GENETIC ANCESTRY TESTING REPORT: IT'S A BIT OF A HALLOWEEN "TRICK" WITH SOME "TREATS" THROWN IN!!
Today, Tuesday, October 31, is Halloween back in the good old U.S. of A. The anticipation was growing when I learned the Genetic Ancestry Testing Report from the scientists at Wits University would be shared with me on this date. The "mask" is off...I get to share my information with the world (especially those folks related to my mother, Maria Christina Sevcik, and my father, John Frank Davidek). My father passed away at a relatively young age in 1951; mother lived to be 96 years old, her spirit departing this earth on August 19, 2000.
The DNA genetic ancestry testing was done at a laboratory affiliated with Wits University. It took a long time to obtain the final results. I remember the swabbing of the inside of my mouth taking place sometime in early August. Along the way, the laboratory had some technical difficulties and results were delayed for many people (I was informed). No matter. When I learned the results would be read to me on Halloween Day, I was elated. Indeed, the final analysis proved to be perfect for Halloween: some "tricks", along with many "treats!"
Ashnee, the Indian South African sociologist/psychologist met me at the door to her office. We sat down and she proceeded to hand me a printed analysis of my DNA testing. She explained the first page of the report, reading her copy of the results. I tried to pay attention but was distracted by one word on that front page: ICELAND. I read beyond what Ashnee was reading, trying to understand why ICELAND was there as part of my DNA. It was beguiling--the name seemed to jump off the page!
The information is complicated and not easy to understand (for me, the non-scientist). My MtDNA haplogroup was listed as "W". Trust me, the "W" has nothing to do with George Bush! They analyzed the DNA on my maternal side and stated that after a worldwide search of approximately 6,000 individuals, they found no identical matches for me. The closest match differed by two base positions to an ICELANDIC individual (see http://www.bioanth.cam.ac.uk/mtDNA/). Amazing! ICELAND, with an isolated population of about 270,000 and one of them is closely matched to me!!
My oldest son (previous marriage), married a beautiful lass from...you guessed it, ICELAND! That marriage has produced two children: a girl and a boy. My grandchildren that are "half" Icelandic might just be a tiny bit more Icelandic... I say half because the individual from Iceland listed as a close match to my mtDNA has sort of thrown a wrench into the whole scenerio. I'm absolutely sure that Erik and Bryndis are going to be taken aback by this information--especially since it's based on my mom's DNA side. Oh well, it's NOT an identical match...so relax my Icelandic relatives!
Ashnee explained things and I listened intently. The websites given to me are definitely going to be viewed! Now for the "kicker." Again, on my mother's side: the lab searched their local database and found no identical matches, but came within one base position of linking me to a South Africa White individual. Imagine that! I suppose that could be categorized as a "trick" on this Halloween Day. There are some White South Africans that I would NOT want to be identified with (and I'm sure the mutuality of that statement could be verified). As a matter of fact, there is one particular person (I'll simply refer to him as "The Warden"), that would force me to suicide if I learned of any genetic link to his ancestry. Good grief...a very, very ugly, insidious thought!
Anyway, the haplogroup W is a "daughter" clade of the macro-haplogroup N. "N" and it derivatives (haplogroups H, I, J, K, M, T, U, V, W, and X) are found almost exclusively in Europe and western Eurasia (you got that?). Haplogroup W is found largely in the western Ural Mountains and the eastern Baltic, and at lower frequencies in India--the Asian part of me is finally recognized! It is believed that haplogroup W originated some time after the ancestors of contemporary Europeans became genetically isolated from the ancestors of the modern Africans and Asians. Darn! That means I'm not Zulu or even a Shona (two of my friends here belong to those respective southern African tribes).
Now for the male side of this equation--the Y chromosome analysis. Two kinds of Y chromosome data were used to resolve my Y chromosome lineage. The geneticists arrived at my Y chromosome haplogroup as: R-M207. They said R-M207 is the dominant lineage in western European populations and is thought to be a signature of an expansiion that originated from the Iberian Peninsula after the last Ice Age (about 13,000 years ago).
The lab guys determined my STR count (called short tandem repeats), which is used to further resolve the haplogroup. By screening for several of the STR markers it was possible to derive a haplotype, a combination of the patterns observed for each region on the Y chromosome tested (are you with me on this?).
