What are you made of?

Where are you from? Do you know? Do you know your heritage? Do you know your genetic contents? Do you know where you're from and why you look like you do, possibly why you have certain quirks, actions, thought processes?

There are many factors such as DNA combinations, learned behaviors, life experiences plus, I'm sure, much more. I'm a simple woman with very little academic education. Very diverse life experience. Having traveled the world quite a bit, keeping myself open to new experiences, always, it has benefitted me, greatly.

Learned how to grow anything from my fathers acres long garden in the summers. Have walked through the Alamo in Texas, witnessed the landing of the space shuttles up close, was all over the Hawai'ian Islands for a total of 5 years. Realizing I had a gift for languages, when living in Europe was very fun! I would drive from Germany to France to the antique markets. While there, I would converse in French with a vendor, bargain with another in German, answer a question from people I was there with in English, then turn to an Italian person when they asked a question of me.
In my mind, I "clicked" between languages just as many people in Europe do. The people in Europe were very surprised to see an American doing this. It was as natural to me as walking, just as easy. I'm really really GOOD at walking! Ha ha!
This very natural European trait made me wonder about this ability. In Europe, it's very common for people to speak 5 - 12 languages. Not very common for native USA residents to speak more than 3.

I had always been curious as to why I had strawberry blonde hair, light green eyes, the desire to get out there exploring the world while my other 5 siblings stuck mainly to the state of Michigan. My coloring is considerably different from my 4 siblings. I know my eldest sister had a different father, yet, my 1 sister (deceased) as well as my 3 brothers all had the same mother & father as I did.

My mother was 5' 9", had gorgeous natural bright red hair, large, soulful brown eyes. Her mother was 100% German. Her father was a mixture of English, Irish & Scottish.

My father had dark black hair, light gray eyes, only around 5'4". He was almost 100% Native American, a very slight amount of English.

Throughout my life, whenever I have to fill out any official form which asks for race or ethnicity, I have longed to tick the Native American box. With no tribal affiliation, with my coloring, I know it wouldn't be possible. When ticking the "Caucasian" or "White" box, I always felt a twinge of self betrayal.

My paternal great grandparents escaped from a NA Reservation, they then hid in the mountains of West Virginia. They were so scared of being found, of being forced back onto the Indian reservation, that their children would be taken from them to try to educate their NA culture out of them. My great grandparents taught their children to hide whenever any government officials were up on the mountain. My NA grandparents taught their children, one of whom was my father, also to hide from people who might see them to take them away. There was also a prejudice against NAs. They were regarded as dirty, criminal, alcoholics.
This hatred of Native Americans caused a doctor to argue with my mother & father in a hospital elevator while my mother was in labor. The doctor didn't want a 1/2 NA child to be born in
"his hospital". While they were arguing, I was born in the elevator.

For these reasons, my father was afraid to have tribal affiliation.

I tried for 3 years to get a certificate of Indian blood from the BIA -Bureau of Indian Affairs. I couldn't get them to approve it so that I could seek tribal affiliation.

I feel the Native American spirit in my being, my soul, my blood. I have also felt the connection with all things Scottish & Irish.
Sorry, my English friends! I love you, I know how this would make you feel, yet, being true to myself is important.

Now that genetic testing is more affordable than ever, I had an opportunity to have my DNA determined. It confirmed what I already felt, yet, the confirmation was somehow comforting. It involved swabbing the inside of my mouth with a long medical swab, mailing it in, in a sterile container, then...waiting.

Seven weeks later, I received my results from connectmyDNA.com

Yeah, yeah, kinda cheesy web site name, yet, whether it can be believed or not, I feel that the result was fairly accurate.

The result?

Mostly Native American, some Irish, some Scottish, a smaller amount of German.

My fathers' mother was a Native American Shaman, a healer. Although I didn't have much of a relationship with my father or his parents, the NA connection I feel has only become stronger with time.

When I went to South Dakota, in 2009, the NA spirit was so strong, there, it had a very deep effect on me. Walking through the Crazy Horse museum, I was moved to tears, realizing that these people could very well be my ancestors. Knowing that many of them actually were!
From genealogy research, I know that, through my father, my blood lines go back through Chief Sitting Bull. Chief Sitting Bull was not his name but an adaptation that whites gave him for their own convenience to be able to pronounce it.
I cried bitter tears for the hardships my ancestors endured. It was a relief to leave South Dakota. The feeling of oppression I had felt while I was there was so dark, so heavy, it weighed my heart down.

When I traveled to Scotland in 2007, it was very mesmerizing. The bright green, the beautiful accents. Though the Scots were speaking English, I did have to pay close attention to understand what they were saying. Scottish guys are so masculine!
WOW! LOVED THAT!
Although I don't have this, all 4 of my kiddos have the telltale widows peak along their forehead hairline. A definitive sign of Scottish heritage. Marilyn Monroe had this. It gives a female the appearance of a heart shaped face.
To me, on a guy? It just looks sexy as can be!!! rrrrrrrrr
I feel a connection to people with Scottish heritage, yet, stronger with Native American people.

It's my hope to go to Ireland, specifically, County Cork, some day. It would be interesting, to do a bit of genealogy investigation into my Irish heritage.

So, with the information of my DNA analysis, it explains a lot of personal characteristics which I have that my siblings differ from me upon. I have very scant body hair except on my head. I also have incredible intuition, possibly from my Shaman grandmother?
Maybe it also explains my determined attitude, why I'm such a fighter, possibly learned behavior plays a part in that. I'm not in contact with my brothers, very little with my 1 living sister. I love my brothers, I love my sister very much. I reached out several times before giving up. Once in a great while my beloved sister will phone me. We grew apart when I left Michigan to serve in the USAF. It would be interesting to see their genetic makeup.

Maybe, some day!

Stay tuned.