggest that the Irish population at the time was closely related to modern-day populations of southern Europe, including people in Spain and Sardinia. More tests have been done since then, and they confirm the genetic similarities to people in the middle east, luring scientists to look deeper into migration patterns in the area.

As a people, the Irish know how to find the fun in life, celebrating good times and creating distractions from bad ones. Some examples of Irish culture are annual festivals a few times each year, comfort foods, and bubbly drinks. Festivals include the Cat Laughs Comedy Festival, Dublin Writers Week, Fleadh Cheolil Na Heireann (Festival of Music in Ireland), the Galaway Race, and many, many more. Famous foods from Ireland include soda bread, white pudding, irish stew, and barmbrack. Most foods are hearty and created to be comfort foods. Although I do not see these attributes directly related to my life, Irish and African cultures have a lot of similarities as far as coping mechanisms used to get through hardships. The same way that the Irish tell stories and cook comfort food, my family sings gospel songs and cooks soul food.

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                                     Video 2

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                                     Video 2

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                                                       Part 9: Final Reflection

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                                                       Part 9: Final Reflection

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Finding out my deep and regional ancestry was definitely surprising in some aspects, but not surprising in others. I overestimated the regional ancestry attributed to Western and Central Africa, assuming that it would be more like 90% as opposed to 76% and being the reason behind me having such kinky hair, such a round face, and a nose that is more round and flat. I did expect small percentages of regional ancestry from other parts of Africa, and was surprised to find that there was none from Northern Africa as well. The aspect of my regional ancestry that surprised me most was that 15% lies in Great Britain and Ireland. It really made my think about how nothing is ever really certain when it comes to family history. Although no one in our classroom had any major regional similarities to me, I shared regional ancestry from Great Britain and Ireland with a lot of people thanks to colonization. The knowledge of my own ancestry does not really change the way I perceive my own identity, as I would have still considered myself African American no matter the results. Aside from that, it was interesting to look at Matthew’s regional ancestry and see that major ancestral differences are prominent although we both identify as African-American. Our only common regional ancestry was in Eastern Africa, and I am only 4% from that region. Although I know people’s regional ancestry and how it compares to mine, I doubt the information will impact the way I think about or connect with my peers.

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                                                    Part 6: Regional Ancestry

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                                                    Part 6: Regional Ancestry

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My regional ancestry consists of 76% Western and Central African, 15% Great Britain and Ireland, 4% Eastern Africa, and 4% Southern Africa. Majority of my regional ancestry hails from Western and Central Africa, but the mixes found in my regional ancestry are understandable. The influences of Eastern and Southern Africa are most likely due to the mingling of African Americans of different regional descent once slaves were brought to the US. The small traces are likely due to the fact that a smaller portion of slaves were brought to America from those regions, so the potency of that regional DNA dwindled quickly. As for regional DNA from Great Britain and Ireland, the same probably holds true. Slave owners who reproduced with their slaves are likely the cause, not to completely rule out the possibility of interracial love and marriage that could have also taken place, like with the parents of my maternal grandfather.

Looking into my Western and Central African regional ancestry, the emphasis that the people put on food and family still holds true today, and the potency of the culture remains. As one of the first regions that humans inhabited, Western and Central African cultures are reminiscent of the courage that humans needed to survive hundreds of years ago. African-Americans share a high frequency of Western and Central Africa regional ancestry, as well as people from Bermuda, and the Yoruban population in West Africa. Soul food has been passed down from generations, dating right back to where it all began in Africa.

As for Great Britain and Ireland, storytelling is a large part of the culture and served as a pastime as well as entertainment for the people. Centuries ago, the two countries were one, but the Irish desire for independence led to war, and eventually Irish freedom. In Ireland, people used stories, food, and culture to get over hardships that arose. The form of government, a Monarchy, is much different from the form of government followed by my family and I now. People who share a large portion of regional ancestry from here live in England and Ireland.

Eastern Africa is the birthplace of humanity, and that alone says a lot about it’s significance. Everything began there, from humans learning to walk upright, to the first stone tools being made. My ancestors used both brains and brawn to hunt animals, gather fruits, and find shelter from the elements. As the cradle of humanity, I take pride in my Eastern African regional ancestry being presented on my chart. The Luhya people of Kenya have a large amount of this regional ancestry.

In South Africa, much of the culture found is a mixture of clashing cultures. Territorial disputes between European settlers and indigenous people often turned violent and left the region in a state of unrest. My ancestors from South Africa likely lived in fear of their possessions being stripped away from them, only to watch it happen later in time. Today, much of the region’s valuable mines are still in possession of the descendants of settlers. The khoi and San people of South Africa have a large amount of this regional ancestry.

