You are entitled to your own heritage

American History education, particularly that which is taught in K-12 schools, is grossly oversimplified, making it easy for some students to disengage with the lessons because it is unclear how their own heritage connects.

In the eighth grade, I put myself in the basic “white” group by default, and aligned my identity with the position of the historical narrative of the curriculum. However, if you’re adopted or in foster care, you might understand the desire to research where your “biological” family came from. Many of us long to learn the trails and trials of our ancestors. After all, their story holds the key to our story.

Unearthing History

Had I not dug into my ancestry, I would not have discovered material the history books never mentioned. I came to the conclusion that hardly anyone from the U.S. – much less the world – is completely of a “pure race.”

I’ve heard numerous claims such as “My great-great grandmother was Pocahontas.” I think I have documentation that stated my own great-great grandmother was “full-blooded” Cherokee. While I agree that it’s not impossible that I could have a Cherokee ancestor, most likely it is not to the extreme of “full blood.” Again, that is a product of oversimplification with regards to early American society.

In fact, I did a DNA test around March of last year so I could begin digging into my ancestral origins. It’s the birthday gift that keeps on giving. I wanted to correctly associate the many claims that tag along with my dysfunctional family background. The question that came to mind: Why does this all matter? Why is this such an amusement to the thousands who test at Ancestry DNA, 23 and Me, and Family Tree DNA?

I believe it is the desire to find out why we are what, and who, we are. We had no choice over our own birthplaces, but we know there were reasons of why and from where our ancestors immigrated or were forced into this land.

A Plot Twist

As it turns out, I’m definitely not Native American. I’m pretty much a “white-bread” European (Irish, English, French, Norwegian) with the remaining 25 percent being a weird cluster of Iberian, Italian, Moroccan, and Middle Eastern (Turkish and Sephardic populations.) This seemed like the weirdest combination, so I began to research what I knew.

Long story short, I traced my mother’s maternal line back to Kentucky in the 1800s. Her kin changed their names a lot, and they moved around – a lot. Before settling in America, they had come from Switzerland, France, and Spain. All that is said is they kept escaping religious persecution, the majority of suffered by Protestants during the Spanish Inquisition.

Based on some of the obscure first names of my ancestors, such as Mamad, Moise, Sedalia, Rozena, Zelma, Omar, Levona, Labon, Shem, Lecretia, Arizona, etc., I knew there was more to the identity of these people than just the usual “Puritans came, settled, and named their kid ‘John Johnson’ and eventually, John Johnson owned a plantation” narrative.

From the documentation it is evident that my ancestors were French Huguenots who escaped persecution and who had good relations with the Jews who also escaped France under persecution – many of whom assimilated with these Protestants and practiced their faith secretly. This also was the case with many Muslims.

A Clash of Cultures

This particular line of mine had unusual traditions that blended both oriental and western religious customs, like the naming pattern that included very few Christian names. They also brought with them their education and their trades, such as silk manufacturing, shoe making and gold smithing. Huguenots, as well as the mysterious “Melungeons,” (mixed people of various ethnic backgrounds including African, Native American, Iberian and Semetic origins who settled in the Appalachians) are all a significant part of the fowrmation of the United States we know of today.

Many “white” people, especially those who are descended from the southern colonies, are deceived into thinking their heritage is inevitably either Puritan or imperialist. This goes with African Americans, Latin Americans, Native Americans, Asian Americans, and anyone else who has been duped out of their true, colorful legacy. The thing is, no matter what race one checks in the boxes on scholarship applications, more than likely there are secrets and untold relationships, migrations, conversions, etc., that have contributed to their family tree.

Many well-known celebrities who appear on TLC’s television series “Who Do You Think You Are?” are constantly surprised at what occurred in their family histories – stories so unimaginable that your textbook proves to be just a SparkNotes of real American History.

What does this all mean? I believe everyone should dig into their own ancestry and take a DNA test, or at least be able to. It should be a right for every citizen to know their origins.

We will realize the story as a whole and, hopefully, rid ourselves of prejudices and abolish the notion of a “pure race.” This isn’t to discredit the uniqueness of culture, but to understand why we got where we are and that things are nearly always more complicated than they are presented.