Parsing out Native American ancestry on GEDmatch?
What can GEDmatch do for me if I’m Native American?
If you have already taken a DNA test, GEDmatch is a tool used to analyze a raw DNA data file for admixture, similar to an ethnicity estimate. If you are Native American or suspect you have Native American ancestry, GEDmatch can offer you a free opportunity to identify this connection using their free tools. To do this, GEDmatch compares components of your autosomal DNA to reference populations of Native American peoples.
What reference populations exist?
GEDmatch has a wide variety of reference populations, but like most other ancestry testing companies, they are not super specific. For Native Americans, there are really only two reference populations. There is a category for American Indian called AmerIndian, relating to Native Americans in the US, Canada, Mexico, and other central or northern American populations. There is also a category for Native Americans from South America. However, this is as specific as the results can get -- ie. not particularly specific.
If you were hoping to find a relation to a specific tribe, such as the Cherokee or a Baltic tribe, the results from GEDmatch will not be that specific. However, the platform does have a large number of other admixture categories. You can find Mexican heritage, relations in Oceanian, or South Asian family members. Generally, users use the Eurogenes K36 tool to find DNA results relating to Native American ancestors.
AncestryDNA or 23andMe did not find Native American ancestry. Will GEDmatch be better?
The beauty of GEDmatch is that you can alter the parameters of each test. This can help you “tease out” Native American ancestry if it is there. But, user beware, you can also find false positives if you edit the analysis without knowing what you are doing. Check out this article for more information on using GEDmatch tools to find Native American DNA.
However, after a certain number of generations outside of a Native American population, no DNA testing will be able to accurately identify Native American DNA. For example, if your great-grandparents were part Native American and part European but your family history has not involved Native Americans since, there is a good chance that you have very few markers left to identify the Native American part of your DNA.
Other ways to analyze your raw DNA data
With GEDmatch, you can complete a number of other actions. You can analyze your family tree using a GEDCOM file, which can help you identify African, East Asian, French, Siberian, British, Spanish, or other populations which your family has mixed with. In addition, you can recreate the DNA of a lost family member, which may help you in your search. However, there are a wealth of other sites which can analyze your ancestry, health, and other test results. Check them out here.
Should I Use GEDmatch to Research my Native American Ancestry?
If you’re looking to research your Native American ancestry, GEDmatch’s Native American data can give you a start. This site allows you to upload the raw DNA data that you received from a testing company (think, AncestryDNA, or 23andMe), and will compare components of your autosomal DNA to reference populations of Native American peoples. Using GEDmatch, you’ll be able to determine if your ancestry includes one of two reference populations, which are:
- AmerIndian. GEDmatch can tell you if you have DNA from this population, which includes Native Americans from what is now the US, Canada, Mexico, and other central or northern American populations.
- Native Americans from South America. GEDmatch can also determine if your DNA includes Native American DNA from what is now South America.
That said, this is as specific as GEDmatch’s Native American DNA database can get. It simply doesn’t have as much information on these ancestral groups to tell you more. For example, ancestry researchers hoping to discover if they have relation to a specific tribe, such as Cherokee or Sioux, will be disappointed when using GEDmatch. That said, GEDmatch does offer a significant number of heritage research opportunities. Using GEDmatch, you could end up discovering Mexican heritage, or relations to Oceanian or South Asian family members. You can also find more information about how to best use GEDmatch’s tools when researching Native American ancestry here.
One additional factor to consider when researching any possible Native American heritage is time. After a certain number of generations removed from a Native American community, no DNA testing currently on the market will be able to accurately identify Native American DNA. In other words, if you suspect your great-grandparents were part Native American and part European, but your family tree has not included Native Americans since, there is a good chance that you have very few markers left to identify the Native American part of your DNA. Going into your DNA ancestry research knowing all of these realities will let you set clear expectations for your research.
If none of the caveats we’ve mentioned here regarding GEDmatch’s Native American DNA research capabilities are of concern to you, then working through GEDmatch to explore your AmerIndian or South American Native ancestry is an option for you. However, if you’re looking to answer more detailed questions about your ancestry, such as “what is my ethnicity if I’m Indian,” then you would do best to look at conducting your research through other sites as well - those that have more extensive databases that include Native American DNA.
Some of the more comprehensive sites include AncestryDNA, with millions of samples of DNA in its databases, and FamilyTreeDNA, which has tools for examining your paternal and maternal family lines. Each ancestry company has pros and cons, so you’ll want to look at a few options before making your choice. And don’t forget - you’ll also find reports on traits and ancestry at Genomelink that you won’t find anywhere else. Get started with us today for FREE when you upload your raw DNA results.
To find out more DNA upload sites, check out our article "The Best DNA Upload Sites"
