DNA Testing Doesn't Make You Indian

The DNA fad that claims that testing your DNA can determine your geographic and, yes, cultural background, is running into some skepticism:

“Cherokee is a cultural, social and political designation,” said Julia Coates, at-large Cherokee Nation tribal councilor. “There is no biological definition of ‘Cherokee.’ There are several large biological populations in the American hemisphere, but to my understanding, each contains numerous distinct cultural groups.

In addition to the issues raised by Coates, there are a number of scientific issues with these DNA tests; Scientific American details the science here in their usual accessible way.

The PBS program Faces of America helped popularize the notion of discovering one's national heritage via genetic testing, but glossed over a whole host of issues that the Biopolitical Times explores in its review. To me, the most interesting thing about the Faces of America program was that there was only one person who decided she did not want to see her results: Ojibwe author Louise Erdrich. Her decision came in part because she felt that the genetics were not hers alone, and members of her family had asked her not to do it; she also said that she knew who she was, and did not need to muddy the waters with the tests.

There are fascinating issues raised by these genetic tests; these links are just places to start if you are interested in the topic.