AncestryDNA Results for Puerto Ricans Highlight Strong Canary Islands Roots

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Ancestry.com released its most recent DNA results in October, and for many people of Puerto Rican descent like me, our previous Portuguese percentages were replaced with evidence of our historic Canary Islands roots. I received my initial DNA results in 2018, and according to Ancestry.com, our DNA remains the same, but the science used to interpret it gets better each year.

In 2018, DNA tests were affordable enough for me to finally answer my lifelong question: How much Taíno, African, and European ancestry did I have? The first updated results in 2019 showed I was 29% Portuguese, which surprised me enough to create an entire website about Portuguese Puerto Ricans. Those first results also showed that I was 21% Native American (13% Taino) and 18% African.

Over the years, the interpretation of my DNA ran the gamut. At one point, I was seven percent English and at another four percent Irish. I am neither today. I was once 30% Indigenous American, and at another time I was 19% African. Today, I am 29% Canary Islands, 25% Taino, and 14% African. Since the Canary Islands are off the coast of northwest Africa, the change in my African ethnicity makes sense.

Some people on Facebook have noted that the significant shift toward the Canary Islands in the recent updates may be a fluke and that the Portuguese percentages may return in future updates. In any event, highlighting the Canary Islands heritage of Puerto Ricans is historically accurate and should be reflected in DNA results moving forward.

Many historians consider the Canary Islanders to be among the principal ancestors of the Puerto Rican jíbaro, the rural farming culture that became a symbol of Puerto Rican identity. The Isleños brought agricultural knowledge, family-based farming traditions, religious customs, and folk practices that became woven into everyday life in Puerto Rico.

Many common Puerto Rican surnames, including Marrero, Morales, Vera, Acosta, Alonso, and others, can be traced to Canarian immigrants who settled on the island centuries ago.

For me, this DNA update is not really a change in ancestry but a refinement of it. What once appeared as broadly Portuguese or Iberian ancestry is now being connected to a specific historical migration that helped shape Puerto Rico itself.

My DNA may have changed on paper, but the history behind it has been there for centuries.

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Latino / Hispanic Organizations in the U.S. to Follow / Support

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In commemoration of Hispanic Heritage Month, I thought I would highlight a few prominent Hispanic / Latino organizations you should follow on social media and support in any way possible. Though hundreds of organizations are doing great work and supporting incredible causes, I have just chosen my top seven for this post.

The term Hispanic or Latino (or the more recent and inclusive term Latinx) refers to a person’s culture or origin—regardless of race. Hispanic Heritage Month was first introduced in California in 1968 to recognize the contributions of the Hispanic community that had gained momentum throughout the 1960s.

The following Hispanic / Latino organizations based in the United States serve the nation all year around and deserve enormous respect and consistent backing.

Association of Latino Professionals for America – ALPFA is a national nonprofit organization established in Los Angeles, California in 1972. Its mission is to empower and develop Latino men and women as leaders of character for the nation, in every sector of the global economy. The organization provides members with scholarships, career fairs, networking events, and mentorship opportunities. ALPFA currently has over 116,000 professional and student members across the country.

Hispanic Federation – The Hispanic Federation is the nation’s premier Latino nonprofit membership organization. Founded by a small group of visionary Latino leaders in New York City in 1990, HF empowers Hispanic communities and strengthens Latino institutions through work that focuses on education, health, immigration, civic engagement, economic empowerment, and environmental justice.

Hispanic Scholarship Fund – HSF empowers students and parents with the knowledge and resources to complete higher education while providing support services and scholarships to as many exceptional students, HSF Scholars, and Alumni as possible. HSF strives to make college education a top priority for every family across the nation. Since 1975, HSF has awarded over $500 million in scholarships to more than 65,000 Scholars.

Latino Victory – Latino Victory is an organization dedicated to building political power in the Latino community so that the voices and values of Latinos are reflected at every level of government and in the policies that drive our country forward. It was co-founded by Eva Longoria Bastón and Henry R. Muñoz III in 2014 and accomplishes its work through three entities: Latino Victory Fund, Latino Victory Project, and Latino Victory Foundation.

League of United Latin American Citizens – The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), founded in 1929, is the oldest and most widely respected Hispanic civil rights organization in the United States of America. Its mission is to advance the economic condition, educational attainment, political influence, housing, health, and civil rights of the Hispanic population of the United States and Puerto Rico.

UnidosUS – Since 1968, UnidosUS has united communities and different groups seeking common ground through collaboration, and who share a desire to make our country stronger. UnidosUS, previously known as NCLR (National Council of La Raza) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that serves as the nation’s largest Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization. UnidosUS simultaneously challenges the social, economic, and political barriers that affect Latinos at the national and local levels.

Voto Latino – Voto Latino is a civic engagement organization focused on educating and empowering a new generation of Latinx voters, as well as creating a more robust and inclusive democracy. Through innovative digital campaigns, culturally relevant programs, and authentic voices, it shepherds the Latinx community toward the full realization of its political power. The organization was co-founded in 2004 by Rosario Dawson and Phil Colón.

Happy Hispanic Heritage Month to all my fellow Latinos!

The History of Hispanic Heritage Month – ABC 10 News, San Diego, CA.
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History of the Knights Hospitaller

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Knights Hospitaller by Ralph Hammann

During my recent research on the Order of Malta, I came across the fascinating history of the Knights Hospitaller, a humanitarian order of religious warriors during the Crusades. The original purpose of the knights was to provide aid and medical care to Christian pilgrims to the Holy Land. Eventually, the knights were also charged with defending the devoted travelers.

