Native American DNA Testing - What Are Your Roots?
In an age where it is increasingly becoming evident that to determine your kinship, race , lineage et al you would need to take a DNA test, many companies have jumped into the bandwagon and started offering tests which will test your DNA with the DNA profiles maintained in the database. The result of such a test would prove if your DNA matches with the Native American DNA. All that the person taking the test should do is to rub the buccal swab on his cheek and send the DNA samples in the collection tube to the testing agency. The forensic laboratory will do the testing on your DNA samples and let you know if you have genetic markers in your DNA which are commonly found in Native American ancestry individuals. Taking a Native American DNA Testing can mean a lot to many people in the United States of America. With the government of the United States of America announcing a list of entitlements such as the Native American Rights, many people have started taking this test to qualify for the entitlements. The forensic laboratory sends an ancestry affiliation or a certification form to those test takers who have been confirmed to have genetic markers in their DNA which are similar to those found in Native American individuals.
Since the Native American DNA Testing is extremely sensitive to what it does, it is extremely important to keep the results of the tests extremely confidential. Though, these tests claim to validate people with genetic markers same as the Native American ancestry, many scientists have found out that many genetic markers used in these tests are not found only in Native Americans. What this means is that though some of them are found in Native Americans, most of them are not leading to a greater probability of people not getting validated to be of the Native American ancestry. Since these tests have a legal angle associated to it, a lot of people have questioned these tests in the way they could be treated. Various sections of the society have already expressed concerns on people qualifying for race-based college of admissions. With the spectre of dynamic political environment hanging over people's heads, a lot of people are choosing DNA tests over Tribal and Federal Law to scientifically prove that they are indeed a Native American. Many tribes are in the process of getting federally recognized with members who wish to enroll in the tribes getting handsome emoluments. Tribes like Pequot, every member who has enrolled with it gets thousands of dollars every month as a monthly disbursement. Many other tribes are using genetics for enrolling purposes. Bottom-line, the tribes and the government is working on a way to integrate genetics with history which is leading to the popularity of the Native American DNA Testing. |
