Rediscovering Ancestry: A Profound Self-discovery through iGENEA DNA test
Family name Smart
The DNA test at iGENEA dramatically reshaped my understanding of my ancestry. The discovery of my ancestors, the Smarts, turned out to be an incredibly insightful adventure, revealing an unexpected Eastern European heritage.
Through the DNA test at iGENEA, I gleaned remarkable insights into my lineage, in particular about my ancestors carrying the name Smart that challenged my understanding of myself. The unexpected revelations considerably augmented my knowledge base about my lineage, though they also confronted me with a complicated past that I never fathomed could exist. Moreover, the information demonstrated a fresh possibility about my genetic makeup that directly widened my perspective about my own identity.
Before I embarked on this journey with iGENEA, my understanding of my ancestral history was based primarily on broad family stories passed down through generations and half-hearted attempts at traditional genealogy research. Post the DNA tests, my perception underwent a sea-change as I was provided information about not just the geographical locations of my ancestors but also about the nuanced cultural and historical elements of their lives.
Surprisingly, I found out that my ancestors named Smart weren't of British origin as I was led to believe through family tales. Instead, surprisingly, they were of Eastern European descent. This realization not only threw a curve on the monolithic narrative about my ancestry that I bought into for years but also made me appreciate the diversity and complexity within my own lineage.
Delving deeper into my genetics, I realized that these Smart ancestors were part of a nomadic tribe in Eastern Europe that had to flee from their homeland due to political unrest. I felt a new connection to them, their resilience, and their survival story. Acknowledging these sturdy roots, I perceived a certain robustness within myself which was earlier unappreciated.
The whole discovery journey turned out to be a pleasant surprise that fostered ambiguous feelings - bewilderment at first, followed by a sense of profound connection. This process unlocked a new horizon of understanding paving a path for self-discovery that has amazed me profoundly, making me appreciate my roots and identity.
W. Smart