Issues of Identity
In today’s USA Today there is an article called “DNA rewrites history for African-Americans.” Basically, it discusses the quest by African Americans to discover their ancestries and reveals the complexity of ancestry for many Americans. As a nation of immigrants, this may not be surprising, but the details may be for individuals who choose to have their DNA analyzed.
A secondary theme of the article is that some people are finding that the oral history of their family, or the mythology of their family origins, may not be factual. For some, this can be interesting; for some, disappointing; for others devastating. As an example, the article cites 9 US African American celebrities, all who believed that they had Native American ancestry. Only 2 did. Oprah Winfrey, one of the celebrities with that belief who did test positive for Native American ancestry, said that in her generation of African Americans, it is considered desirable to be “a little Indian.” She is, 7 others are not.
In my family, there is an oral tradition that says that during the French and Indian War, an ancestor of mine was taken by the Indians to Canada where she grew up, married, and had a family. When our family located her, she refused to return to the United States, and the family. Later, her daughter did so, was reunited, married, and continued in our family line. So, I may be “a little Indian.” This is a family story that I have always considered interesting, but never fully relied upon. Now, I could check it out for as little as $95.00. Will I? I don’t know. After all, it is a great story!
The point, I think, is that families and also nations sometimes make decisions about identity based on traditions that may or may not be accurate. Those decisions about identity can lead to other decisions that sometimes lead to argument, conflict, and even war. I wonder if there is a lesson in this story that argues for the complexity of human relationships, their inter-connectedness, and their potential to be a unifying, rather than separating, force. It is worth considering, I think. What about you?
All the best,
Susan