What Do Ancestry DNA Results Tell You About Your Heritage?
What Do Ancestry DNA Results Tell You About Your Heritage?
Have you ever considered that you are walking around with a part of your ancestors every day? We all carry the genes of those who have come before us. With advancements in DNA testing, you have a wealth of information at your fingertips - literally.
Your DNA is a great way to explore your family’s history and learn about your heritage. But if you are new to the genome world, you may be wondering what this all means. So here’s everything you need to know about heritage, DNA heritage test results, and genealogy.
What Is Heritage?
Heritage can mean different things to different people. But, in general, it is something that is passed down from a previous generation. It may be tangible or intangible. For example, your heritage could be African ethnicity. But it could also be a 7-acre property left to you by your parents. Heritage could also be something as simple as a special Christmas tradition.
Heritage is the full range of our inherited traditions and culture. It’s your memories of songs, recipes, etc. Do you know where your heritage comes from? Where did your family learn and create new traditions? Has their history played a part in who you are?
The initial answers to these questions can be found with a DNA heritage test.
Heritage and DNA Test Results
Your heritage test results will give you an ethnicity estimate. This is a percentage breakdown of the ethnic regions and communities your DNA is most like. For example, your ethnicity estimate may show Ireland/Scotland/Wales 60%, Native American 20%, Europe South 10%, Asia Central 5%, Africa Southeastern Bantu 4%, Polynesia <1%.
Your DNA heritage results will help you to better understand and connect to your ancestry. Many people discover new regions and communities to connect with and explore through their results. You may discover your DNA heritage is nothing like what you expected. People are often shocked when they receive their heritage test results.
While you may think grandma’s spaghetti recipe came straight from Italy, you may not recognize that her migration to France influenced the ingredients as well. We don’t often recognize the cultural influences of the different places we live. But they can affect everything from the way we celebrate holidays to family recipes.
For example, even within the same country, people do things differently. Consider the white Christmas a family in Vermont experiences. Their family may have a tradition that includes piping hot chocolate and warm Vermont maple syrup overlooking a field of snow. If the same family moves to San Diego, their traditions will have to change. Similar situations apply to our ancestors.
By completing a DNA heritage test, you can unlock the door to the past and learn even more about your family and traditions. Your DNA heritage and the migration of your ancestors can lead you to a wealth of new information, history, and ways to connect with the past.
How Far Back Can DNA Test Results Take You?
How much do you want to learn about your ancestors? With Genomelink, you can find information about your ancient ancestors from 5,000 years ago or more. The ancestry report will give you a detailed analysis and comparison of groups like hunter-gatherers, European Farmer, Yamnaya, etc. Alongside your personalized “ancient admixture” you can see their migration patterns, details about their life, and genetic features.
The science-backed information from leaders in genetic testing at Genomelink can give you more answers than you ever thought possible. This provides a new level of understanding of your DNA heritage. The ability to trace your ancestry through thousands of years is amazing.
Traditions To Last a Lifetime
As you age, you may start to think about what traditions and experiences you want to pass on. Learning more about your family's past can help you better understand your heritage. It can also help you to educate those that come after you.
A heritage test is an essential piece of your family puzzle. Understanding the struggle and path of your ancestors can help you to learn stories and better connect with certain family traditions.
What do you want your family to remember? What celebrations, traditions, and memories do you want to live on? Where did they come from? Each of these questions is important to think about. We each leave a legacy behind us. Traditions, experiences, and stories we share with our family and community are what will live on long after we are gone.
Family heritage is part of what connects people together. The ability to honor and respect the intentions of your ancestors is amazing. While the past can hold many secrets, it’s also the key to who you are.
Learning about your ancient ancestors and even those a bit more recent can give you a sense of self and appreciation you never imagined. William Wordsworth once said, “Life is divided into three terms - that which was, which is, and which will be. Let us learn from the past to profit by the present, and from the present to live better in the future.”
What will learning about your heritage teach you?
Final Thoughts
With Genomelink you can take your knowledge to the next level. Results from your heritage test are only a small part of what Genomelink offers.
If you want to take a deep dive into your DNA test results, you can explore your global ancestry at the chromosome level.
You can also access information that can impact your future. Genomelink offers personalized fitness reports, skincare advice, an organ wellness report, and more.
The innovative and unique reports from Genomelink allow you to learn a wide variety of information about your past, but it also provides you with information to guide your future.
Our DNA heritage tells the stories created in history, but what will our stories tell those who come after us? If you are ready to use your DNA test to better understand your history, traditions, and memories and help to better understand your future, check out Genomelink.