They compared my Y chromosome STR profile with about 41,000 Y chromosome haplotypes from an STR database (www.ystr.org), and found 17 matches worldwide in Eastern European populations. When they searched their local (South African) database, they found no identical match. Thank goodness for that, guys! One is more than enough (thanks mother...).
Here's the "treat" part of the Halloween package (my humble opinion). They found identical matches for me in Gdansk, Poland (can you believe seven of 'em!). Hmmmmm. Adolph Hitler used to rant and rave about Danzig, which is what it was known as during the Nazi days. It had a large population of Germans. Could there be a German Jew in there? Don't know at this point. There were also two other Polish matches (other cities). Mark Davidek's wife, Wanda, is going to be pleased!
Next was an identical match in Hungary. Figures, since Bratislava is a stone's throw from the Hungarian border (my father was born near Bratislava). How about three identical matches in central Bohemia (those Slovak guys loved those Bohemian, Moravian beauties!)? There was one match in Slovenia...more Slavic possibilities. Interestingly, a match was found in Romania. Hmmmmmmm. Am I related to Vlade the Impaler? Maybe Count Dracula? Perhaps a Romanian Jew?
Lastly, the scientists found one match for me in Macedonia. Hey, I figure I am probably linked to Alexander the Great! Naw, probably some poor peasant. Again, who really knows? Finally, there was one link for me in Verona, Italy! Maybe that explains why I tend to talk with my hands...and pinch the girls on their behinds! At any rate, the Buffone folks are going to be laughing over that link.
That's it. A fairly satisfying genetic ancestry testing report. It was worth every penny (actuall it cost R1,200). That works out to, well you figure the math...one U.S. dollar equals about R7. Again, it was worth it to me. It must be said that a good portion of the cost to have the testing done was given to me by my beloved sister, Mary Ann Buffone. Thanks, sis! And please quit laughing over the Italian link!
It was worth it because I now know more about myself...and who the heck WE are. The "we" is, of course, the children of John Frank Davidek and his lovely Moravian wife, Maria Christina. All this time I seriously thought they would identify Jewish roots (because of our DAVIDek name). It doesn't seem evident (although I'm holding out for that Romanian individual). And the Polish Jewish person might be there too.
The biggest surprise was the Iceland connection. How in heck did that happen? Further digging might surface something, but for now it's just satisfying to be able to relate that news to my son's wife, Bryndis (the beauty from Iceland). Will she and her family believe it? I'm not sure. I know that I do...
The DNA genetic ancestry testing was done at a laboratory affiliated with Wits University. It took a long time to obtain the final results. I remember the swabbing of the inside of my mouth taking place sometime in early August. Along the way, the laboratory had some technical difficulties and results were delayed for many people (I was informed). No matter. When I learned the results would be read to me on Halloween Day, I was elated. Indeed, the final analysis proved to be perfect for Halloween: some "tricks", along with many "treats!"
Ashnee, the Indian South African sociologist/psychologist met me at the door to her office. We sat down and she proceeded to hand me a printed analysis of my DNA testing. She explained the first page of the report, reading her copy of the results. I tried to pay attention but was distracted by one word on that front page: ICELAND. I read beyond what Ashnee was reading, trying to understand why ICELAND was there as part of my DNA. It was beguiling--the name seemed to jump off the page!
The information is complicated and not easy to understand (for me, the non-scientist). My MtDNA haplogroup was listed as "W". Trust me, the "W" has nothing to do with George Bush! They analyzed the DNA on my maternal side and stated that after a worldwide search of approximately 6,000 individuals, they found no identical matches for me. The closest match differed by two base positions to an ICELANDIC individual (see http://www.bioanth.cam.ac.uk/mtDNA/). Amazing! ICELAND, with an isolated population of about 270,000 and one of them is closely matched to me!!
My oldest son (previous marriage), married a beautiful lass from...you guessed it, ICELAND! That marriage has produced two children: a girl and a boy. My grandchildren that are "half" Icelandic might just be a tiny bit more Icelandic... I say half because the individual from Iceland listed as a close match to my mtDNA has sort of thrown a wrench into the whole scenerio. I'm absolutely sure that Erik and Bryndis are going to be taken aback by this information--especially since it's based on my mom's DNA side. Oh well, it's NOT an identical match...so relax my Icelandic relatives!
