One of the common questions the DNA Worldwide Ancestry Testing department get asked is which test will determine my Native American ethnicity?

In order to establish Native American Ancestry the best tests to take are the Ancestry by DNA test or the Family Finder with Population Percentage. Both these tests explore Autosomal DNA. The type of DNA that you get from both your mother and your father and can therefore cover all your ancestors. Certain mtDNA or YDNA may also be useful if you know you have direct Native American ancestry on either you direct male or direct female line.

The difference between tests

The Family Finder test looks at over 720,000 DNA Markers and the Ancestry by DNA test looks at 190 DNA Markers. Both tests provide you a percentage of your DNA across main world areas. The Ancestry by DNA Test looks at 5 main areas whereas he Family Finder Test looks at 27 areas. The family finder test can also, in about 30% of cases, narrow down your DNA to countries within the main geographic area. 

In simple terms if you are seeking to simply find out if you have any African, Asian or Native American ancestry then the Ancestry by DNA test will suit.

If you are looking for more detail and hopefully more specific areas then the Family Finder Test is the best option.

How far back will Native American Ancestry be shown?

Many people hear tales of grandparents or great grandparents being Native American, will a DNA test show this ancestry?

The graphic below is called "Luck of the Draw" and it shows how Native American ancestry gets diluted down the generations. The grandparent in this case is 100% Native American. This is passed down to one parent who ends up with about 55% Native American genetic Ancestry.

However in this case the grandchild could end up with between 11 - 36% Native American Ancestry - a wide range and non uniform. So if the Grandparent was 50% Native American the Grandchild could end up with anything from 0% Native American genetic ancestry to perhaps 20%.

The further you go back the generations the more the dilution can occur. On the other hand the percentage ancestry could remain strong. Therefore DNA testing can help verify known ancestral backgrounds but should not be used to exclude any link to that ancestry in the past. It simply shows what is present today.