Found out I’m mixed race not white

[NewHeritage]

Long story short but an online dna test has discovered one of my parents isn’t biologically my parent. I have found the name of my biological parent and also talked to other “new” relatives online after making contact with them.

I now have a slightly daft question……I don’t know what “race” my parent was. I mean I do, but I don’t know the name/label/category. They were South American, from (British) Guyana and an indigenous American. So what race are indigenous Americans from South America?

Not Latino as British Guyana I don’t think is a Latino country. Not Afro-Caribbean as they weren’t from Africa or the Caribbean (though there is some African ancestry in the mix according to my dna results which makes sense as there were a lot of African slaves in Guyana in the past. So my dna results are like 50% European, 5% African and 45% Indo-american. But is indo-american a race?

British Guyana has a particular history of workers from indigenous tribes, India (actual Indian subcontinent, Hindi is spoken ) and some of African descent as well as white Europeans. This is because of its history of British control. Whilst that might be confusing in terms of trying to define race there is a cultural heritage that you might not feel you own, but might be interesting to explore if wanting to think about the life of your heritage there.

Becuase I have fairly close dna matches with people who I’ve never heard of who aren’t on what I thought was my family tree (so the guy I thought was my dad was interested in genealogy and had done an extensive family tree) and then the ethnicity stuff. so I’ve talked to these matches and two sisters in particular also have a family tree and we’re able to pinpoint which relative they think is prime suspect. Because he was in the U.K. for some time at the right period, my mum was not in Guyana.

Plus there are no matches on the side of who I thought was my dad…..not even distant relatives who I don’t know about. Whereas on my mums side I have hundreds and hundreds of matches.

My point was not the matches but given the fact that a lot of these tests are scams, inaccurate and unreliable if it is causing you to doubt your parentage where you had zero reason to before, you should approach this with caution and skepticism.

If I were you, I would find some DNA from your father if possible - if you have a lock of hair for example or if not, his nearest blood relative and pay for a professional forensic standard DNA test because I would be very very skeptical that an off the shelf through the post type test was not inaccurate or a scam.

You don't need a parent's DNA.

When your results come back and there are no relatives of any degree on the father's side but lots of previously unknown and unsuspected relatives instead, you can be pretty sure your father isn't the man who brought you up.

Because companies like 23andMe do DNA testing from customers all over the world, there is a good likelihood of finding 2nd, 3rd, 4th, or more distant relatives.

If your parents are white British, your ancestor percentages would most likely look like 99.9% or 100% British or British Isles. The OP's percentages show a different story.

That being said, the exactness of the science on a large scale depends on the volume of tests done.

I would be very very skeptical that an off the shelf through the post type test was not inaccurate or a scam.

Yeah but that's because you clearly have no experience with them, or idea how they work.

On a medical form you could put mixed - white/British and other and then if needed specify your other as indo-American

I've no idea how far from the "full blood" you do this. I'm 50:50, my dad's blackness puts my risk of certain diseases and conditions up. My DC look, not white British and I suppose still have a higher risk but do my GDC still have to worry? Who knows

mathanxiety

If your parents are white British, your ancestor percentages would most likely look like 99.9% or 100% British or British Isles. The OP's percentages show a different story.

That’s not true, both of my parents were (now deceased) white British but my ancestry results came back as only 31.4% English (no Welsh, Scots or Irish at all.)

The rest of my profile is 40.6% North & West European and 28% Scandinavian.

I found a whole Italian family when I did it. Mine was a grandparent rather than a parent so not the same, but still fairly shocking. Only 15% Irish despite living here! Definitely has got me interested in my background though, then again it’s probably people like this who do the tests.
I hope you can get the answers you want.

If your parents are white British, your ancestor percentages would most likely look like 99.9% or 100% British or British Isles. The OP's percentages show a different story.

Well sort of. My ancestry is indeed 100% Britain and Ireland. But when you click further, the Ancestry circle for "Scotland" takes in a large chunk of northern England, the Isle of Man and Brittany. The "England" area isn't just England, it also includes Belgium, Luxembourg and a huge slice of NE France.

Like I said. Ethnicity percentages are for a broad indication. The exact centimorgan matches you have with other users are much more exact, until you get into the very distant matches.

But you are right in that if your research based on documents is saying a broadly British heritage, and then your DNA matches are showing a large number of matches from South America, then a not parent expected (NPE) event is the most likely scenario.

My bio father was adopted just after WWII (and looks Southern European/ Mediterranean) so I always wondered what my genetic “make up” would be. People always assume Spanish.