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                                        Part 2: Applying DNA Technology

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                                        Part 2: Applying DNA Technology

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In order to find pairs that code for specific genes, scientists use a process called PCR to copy specific parts of the DNA and see whether or not the gene that codes for that trait is present. First, scientists take DNA and heat it up so that the bonds break and two strands separate. Polymerase (a heat resisting enzyme) is added to ensure that the bonds form between free floating nucleotides and the separated strands of DNA. Next, the temperature is lowered so that primers anneal where they find their complementary portion of the strand. Starting with the primers, the sequence is copied from 3’ to 5’, and the strand is recreated from the place the first primer annealed all the way until the end of the sequence. While the polymerase is helping the nucleotides bond, the temperature is slightly raised once more. From there, the cycle begins all over again, with the temperature rising so that the strands can be separated and copied. The cycle occurs until there are millions of copies of the target DNA.

PCR is a major step in the DNA sequencing process, but terminating nucleotides are added to the pool of regular free-floating nucleotides. Millions of copies of the DNA are made, and lined up in order of length. The DNA sequencer reads the threads and makes graph called a chromatogram in which the terminating nucleotides are laid out in different colors. This arrangement of the DNA allows scientists to see whether or not the code for a specific trait is there, and what that code calls for.

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                                      Heat Map

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                                      Heat Map

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        Wealthy Couple from Great Britain

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        Wealthy Couple from Great Britain

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                                 Part 3: Using DNA to Determine Ancestry

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                                 Part 3: Using DNA to Determine Ancestry

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A haplotype is a group of genes that comes from one parent. For men, the DNA found in the Y chromosome is a haplotype, and the mitochondrial DNA is a haplotype for women. A man’s DNA in his Y chromosome does not change at all, minus a few mutations that occur, which is how scientists trace their ancestral history back to the person who started it all. For women, however, the process is a bit different. Since only bits of that same DNA is found in the X chromosome, scientists must use mitochondrial DNA to trace our ancestry. When an egg cell is fertilized, it contains the nuclear DNA of both parents, but only the mitochondrial DNA of the mother, making it a haplotype. Since no changes occur (minus mutation, of course), that mitochondrial DNA is passed down from woman to woman throughout different generations and kept pure. The same way that markers in DNA in the Y chromosome are used to trace the ancestry of men, markers in the mitochondrial DNA are used to trace the ancestry of women. Scientists start with ancient DNA, trance the immediate descendants of that person, and eventually come to a mutation. From there, they search for DNA that is mostly the same, but has a few mutations. That DNA becomes the next branch in the family tree of the human race and continues form there. With DNA down the line, scientists trace the common mutations all the way back to the first mutations to check for ancestry.

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                                               Part 5: Analysis of Neanderthal DNA

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                                               Part 5: Analysis of Neanderthal DNA

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About 0.2% of my DNA is inherited from Neanderthals, while the average is 2.1%. The Neanderthals are our evolutionary cousins who walked the Earth at the same time of our ancestors- about 60,000 years ago. Remainders of the Neanderthals are primarily found in Europe and Asia, meaning that they specifically roamed these parts. Those whose ancestral journeys took them through Europe and Asia were unable to notice a difference between their own species and the Neanderthals, eventually mating with them. My ancestors, however, never moved through Eurasia, choosing to go west instead. The .2% of Neanderthal DNA that I do have can be accredited to the 15% of regional ancestry found in Great Britain and Ireland more thousands of years later. Since my most distant ancestors name came in contact with the Neanderthals in Eurasia, the low percentage of Neanderthal in my DNA makes perfect sense.

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            Part 4: Summarize your Ancestors Path

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            Part 4: Summarize your Ancestors Path

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My ancestors began their journey on branch L1, which is one of two branches that all human beings began on. As the polar ice caps expanded between 70 and 50 thousand years ago, so did the deserts in Africa. Inland, pastures turned to deserts and hunters who once had an abundance of animals to choose from were left with hardly anything to eat, putting humanity at risk of extinction. Thanks to the quantum leap in thinking, my ancestors were able to develop tools to aid in their efficiency, and made the decision to embark on their journey. From there, they moved closer to the eastern coast of Africa in an attempt to escape the drought. Once there, my ancestors are likely to have resided in present-day Nigeria, as demonstrated by the high frequency of the heatmap, but it is uncertain as to whether they moved to the west or south.

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                                              Part I: Initial Reflection

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                                              Part I: Initial Reflection

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As far as “my story,” there are a lot of bits and pieces that I am unable to fill in. As far my family, I don’t know anything about us before we were brought to America, but I definitely know that we are not originally from here. On my dad’s side, my ancestors migrated from Georgia to Pennsylvania after the Emancipation Proclamation. On my mom’s side, everyone stayed in South Carolina for the most part. My dad moved to the DC area for college, and my grandmother on my mom’s side moved to DC after she got divorced, which is how both of my parents ended up living in the city and meeting. As for identifying myself, I simply consider myself an African American. I know that my ancestors are from the African Diaspora, but I have no idea where the origins are. We are Christian, Baptist to be specific, and English is our first language, like many other African-Americans.