Is there a Native American DNA test call Amerind? Can I order it?

I would like to find out if my Native American is from North or
South America.
A tribe or area of the country would be great.
Migration maps etc.

Thanks!

DNA testing opens a big can of worms. First you need to know a little about how a particular trait is passed from generation to generation. First a male passes traits to his male offspring, and so on down the line male to male. Females pass traits to both male and female offspring, but only the daughter passes those traits down to her offspring, and so on down the female line. So if you are male and your Native ancestor was female it won't show up in your DNA, vice versa if you are female and your Native ancestor was male it won't show up.

Now as an example of how a DNA test can be far off base...Oprah Winfrey had a DNA test and was told she descended from the Zulu tribe of Africa. Oprah is indeed the descendant of slaves here in America. The problem comes in because history shows that NO Zulu's were ever captured as slaves. The slave traders did not go far enough into Africa to capture any Zulu's. So how can Oprah have any Zulu ancestry?

Do yourself a favor and save your money, do the genealogy and trace your ancestry yourself...There are many people that can help you in that.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Native_American_Genealogy is a group that I belong to....

Oh one other thing NO Federally Recognized Native Nations or Tribes accept DNA testing as proof of native ancestry.

My family and I are trying to determine what percentage of Native american we are. And also exactly what type. We are pretty sure that we are cherokee, aztec, and mayan, but we are not sure exactly how much. It's mostly for better understanding our heritage and to be eligable for college scholarships and to attend local indian groups and tribes during special traditions.

If you did get the test and it revealed that you have some percentage of Indian blood, Mayan or Aztecs. The Mayan and Aztecs are not offering scholarships. The Cherokees are being overwhelmed with all of the request coming out of the woodwork and if you are not at least 25% of their blood it will be very unlikely that you will receive benefits. Have you ever been involved in any native American activities, volunteered any of your time, There is a need for volunteering in home improvement, finding jobs, and numerous other needs the average wannabe does not know of...... Please if you going for free stuff at least show some concerns for the people!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Will matrilineal DNA testing reveal if my mother's family have Native American ancestry? I'm not trying to get specific information about tribes, just want to satisfy personal curiosity.

If so, how can I find a reputable company for testing? Thanks.
I stated in my question that I am not looking for affiliation with particular tribes or tribal benefits.

If the female line varies one time from the Native American, then no it will not tell you if your mothers family has Native American ancestry even though it could very well have it. Testing would have to be a bit more comprehensive. From all my reading autosomal testing is your best chance of discovering your ancestry percentage of origin.
RT

Hi
I did an ancestry by dna test a while back.
It showed 12% Native American. I am totally
white looking. Is this alot of indian for a white girl from USA?
Has anyone else had results like this?

Just curious?

Many of us have Native American ancestors, and it would show up in our DNA.

If I got a Native American DNA test done, would that be enough evidence to show that I am part Native American, so i can get into a tribe? If I got a Native American DNA test done, would that be enough evidence to show that I am part Native American, so i can get into a tribe?

The short answer is "no."

I do not think DNA testing will ever be enough for tribal enrollment because of the way "blood quantum" is calculated. This is best explained by an example. (In this example it is assumed that each Native American parent is an enrolled member of their tribe with proper Certificate of Indian Blood documentation or the tribe's equivalent of this document.)

Take, for instance, these two families: (1) a 100% Navajo female marries a male of non-Native decent and (2) a 100% Hopi female marries a 100% Navajo male. Clearly family #1 will have offspring that are 1/2 blood quantum and can simply register the child with the Navajo Nation. Now consider family #2 which also will have offspring that are 1/2 blood quantum despite being 100% Native American. The reason--each tribe does not care how much total Native American bloodline an individual has, they only care about the bloodline of their tribe. Furthermore, an individual cannot be an enrolled member of more than one tribe.

Apparently the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) does issue a Certificate of Degree of Indian Blood (CDIB) that reflects the total Native American bloodline of an individual. I'm not sure how widely accepted this document is since it is not associated with a specific tribe. Perhaps it can be used for scholarships that do not require declaring a tribe?

Essentially: It is entirely possible for an individual to be 100% Native American by bloodline and still not qualify to be an enrolled member of any of the tribes the person is descended from.

For a more detailed explanation please see:

Wikipedia: Blood quantum laws
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_quantum

Wikipedia: Certificate of Degree of Indian Blood
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CDIB

Good luck, you'll need it.

Just found out my grandfather was half black, have native american. However. (DNA tests)?

I don't know his name, tribe his native american half belongs to, and where his african american half is from. I thought of getting a DNA test, but the ones I've seen are around $200-$250. That's expensive for me.

has anyone ever had a DNA test? Do you think a University student, or like a Graduate student would do this test for me cheaper?

It depends on what you want out of the test. The only thing it could actually do is prove that yes he was Indian and black. If that is the goal it could be worth it. If however you are hoping it could tell you what tribe, I wouldn't waste the money because it can't.

Can DNA testing by ancestry connect a person to a specific Native American tribe?

If DNA testing does not have the capability to do this, are there alternative options (exluding oral history) or is all hope lost? Even though it is labeled 'DNA by ancestry', is it possible that if Native American ancestors are not "that close" the test may make an error and accidentally look over them, resulting in a miscalculated percentage or "0.0%" Native American blood?

This is a definate NO.... The only thing DNA testing can tell you is that you have certain markers in common with another group that the testers have on file. There is no way they can narrow it down that far. And they sometimes can't tell you anything at all. If you are male and your Native ancestor was female it wouldn't show up in your test, and vice versa if your female and your Native ancestor was male you wouldn't show it. The markers are only passed along gender lines. Although a female passes the markers to all her children male and female, only her female children will pass the markers to their children the male children don't.

The only sure fire way to connect with Native American ancestry is to do the genealogy and hope your people were not among those who "hid" in plain sight. If you are trying to gain recognition and to become a member of a Native American Nation or Tribe the ONLY thing they will accept if a proven direct lineage to a person on one of the Native Rolls. ie: The Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma only accepts direct lineage to someone on the Dawes Roll, the Eastern Band of Cherokee only accept someone with direct lineage to someone on the Baker Roll. And all the other Nations or Tribes are along the same lines, you would have to contact the specific tribe to find their requirements. NONE of the Federally Recognized Tribes or Nations accept DNA testing as proof of Native Ancestry....

See this webpage...
http://www.coolrogue.net/genealogy/dnatestingpt1.html

My family has recently found out that my grandmother was 1/2 native american. However, I have no way to prove this as it was due to an unsubstantiated relationship of her mother's and was kept secret until my grandmother's death. Is there any way to get a CIB card with dna only, without knowing exact names and history of ancestors?

As others have said, no, but even if DNA tests were "proof" for enrollment, I don't think it would do you any good - from your question, it sounds like your Native ancestor was your Grandmother's father. DNA tests two lines - mother's mother line (Y-chromosome) and father's father's (X-chromosome).

You would have to find and test a direct male line descendant of your grandmother's father to have the possible Native DNA. It wouldn't show up in your testable DNA.