My AncestryDNA came back with an expected 50ish % UK and Northern Europe (my mum is ginger, her mum is French etc). 24% was Southern European, no surprise really due to my dad’s olive skin and dark complexion.

My shock was the 26% Ashkenazi Jewish! I have no idea what that means, or where it’s come from! Wouldn’t know where to start as it’s an ethnicity rather than a geography? Guess I’ll never know!

Congrats on your exciting discovery- I hope you find lots of interesting stories and people!

Oh all righty then. That’s that. No need for OP to continue to find out more about her ethnicity or identity then!

There are some shocking (although I really shouldn’t be surprised) and ignorant responses on this thread so far 😑

This is a problematic response 😣

Ashkenazi Jewish people mostly came from central and Eastern Europe. Sephardic jews were from Southern Europe, mostly.

https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/who-are-ashkenazi-jews/

There is a very active Jewish genealogy community out there who would be happy to help. 26% DNA linked to the Jewish community suggests one Jewish grandparent, or perhaps a combination of Jewish heritage from more than one ancestor.

Sorry OP, I should have acknowledged your circumstances.

I hope you feel ok and wish you all the best with finding family/roots and hope you are enjoying the discovery.

I just randomly rem I used to date a British guy who was half Guyanese (half Jamaican) origin. Defo classed himself as Caribbean.

Because after the British government banned the transatlantic slave trade, the British plantation owners imported indentured workers (slaves in all but name) from the British colonies on the Indian sub-continent.

Agreed, as this is how my Indian Great Grandfather and his extended family ended up living across multiple Caribbean islands, before they were then ‘invited’ to the U.K. Motherland to clean up and build back after the war.

Hi OP, I think your discovery is exciting but must have been a real shock initially!

I did my DNA through Ancestry but the results weren't what I was expecting at all.

Who's the closest blood relative on that side? I'd ask them how they identify their race and maybe take it from there? You have cousins so presume their parent was your biological father's sibling?

Race is a social construct. It’s completely different to sex.

OP - I’m happy for you, if you’re happy. Heritage is so interesting and very important in how we see ourselves.

Sorry that you had to find out in the way that you did, and that your parents are no longer alive to ask these valid questions.

I used to refer to myself as Black, but no longer do so, as I’m ethnically mixed race. My highest ethnicity percentage is West African with a lot of other percentages thrown in from nearly every Continent. My Mum (Jamaican mixed race with a slave surname) recently narrowed down her biggest ethnicity percentage to 30% Nigerian. My paternal ancestors were indentured slaves from India.

Most of the Guyanese people I know are from the Caribbean.

Maybe also try posting on Black Mumsnet, as you’re more likely to reach an audience with ‘lived experience’ and/or pp who know other people with ‘lived experience’ in this area.

Good luck.

@NewHeritage since this discovery is so very unexpected for you, I would suggest sending your dna to another reputable company (eg ancestry etc) and see if they provide the same results.

This is a major event or quite some significance for you, I would prefer to spend a few more £ and be completely sure there wasn’t a lab error

I'm part Guyanese too and consider myself to be from the Caribbean. I think most Guyanese people would say the same or Indo-Guyanese.

Thank you - didn’t mean to hijack the thread but it reminded me about that odd surprising 26%!

I have done. I’ve done a test with ancestry and with 23andme as I had exact same thoughts.

Also, welcome to the club. There's not many of us 😊

So many ignorant responses on this thread! Shocking!

heritage, race and ethnicity matter - not to create division but to enhance and celebrate diversity and identity (which obviously includes other things). As a person of mixed race and heritage, and a parent of mixed race and heritage child, I can’t stand the “there’s only one race, the human race and different races don’t exist” brigade (which is usually spouted out by someone of privilege).

congratulations on finding out a new door to your heritage story OP, take time to be kind in yourself, it’s big news to find out and I can imagine there may be some complex feelings

In the Caribbean (and yes, Guyana is part of the Caribbean/West Indies and not Latin America, for historical reasons) the word "Amerindian" is rarely used any longer.

I've never heard the expression "Indo-American" used in the Caribbean but presume it means what used to be called "Amerindian."

They now prefer to be known as the First Peoples.

"Native American" is usually used to refer to the native peoples of North America.

"Indo-Caribbean"/"Indo-Guyanese" means the descendants of those who were brought as indentured labourers from India in the 19th century to replace the emancipated people of African descent. The Indians were not "slaves," by the way.

That terminology isn't used of Africans either: they were enslaved people.