Abstract
People have often been interested in their ancestral roots, and the ability to document ancestry via the use of genetic tools has never been greater and more economical. Inspired by the Human Genographic Project, the purpose of this study was to better understand the historical links connecting African ancestry to Puerto Rican individuals along their maternal lineage. Previous research had shown that the researcher’s maternal ancestry was linked to Haplogroup L1, which is one of the human subpopulations to have more recently migrated from Africa. For this project, DNA samples were collected from cheek swabs of both the researcher and her maternal grandmother, and tested commercially through Family Tree DNA and 23andMe. Using markers representative of human ancestral migration patterns that are passed down from mother to offspring, the researcher was able to further categorize her haplogroup classification by two subgroupings (Haplogroup L1, Subclade L1c1, T198C). In order to further understand the linkage between African ancestry and her cultural Puerto Rican background, the researcher examined historical records of pre-colonial Puerto Rico and the Taíno culture, the era of Spanish rule, the Atlantic Slave trade, and the current demographics of the island. Together, these major historical events played significant roles in shaping the multiracial population and, consequently, influencing the identity of Puerto Rican individuals. As a result, African ancestry (within the past 500 years) can be found along the maternal lines of many Puerto Rican individuals today.
Faculty Sponsors
James Doan, Ph.D., Emily Schmitt Lavin, Ph.D.
Project Type
Event
Location
Alvin Sherman Library
Start Date
4-10-2015 1:00 PM
End Date
4-10-2015 5:30 PM
Understanding the Mysteries of African Ancestry Along my Maternal Lineage
Alvin Sherman Library
People have often been interested in their ancestral roots, and the ability to document ancestry via the use of genetic tools has never been greater and more economical. Inspired by the Human Genographic Project, the purpose of this study was to better understand the historical links connecting African ancestry to Puerto Rican individuals along their maternal lineage. Previous research had shown that the researcher’s maternal ancestry was linked to Haplogroup L1, which is one of the human subpopulations to have more recently migrated from Africa. For this project, DNA samples were collected from cheek swabs of both the researcher and her maternal grandmother, and tested commercially through Family Tree DNA and 23andMe. Using markers representative of human ancestral migration patterns that are passed down from mother to offspring, the researcher was able to further categorize her haplogroup classification by two subgroupings (Haplogroup L1, Subclade L1c1, T198C). In order to further understand the linkage between African ancestry and her cultural Puerto Rican background, the researcher examined historical records of pre-colonial Puerto Rico and the Taíno culture, the era of Spanish rule, the Atlantic Slave trade, and the current demographics of the island. Together, these major historical events played significant roles in shaping the multiracial population and, consequently, influencing the identity of Puerto Rican individuals. As a result, African ancestry (within the past 500 years) can be found along the maternal lines of many Puerto Rican individuals today.
