DNA Tribes, is this a joke ?

[Wilhelm]

well, i've been discussing with some guys who claimed that Spain was 18% north-african, that Italy was 27% levantine, that Celts (?) are 10% Basque, Portuguese 17% Basque , Greeks 28% Mesomopotanaim and other crap like that.
So I asked them their sources for such claims, and they showed me DNA Tribes here :
http://www.dnatribes.com/dnatribes-d...2009-08-29.pdf

Is this for real ? Are they professional scientists ? It's hard to believe...They should be banned...

[Cambrius (The Red)]

well, i've been discussing with some guys who claimed that Spain was 18% north-african, that Italy was 27% levantine, that Celts (?) are 10% Basque, Portuguese 17% Basque , Greeks 28% Mesomopotanaim and other crap like that.
So I asked them their sources for such claims, and they showed me DNA Tribes here :
http://www.dnatribes.com/dnatribes-d...2009-08-29.pdf

Is this for real ? Are they professional scientists ? It's hard to believe...They should be banned...

They are certainly of-the-wall. I think I read something DNA Tribes wrote about Central, Northern Portuguese and Northern Spaniards being something like 38% Nordic, genetically... IMO, a large number of the percentages they proffer are nuts but a few make sense.

[^ lynx ^]

That was already posted by Maciamo in another thread. Hilarious stuff.

Figure 12: 6,1% of finnic contribution in Portugal and North-Spain... yeah right.

[Cambrius (The Red)]

That was already posted by Maciamo in another thread. Hilarious stuff.
Figure 12: 6,1% of finnic contribution in Portugal and North-Spain... yeah right.

Oh, you don't know I'm part Sammi !? ...

[Wilhelm]

This finnic % I guess is probably based on the mtDNA V, but they are too stupid to interpret it correctly . Seems like some kid made it. And it is sad that so many people believe in this studies, which confirm stereotypes (Iberians north africans, Italians levants, etc)

[Maciamo]

DNA Tribes does not have a reputation of a serious, scientific-minded company. I have read things on their websites that was pure fantasy, really ludicrous.

[cordobesforever]

If he says the people of northern Spain or Portugal is 38% Nordic, is wrong.

Greetings.

[Cambrius (The Red)]

Overall, Spain and Portugal are about 9-10% Nordic / Germanic. Frequencies in the north are a little higher. The Beleza (2005-2006), et al. Y-DNA study of Portugal has the Braga region at close to 18% and parts of Tras os Montes and Leiria at 14-15%. I have no idea where some of the DNA Tribes figures come from. Much of what they suggest seems quite wrong.

[cordobesforever]

That reaffirms my statements ..

In that round between 20% or less is obvious ..

But with 38% exaggerate too ..

Cambria, you speak Spanish?

It is the first time you encounter a Portuguese in a forum.

[weissmacht]

Does anyone know the referrence populations for the dnatribes Europa test? Like in the Celtic sub-region does it refer to just the native Celtic peoples of the British Isles or also to the Germanic settlers too?I have high matches for the Celtic region and Belgic(Low Countries) and the Norse regions too-so does it mean an Anlgo_celtic mixture? Or iare the matches in the Celtic region reffering to the Germanic settlers in the British Isles?Plus it says I too have some Finnish admixture though my entire family background is English and British.

[Knovas]

Buf...according to what I read here the DNA Tribes test looks really bad. Some claims are pure nonsense, but this was posted a long time ago and perhaps they improved the analysis.

Doesn't matter, I don't plan to buy this service.

[Cambrius (The Red)]

Most informed people realize that DNA Tribes is at least part fantasy and part exaggeration. Not worth spending time on this.

[alais]

Most informed people realize that DNA Tribes is at least part fantasy and part exaggeration. Not worth spending time on this.

I agree, not spending time on this.

[Riki]

Iberians are always seen as % of something.
Typical.

[Pallantides]

When I tested myself with DNA tribes some years ago I came back a Canary Islander.

[Knovas]

That deserves a huge LOL

[Pallantides]

On my Europa test I was closest to Portuguese DnatribesEuropa.jpg

I have done 23andMe and I have also sent my raw data to Eurogenes and Dodecad projects which all show that I'm fully North European, so it's obviously the DNAtribe results that were faulty.

[Knovas]

Both Eurogenes and Dodecad are the best options to get an accurate idea. DNAtribes...what a joke xd

Thanks for sharing your experience, Pallantides ;)

[wormhole]

Should I get genetic testing done on 23andme, FTDNA, Eurogenes, or DOCAD? Which one is the best?

[nordicwarrior]

My father recently got his DNA Tribes results... but first some background information.

Our paternal line has been in the U.S. since at least the 1700's. We have a fairly Germanic surname, and my dad is at least 25% recent Irish import through his maternal side (he's even visited the family property in Ireland). We've estimated his Irish admixture at 40%. My dad is y-haplogroup I1 with maternal haplogroup H.

