Phase III of DNA Consultants' Cherokee DNA Studies proved that many of the new Cherokee mitochondrial lines—as well as most of early eastern North American Indian types—originated in the Old World in seaborne colonization, not as migrations across a hypothetical Bering land-bridge. Should we still call them Indians? (more)
Like other projects in the news, the purpose of the testing is to preserve a snapshot of the genetic composition of Alabama Native Americans at a time when admixture, secularization, intermarriage and other factors endanger the coherence and continuity of all ethnic groups. More widely, the purpose is to underpin educational and cultural awareness goals. (more)
Between April and December of last year, Timothy Williams' U.S./Canada Abenaki Indian project quietly enlisted 19 random, anonymous volunteers who wanted to further the Abenaki People’s cultural, historical and social awareness and help redress some of the misinformation and injustices of the Colonial system in the United States and Canada. (more)
The initiative’s official name is “Canada Eastern Metis Reference Population STR Profile DNA Project.” It follows the same method and procedures used in J. Ng et al, “Native American Population Data Based on the Globalfiler Autosomal STR Loci,” Forensic Science International: Genetics 24 (Sept. 2016). Such projects aim to preserve a single era in the biological history of tribes and contribute to better cultural and social awareness. (more)
Forensic Reference Population Begun for Euchee (Uchi) Descendants
Volunteers are sought for the Euchee Reference Population STR Profile DNA Project, whose purpose is to sample the genetic diversity of persons who may be of Euchee descent and establish a historical benchmark for their cultural survival. The independent study has appointed an an independent genetic genealogy expert as administrator who will screen candidates over the next few months. The initiative follows similar projects for Cherokee, Shawnee, Abenaki and Virginia tribes.
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The Shawnee DNA Project announced last September has been concluded and customers can see if they have a match to one or both of the resulting forensic populations, U.S. Shawnee Enrolled (n=24) and U.S. Shawnee Admixed (n=53). The Shawnee turn out to be very distinctive. (more)
DNA Consultants got one of the highest-scoring reviews from the new genomic sequencing company Nebula. In a lengthy write-up by the independent reviewer Fiyin Ebemidayo, B.S., the company was rated an overal 4.7 out of 5 stars for its combination of forensics and history-based input. "The company's prices are competitive and their support staff is available to consult on a personal level," said the reviewer. "Using alleles to make matches, customers receive in-depth reports on their connection to certain ethnicities but they do not receive ethnicity percentages or personal matches." (more)
On April 10, company founder and author Donald Yates was interviewed on i24 NEWS in Tel Aviv about the overlap of Jewish and Cherokee ancestry. The company offers both a Native American and a Jewish DNA test that matches you with relevant populations. The interview was conducted by Emily Frances, the Emmy winning host of "Holy Land Uncovered." The program, titled "Genealogist Donald Yates Uncovers Secrets of Cherokee DNA," aired in 20 million homes in the U.S. Europe, Africa, Arabia and other parts of the Middle East. (more)
Thomas W. Stafford, Jr. is head of Stafford Research Laboratories, Inc. and Associate Research Professor at the University of Aarhus in Denmark. He lives in Lafayette, Colo. Among his current projects are the Paisley Caves in Oregon (which contain evidence of the oldest humans in North America) (more)
DNA Consultants was launched in December 2003. It did not start out very auspiciously, for it began with a colossal blunder. (more)
