Could My Ancestors Have Asian Origins Based on Our Family Traits?

[JPC]

Hi
there has been a rumor that i might have a bit of Asian origins (from what is said, about 200 years ago)
In my family we have some characteristics that could support this idea. And my ancestors have been living next to an Harbor on the french Atlantic coast.
But is there a way to be sure of it ? I am very curious

DNA Test ? no i think its illegal, since it could support racism
an Archeologist specialized in the study of mankind around the globe ?

 

[Andre]

Why would it be racism if you wanted to know your archetype? I think that anthropological studies use Mitochondrial DNA research routinely. That would put you in a quite confined origine.

 

[matthyaouw]

DNA tests for genaeological purposes are not illegal (where I live, at any rate). I have no idea how much one might set you back, but companies do offer them: http://dna.ancestry.com/welcome.aspx

Otherwise, you'll have to get yourself down to the libraries and record offices to trace your family tree.

 

[JPC]

Because for example, under a Totalitarian regime, it could be used to discriminate people by their origins

But if it his legal, and not too expensive, i would be happy to have to have a clear answer rather than a vague rumor that makes us look like 'megalomans' (people who just invent things to get attention)

matthyaouw, the website you gave me, apparently only gives comparisons with test-takers
I am more looking for a kind of test that has a database of the distributivity of characteristic Alleles around the globe. If is found in my DNA for example a significant number of Alleles only found in a specific part of Asia , this would confirm, and furthermore give a more precise location

 

[GCT]

Hi
there has been a rumor that i might have a bit of Asian origins (from what is said, about 200 years ago)
In my family we have some characteristics that could support this idea. And my ancestors have been living next to an Harbor on the french Atlantic coast.
But is there a way to be sure of it ? I am very curious

DNA Test ? no i think its illegal, since it could support racism
an Archeologist specialized in the study of mankind around the globe ?

A recent issue of Discover had a girl with both European and Asian descent have her genes analyzed by four distinct DNA testing companies. What is your European heritage? What are the details of the rumor - some of us may be able to discredit it based on historical accuracy?

 

[JPC]

Hum, from my paternal side its rather French/German
From my maternal side, from Bordeaux, (a french city on the the Atlantic coast), a Banker Family, and the Asian origins are suspected to come from here
The archives don't give any information further back than 200 years ago. This brings us back to a date before 1800 (unless if the archives have been corrupted).

 

[GCT]

Hum, from my paternal side its rather French/German
From my maternal side, from Bordeaux, (a french city on the the Atlantic coast), a Banker Family, and the Asian origins are suspected to come from here
The archives don't give any information further back than 200 years ago. This brings us back to a date before 1800 (unless if the archives have been corrupted).

I am not aware of any Asian agendas in France around that time - I admit my ignorance on the topic. Anyways genetic testing here costs $ 1000 + and this gives you a good overview of what your genes consists of , if you simply want validation of an Asian heritage this may not cost as much.

Again check out that Discover article.

 

[Proton Soup]

you never know what genealogical info might be floating out there. check with the Mormons, they have a huge database. lots of amateur genealogists (and pros, too) can be found online that might be able to send you info.

if you suspect there is a direct maternal link, you could test the mitochondrial DNA. I've never checked my own, but i have a similar story in my own family, that if true means i have native american mitochondrial DNA and would be at a minimum 1/64 native.

 

[binzing]

Yeah i second the Mormon recommendation, I use Familysearch.org for most of my stuff and its free and works quite well.

(Anybody know WHY the mormons are so into geneaology? Its pretty crazy...)

 

[mgb_phys]

(Anybody know WHY the mormons are so into geneaology? Its pretty crazy...)

I thinkthey believe that it is the duty of the living to track down their ancestors and baptise them retrospectively to allow them to be part of the church.
It's no more crazy than a lot of things other churches believe and a lot less harmfull.

 

[binzing]

Yeah, i suppose...

 

[CaptainQuasar]

150 years ago France had already begun colonial domination of Indochina and they had trade and other relations with Asia starting more than a hundred years before that. The French martial art savate stems from Thai kickboxing and is a couple of hundred years old. So this certainly seems feasible.

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[GCT]

Yeah i second the Mormon recommendation, I use Familysearch.org for most of my stuff and its free and works quite well.

(Anybody know WHY the mormons are so into geneaology? Its pretty crazy...)

Mormons are biased , they twist facts to support delusions similar to any other religions - similar to the current erroneous notions of " creation - science ". My advice to the OP is to seek validation by getting genetically tested.

150 years ago France had already begun colonial domination of Indochina and they had trade and other relations with Asia starting more than a hundred years before that. The French martial art savate stems from Thai kickboxing and is a couple of hundred years old. So this certainly seems feasible.

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What is your logic here?


Did French women travel to China to get pregnant there or did they get raped? As the common phrase emphasizes never conduct a land invasion of Asia ; the French were not actually successful in their endeavor.

 

[Integral]

Mormons are biased , they twist facts to support delusions similar to any other religions - similar to the current erroneous notions of " creation - science ". My advice to the OP is to seek validation by getting genetically tested.



