Is there a way to find out how much of me is Native American?

Question

I kno Im Lakota Sioux and that my biological mom was 3/4 indian. And my father is 100 percent. but is there a blood test I could take to find out how much I am? If so...do I ask my doc or do I go to a special place???

Answer 1

No there is no blood test.  If you mom was indeed 3/4 Native American and your father was indeed 100% then you would take have of each of those figures then add them together.  If I do the math correctly half of 3/4 is 3/8 and of course half of 100% if 1/2 or 50%.  Adding them together gives you 7/8 by blood quantum.  Its not something in the blood that any test can detect.

DNA testing can tell you if you have markers in common with the sample Native blood the testing facility has in their database.  But that is as far as it can go, it can't tell you what percentage of native blood you have and it can't tell you which tribe.

Answer 2

Toniktuka hwo?

Huh! If you know, then you don't need to worry; 0.75 (3/4) + 100 (100 percent) = 1.75. Divide by 2 and you get 0.875%, or 7/8.

But, yes there is a blood test (actually, all you need is a cheek swab; not painful at all). I used www.familytreedna.com.  Family Tree sent me a kit with 2 swabs, I swabbed my cheeks, sent the kit back, and in about 2 - 3 weeks I received a written report.  I also have my own page on their website.

In your case, it should make quite a bit of difference; I am only slightly Indian (Eskimo, Innuit and some of the U.S. tribes [unspecified]) with ancestors from North and South America, Europe, Asia, Africa...You get the idea.  In your case the tests should show a different picture as you are mostly Indian.

Be sure to get both the mtDNA (mother to mother to mother...) and the yDNA test (father to father to father).  You might be surprised at what you find.

Wakan Tanka nici un.