Ashnee explained things and I listened intently. The websites given to me are definitely going to be viewed! Now for the "kicker." Again, on my mother's side: the lab searched their local database and found no identical matches, but came within one base position of linking me to a South Africa White individual. Imagine that! I suppose that could be categorized as a "trick" on this Halloween Day. There are some White South Africans that I would NOT want to be identified with (and I'm sure the mutuality of that statement could be verified). As a matter of fact, there is one particular person (I'll simply refer to him as "The Warden"), that would force me to suicide if I learned of any genetic link to his ancestry. Good grief...a very, very ugly, insidious thought!
Anyway, the haplogroup W is a "daughter" clade of the macro-haplogroup N. "N" and it derivatives (haplogroups H, I, J, K, M, T, U, V, W, and X) are found almost exclusively in Europe and western Eurasia (you got that?). Haplogroup W is found largely in the western Ural Mountains and the eastern Baltic, and at lower frequencies in India--the Asian part of me is finally recognized! It is believed that haplogroup W originated some time after the ancestors of contemporary Europeans became genetically isolated from the ancestors of the modern Africans and Asians. Darn! That means I'm not Zulu or even a Shona (two of my friends here belong to those respective southern African tribes).
Now for the male side of this equation--the Y chromosome analysis. Two kinds of Y chromosome data were used to resolve my Y chromosome lineage. The geneticists arrived at my Y chromosome haplogroup as: R-M207. They said R-M207 is the dominant lineage in western European populations and is thought to be a signature of an expansiion that originated from the Iberian Peninsula after the last Ice Age (about 13,000 years ago).
The lab guys determined my STR count (called short tandem repeats), which is used to further resolve the haplogroup. By screening for several of the STR markers it was possible to derive a haplotype, a combination of the patterns observed for each region on the Y chromosome tested (are you with me on this?).
They compared my Y chromosome STR profile with about 41,000 Y chromosome haplotypes from an STR database (www.ystr.org), and found 17 matches worldwide in Eastern European populations. When they searched their local (South African) database, they found no identical match. Thank goodness for that, guys! One is more than enough (thanks mother...).
Here's the "treat" part of the Halloween package (my humble opinion). They found identical matches for me in Gdansk, Poland (can you believe seven of 'em!). Hmmmmm. Adolph Hitler used to rant and rave about Danzig, which is what it was known as during the Nazi days. It had a large population of Germans. Could there be a German Jew in there? Don't know at this point. There were also two other Polish matches (other cities). Mark Davidek's wife, Wanda, is going to be pleased!
Next was an identical match in Hungary. Figures, since Bratislava is a stone's throw from the Hungarian border (my father was born near Bratislava). How about three identical matches in central Bohemia (those Slovak guys loved those Bohemian, Moravian beauties!)? There was one match in Slovenia...more Slavic possibilities. Interestingly, a match was found in Romania. Hmmmmmmm. Am I related to Vlade the Impaler? Maybe Count Dracula? Perhaps a Romanian Jew?
Lastly, the scientists found one match for me in Macedonia. Hey, I figure I am probably linked to Alexander the Great! Naw, probably some poor peasant. Again, who really knows? Finally, there was one link for me in Verona, Italy! Maybe that explains why I tend to talk with my hands...and pinch the girls on their behinds! At any rate, the Buffone folks are going to be laughing over that link.
That's it. A fairly satisfying genetic ancestry testing report. It was worth every penny (actuall it cost R1,200). That works out to, well you figure the math...one U.S. dollar equals about R7. Again, it was worth it to me. It must be said that a good portion of the cost to have the testing done was given to me by my beloved sister, Mary Ann Buffone. Thanks, sis! And please quit laughing over the Italian link!
It was worth it because I now know more about myself...and who the heck WE are. The "we" is, of course, the children of John Frank Davidek and his lovely Moravian wife, Maria Christina. All this time I seriously thought they would identify Jewish roots (because of our DAVIDek name). It doesn't seem evident (although I'm holding out for that Romanian individual). And the Polish Jewish person might be there too.
The biggest surprise was the Iceland connection. How in heck did that happen? Further digging might surface something, but for now it's just satisfying to be able to relate that news to my son's wife, Bryndis (the beauty from Iceland). Will she and her family believe it? I'm not sure. I know that I do...
posted by JOBURG JOURNAL at 7:47 AM
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