What is your logic here?


Did French women travel to China to get pregnant there or did they get raped? As the common phrase emphasizes never conduct a land invasion of Asia ; the French were not actually successful in their endeavor.

So you seem to arguing that since in general there were no Oriental's in Eastern Canada that it is impossible for there to have been ANY there. While there is a lot to be gained by examining general trends in history you must be very careful in applying these generalities to specific cases. There was a significant world trade through out the 18th and 19th centuries the thought of an Asian servant, spouse or mistress in Eastern Canada just does not seem unlikely.

 

[CaptainQuasar]

What is your logic here?

Did French women travel to China to get pregnant there or did they get raped? As the common phrase emphasizes never conduct a land invasion of Asia ; the French were not actually successful in their endeavor.

Whoa, dude, take a chill pill. My logic is that if there was extensive seagoing travel and trade due to French colonial presence in Indochina (which is different from China, by the way) then it makes perfect sense that Asian genes could have ended up in the vicinity of Bordeaux. No need to talk about Chinese women being raped (seriously, WTF?), it could easily have been the consequence of a Vietnamese or Lao sailor having a liaison with a French woman while in port at Bordeaux. Or a French sailor or traveler could have gotten married while in the Far East and brought his family back home. Or a hundred other things.

All sorts of cross-cultural fraternization, as it were, crossing all over the world went on during the Colonial Era, just from the increased travel. The Russian poet Pushkin was one-eighth Ethiopian because his great-grandfather came to serve in the court of Peter the Great, for example.

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[Proton Soup]

Whoa, dude, take a chill pill. My logic is that if there was extensive seagoing travel and trade due to French colonial presence in Indochina (which is different from China, by the way) then it makes perfect sense that Asian genes could have ended up in the vicinity of Bordeaux. No need to talk about Chinese women being raped (seriously, WTF?), it could easily have been the consequence of a Vietnamese or Lao sailor having a liaison with a French woman while in port at Bordeaux. Or a French sailor or traveler could have gotten married while in the Far East and brought his family back home. Or a hundred other things.

All sorts of cross-cultural fraternization, as it were, crossing all over the world went on during the Colonial Era, just from the increased travel. The Russian poet Pushkin was one-eighth Ethiopian because his great-grandfather came to serve in the court of Peter the Great, for example.

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i've often wondered why some japanese have roman-looking noses. decendants of marco polo and company? cross-fertilization has been going on for centuries. some of it was probably rape, like from the days of ghengis khan, but many others seemed to be on good terms.

 

[CaptainQuasar]

i've often wondered why some japanese have roman-looking noses. decendants of marco polo and company? cross-fertilization has been going on for centuries. some of it was probably rape, like from the days of ghengis khan, but many others seemed to be on good terms.

In the case of Japan, I think that's just their phenotype. To me Japanese people seem to look distinctly different from, say, Cantonese people, or even the Koreans I know. As the ancestors of the Japanese moved into the islands I believe there were several preceding indigenous groups they may have mixed with, including the Ainu who as I recall are believed to have originally had features more like Caucasians than Asians. (But don't quote me on any of this, it's totally guess work on my part. And don't try to test me with a photograph, I'm sure I'd fail.)

(And by the way, I don't think that Marco Polo made it further than China. But speaking of the Silk Road era stuff, you might be interested to read about the Kaifeng Jews.)

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[Proton Soup]

In the case of Japan, I think that's just their phenotype. To me Japanese people seem to look distinctly different from, say, Cantonese people, or even the Koreans I know. As the ancestors of the Japanese moved into the islands I believe there were several preceding indigenous groups they may have mixed with, including the Ainu who as I recall are believed to have originally had features more like Caucasians than Asians. (But don't quote me on any of this, it's totally guess work on my part. And don't try to test me with a photograph, I'm sure I'd fail.)

(And by the way, I don't think that Marco Polo made it further than China. But speaking of the Silk Road era stuff, you might be interested to read about the Kaifeng Jews.)

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interesting! thanks.

 

[CaptainQuasar]

Photo of some Ainu from 1904 from here. No notes as to whether these people are all full-blooded Ainu or not.

 

[Proton Soup]

look european to me. hard to tell, but the hair seems a little wavy, too.

 

[CaptainQuasar]

Yeah, I was browsing the Wikipedia article and there are a whole bunch of different theories. Evidently recent genetic tests rule them out as being connected directly to Caucasians. One interesting theory is that they're from a much older branch of homo sapiens sapiens than Caucasians or Asians, that they're distantly related to Australian Aborigines. I could believe that, those people's foreheads look like Australians or Torres Strait Islanders, although their eyes are different. Compare to the singer Archie Roach who I believe is a full-blooded Aborigine. (that link goes to a Youtube music video, be ready for the audio.)

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[CaptainQuasar]

More photos from some Google Books full-text books on the Ainu: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

Yeah, some of these people look really European, whereas others look pretty Japanese. But perhaps that's cross-breeding.

(Sorry to threadjack a bit, JPC. But maybe it's actually that you're full-blooded Ainu and you didn't know it!)