All my life I've been a fan of the "hard" sciences. Chemistry was one of my first loves as a child. I came late to the "soft" sciences like psychology and sociology. I watched, sometimes with horror, as the "soft" sciences attempted to legitimize their existence by emulating strategies of the "hard" sciences.
My discovery of the existence of mitochondrial dna excited me. And, as so much of my personal growth, it came as a result of my interest in another area of personal interest. I first came across mitochondrial dna in my studies of addictive disease more than 20 years ago. I was immediately aware of the value of mtDNA in my family history research. Because of the special way mtDNA is passed down and my knowledge base of my matrilineal genealogy, I saw a potential avenue to expand my personal knowledge of self.
Over approximately the past 10 years, there has been an explosion of companies offering services to do genetic research. For all my personal interest, I have been reluctant to make use of those services. However, I recently became aware that included in the services offered by some of these companies, is specifically mtDNA focused search. I finally subscribed to do such a search.
I have no idea what the results will show. Although born in slavery, our family lore has my great great grandmother as at least part Native American. The stories I've heard about her from my great grandmother, her daughter, and others do not portray a particularly loving individual. I've always interpreted my vision of her through the filter of her experience as a slave. My great grandmother was the most loving individual I've known in my life. An assessment shared by individuals from her own generation and subsequent generations.
I'm not sure what this test will return to me except it will document more of my relationship to all of mankind through my maternal line. A part of me will be satisfied with that alone.
A part of me wants to know more.