We were expecting a standard European mix result (like my mom's side of the family got with the same test). There's an even mix of blue and brown eyes in his extended group (big family) with a decent amount of green sprinkled in too. Most siblings and cousins have blonde or light brown hair-- with one aunt and one female cousin having an 'exotic beauty' look none of us could figure out.

Also we wanted a native North American tie because it would be cool since we've been here for so long... but the test showed zero for the North Amerindian tribes. Almost no Irish admixture showed up and barely any German showed up.

The number one result... drum roll please... Andean tribe (from the Andes Mountains-- the Incas). We have no idea how it got there. Depending on how the test works I have it between 19 to 60% native Andes admixture.

I guess now I'm NordicIncan Warrior. Get ready for an overload of Incan facts and figures and reports of how great of structure Miccu Piccu (spelling?) is because that's how I roll.

[nordicwarrior]

Edit-- Correct spelling on that is Machu Picchu.

And I don't think this test is a joke really-- I think it gives the unvarnished truth without running it through filters which might make the customer feel more at ease with their results.

[Jackson]

My father recently got his DNA Tribes results... but first some background information.

Our paternal line has been in the U.S. since at least the 1700's. We have a fairly Germanic surname, and my dad is at least 25% recent Irish import through his maternal side (he's even visited the family property in Ireland). We've estimated his Irish admixture at 40%. My dad is y-haplogroup I1 with maternal haplogroup H.

We were expecting a standard European mix result (like my mom's side of the family got with the same test). There's an even mix of blue and brown eyes in his extended group (big family) with a decent amount of green sprinkled in too. Most siblings and cousins have blonde or light brown hair-- with one aunt and one female cousin having an 'exotic beauty' look none of us could figure out.

Also we wanted a native North American tie because it would be cool since we've been here for so long... but the test showed zero for the North Amerindian tribes. Almost no Irish admixture showed up and barely any German showed up.

The number one result... drum roll please... Andean tribe (from the Andes Mountains-- the Incas). We have no idea how it got there. Depending on how the test works I have it between 19 to 60% native Andes admixture.

I guess now I'm NordicIncan Warrior. Get ready for an overload of Incan facts and figures and reports of how great of structure Miccu Piccu (spelling?) is because that's how I roll.

Have you or your dad tested at 23&me or FTDNA as well?

If so you should upload your results to GEDmatch and try the admixture calculators there (although i can recommend a couple). DNA tribes seems a bit dodgy on admixture for singular people. The only part of it that correlated with what everything else told me was the 'heat map' thing with the coloured dots. It guessed me equally as Belarusian or Irish, and more likely to be North Italian than English. So it was very inaccurate, and other people I've talked to have had the same thing.

It may be that DNA tribes is accurate for you, and other tests should confirm it if that is the case.

[nordicwarrior]

Thanks for the input Jackson. I'd sent an email to DNA Tribes to clear up some of the questions and they responded (the same day even) that my dad's admixture is most likely 25% Native American. It could in theory be zero or up to 50%, but their most likely estimate matched mine after I got the calculator out (I was at 24% for my most solid number).

I'm probably going to save my nickels and not go for a different autosomal testing company. I'm guessing DNA Tribes is the most accurate test on the market, albiet one that doesn't pull any punches. If it's there, they report it.

[Jackson]

Thanks for the input Jackson. I'd sent an email to DNA Tribes to clear up some of the questions and they responded (the same day even) that the admixture is most likely 25% Native American. It could in theory be zero or up to 50%, but their most likely estimate matched mine after I got the calculator out (I was at 24% for my most solid number).

I'm probably going to save my nickels and not go for another autosomal. I'm guessing this is the most accurate test on the market, albiet one that doesn't pull any punches. If it's there, they report it.

They may be right, but from my (and many other peoples) experiences it is one of the least accurate on the market. I'm not saying they are outright wrong but you should check elsewhere to confirm it IMO. There's free 3rd party tools out there that are more accurate than DNA tribes.

Other tools will report it if it is there as well, except they report it accurately. You might find out that you are 1/4 native American after-all, but at least then it has been corroborated by another test.

[nordicwarrior]

What's ironic about my genome is that with my admixture (Irish, Norse and Incan among others)... you'd think that maybe I would tan easily and have better than average endurance due to the thin mountain air found in Peru and Chile. Increased red blood cell levels and all.

Instead I have the tanning capabilites of an Irishman, the bubbly personality of a taciturn Norseman, and the sense of humor of a stoic Native. And lest you think I look the part of a bronzed South American, I very much resemble TechnoViking of internet meme fame-- in fact I could be mistaken for his larger, slightly less friendly looking older brother. If Keith Jardine (UFC fighter) and I were sitting on a park bench, you might think you were looking at a set of twins. And no, I'm not joking.

Regarding those increased endurance levels-- whenever I ran wind sprints in grade school or later for wrestling practice, I usually vomitted immediately afterward... sometimes so forcefully it went right through the nose. And no, I'm not joking.

So much for the stamina thing. But luckily I have the body hair of a North German enabling me to save some money on heating costs during the cold winter months-- at least I have that part of my admixture working for me. :)