HISTORY UNEARTHED DAILY

Native American Inheritance Chart

1. Our Native American tests effectively trace EITHER the Male OR Female line only. To test positively for Native American Ancestry you must have a direct line of descent.

If M0 took this test it would trace through the left-outermost branch of the chart only. This follows the laws of genetics.

Y or mtDNA testing cannot determine a % of Native American ancestry. Our tests can only tell if you are descended in a direct line to the Native American. If you are a male attempting to determine if your Native American Ancestry is from your fathers' side, your genealogical chart MUST match the line below!

Remember...this test will only work if the test takers' fathers fathers fathers father was a Native American on his fathers side. (whew)

Table 1. View this chart to determine who can successfully take the Native American test.

2. The mtDNA test is designed to track DNA that is passed only through the Mother's line and cannot be passed on through the male line. (Note--Men receive mtDNA from their mothers but do not pass it on to the next generation)

In this case M0 or his sister F0 can be tested (it makes no difference). However the line tracked now is on the right-outermost branch of the chart. That means that to test positive for Native American ancestry the line of descent must be passed from the mothers mothers mothers side, back to the woman who was a Native American on her mothers side. If your lines of descent do not follow this genetic rule, you will not be successful taking this test and you must employ a cousin who follows the pattern below:

For any family branches 'inside' the chart, i.e. not the outermost-male or outermost-female branches then you have to find cousins, uncles, aunts etc. on those lines who would make a Y-chromosome or MtDNA test worthwhile for those branches (i.e. on THEIR chart you are now looking at the outermost branches).

As so many of you know FTDNA is always willing to listen to your comments, suggestions, constructive criticisms & observations!