I finally did the MyHeritage DNA test and what I found shocked me.
For a good chunk of my life, black people have asked me if I were mixed with another race. I don’t see it at all, but the questions kept coming? Are you biracial? Do you have some Asian in you? Are you mixed? No, no and no.
So, about four years ago, I started toying with the idea of doing an ancestry test. But, it wasn’t until a month ago that I decided to go through with it thanks to a sponsorship deal on my YouTube channel.
MyHeritage, a website and app that helps users research their family history and genealogy, approached me and asked if I would be interested in learning my ancestry. I jumped at the chance.
How does the MyHeritage DNA test work?
The process of getting the sample was simple. All I had to do was swab one of my cheeks for about 30 seconds, put the tissue sample in a vial and ship it off to MyHeritage’s labs. Results come back in four to six weeks.
What I appreciated was that the company was really good at giving updates along the way, from acknowledging that it received the sample to letting you know that it was being analysed.
While I was waiting I started going through the Rolodex of my mind, looking for clues through my parents, grandparents, aunts and other extended family members.
My expectations before the test
Both of my parents are black, but my paternal great-grandmother was Cuban and some of my paternal ancestors were from Europe.
Also, most Bahamians are descended from slaves from West Africa. So, I wanted to know if test would pick that up.
According to the company, MyHeritage’s Ethnicity Estimate compares your DNA to models of 42 different ethnicities to provide a breakdown of your DNA’s percentage match to each.
MyHeritage has committed in its privacy policy to never share your DNA data, which put my mind at ease because, like so many people, I did not want my data sold to other companies.
The results
So, now that I have the results, where do I come from?
The results revealed that I am 40.3% Nigerian, 16.0% West African; 14.4% North and West European, 4.4% East European; 14.1% Sierra Leonean and 15.2% four or more ethnicities.
As it relates to those ethnicities, the test revealed that I am 8.2% Kenyan, 1.7% Maasai, a Nilotic ethnic group from Kenya and northern Tanzania and 0.9% Asian.
I think I was most surprised that the Asian result wasn’t higher, considering how many people say that I have Asian features. I have even had Asians tell me I look Asian.
As I mentioned earlier, my paternal late great-grandmother was from Cuba, so I expected to see Spain or Iberia on my ancestry list. But, they weren’t there.
Instead, the results revealed ancestry from Austria, Germany the Czech Republic, Afghanistan and Kazakhstan, Romania, Ukraine and Bulgaria, among many other countries.
What I also loved about the MyHeritage DNA test is that it not only tells me my ancestry, but also shows me the name and location of my DNA matches.
My final thoughts
In the end, I am very happy that I did the DNA test. I have wanted to do this for years and the results didn’t disappoint.
It was so exciting waiting for the results and even more exciting to get them. I spent hours looking up possible family matches. It was all very fascinating. I would highly recommend others do the test. It’s very eye-opening.
To watch my video where I unveil my results, tune in to the video down below.