I have always loved history but have not had a great interest in religion in general even though I was raised Catholic. Learning about the Hospitallers has sparked a dormant desire to be connected again in some shape or form to Catholicism. For now, it is only through a historical lens but we’ll see what the future holds.

Formally called the Order of the Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem, the Knights Hospitaller, which dates back to 1048 and was officially recognized by Pope Paschal II in 1113, was a medieval and early modern Catholic military order that was headquartered in the Kingdom of Jerusalem until 1291.

With over 970 years of history, I had not known of the religious organization that lives on today in various forms. The Knights Hospitaller were contemporaries with the well-known, and some may say infamous, Knights Templar who ceased to exist in 1312.

After the fall of the Kingdom of Jerusalem in 1291, the Knights Hospitaller had no home until they settled on the island of Rhodes. They remained in Rhodes from 1310 until 1522, in Malta from 1530 until 1798, and in Saint Petersburg from 1799 until 1801. They roamed around until they at last settled permanently in Rome in 1834.

Today, several organizations claim continuity with the historic Knights Hospitaller and are considered recognized Orders of St. John. These associations include the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John, the Bailiwick of Brandenburg of the Chivalric Order of Saint John, the Order of Saint John in the Netherlands, and the Order of Saint John in Sweden.

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Pedro Albizu Campos and the War Against All Puerto Ricans

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This April 21st marks the 55th anniversary of the death of Pedro Albizu Campos, the most prominent historic figure in the Puerto Rico independence movement. I learned inspiring and infuriating facts about the life of Albizu Campos and the National Puerto Rican Independence Party in Nelson Denis’s crucial chronicle, War Against All Puerto Ricans: Revolution and Terror in America’s Colony. Everyone of Puerto Rican descent and anyone interested in knowing more about the tragic history of Puerto Rico should read this intensely researched, incredibly well-written book published in 2015.

The publication of this must-read saga predates Hurricane Maria, last year’s political uprising that resulted in the ousting of Puerto Rico’s governor, and the current coronavirus crisis. The tragic incidents, senseless massacres, and vital information detailed in this book now, more than ever, need to be fully understood and digested by the masses to help ensure a just and fair political destiny for the people of Puerto Rico.

Many Puerto Ricans and non-Puerto Ricans may not know that Puerto Rico was an independent nation for only a short eight days before being invaded in 1898 by the United States. Some may not know that the people of Puerto Rico became U.S. citizens in 1917 just in time to participate and die in World War I. Most people are unfamiliar with the 1935 massacre in Rio Piedras or the 1937 massacre in Ponce where innocent people were killed because they supported independence for Puerto Rico.

Pedro Albizu Campos became president of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party in 1930 initiating the organization of agricultural workers and small farmers in their fight for fair wages. Towards this aim, in 1934 Albizu Campos helped orchestrate an island-wide strike against the U.S. owned and operated sugar refineries resulting in a victory. This furthered the objective of Puerto Rican nationalists against the U.S. control of the island. In retaliation, the U.S then labeled Albizu Campos as a “threat to national security.”

These are just a few momentous historical facts highlighted in War Against All Puerto Ricans. Others include the facts that it was once illegal for Puerto Rican people to possess a Puerto Rican Flag; that Albizu Campos, the first Puerto Rican to graduate from Harvard University, was arrested, charged with sedition, and tortured by the FBI; and that in 1950 Puerto Rican nationalists attempted to assassinate Luis Munoz Marin, the governor of Puerto Rico, and U.S. President Harry S. Truman.

This year’s National Puerto Rican Day Parade will most likely not occur because of the COVID-19 pandemic. As the United States eventually returns to some sense of new normalcy and we begin to examine critical issues that were brought to the forefront of American consciousness, let’s hope that the people of Puerto Rico are finally treated with the respect and dignity they deserve. To reach this goal, all Americans must be keenly aware of the social and political sacrifices the people of Puerto Rico have had and continue to endure.

Author Nelson Denis clearly notes the horrific, complicated and controversial struggle for Puerto Rican independence in his documentary work. Denis believes the ultimate decision of the Caribbean territory’s political status should be determined by the people of Puerto Rico.

“The current status of commonwealth is just morally, politically, and especially economically untenable. It’s a business model that is clearly failing and it needs to be mercifully put to rest,” Denis said in an interview with Mother Jones. “That leaves us with two remaining options. There has to be a decision, either to get married or get divorced. But no more keeping Puerto Rico as its little mistress in the Caribbean. That doesn’t work anymore.”

Democracy NOW
City & State TV
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Ancestry Results Can Now Identify DNA From The Indigenous People of Puerto Rico (The Taino)

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The recent update to AncestryDNA results now lists a percentage for the indigenous people of Puerto Rico, historically also known as the Taino. This is truly incredible news. I, as well as many of my fellow Puerto Ricans, have always known from an intellectual and spiritual sense that we collectively come from and continue to represent the Taino Indian. It truly feels amazing to finally see it clearly stated in official DNA results.

Puerto Ricans grow up hearing about the Taino people and know that Boricuas, an indigenous derived word we warmly refer to ourselves as, are made up of Spanish, African, and Taino blood. With the enormous advances in DNA analysis, we can now estimate the percentages of each group that comprises who we collectively are. My genetic makeup includes 15% DNA from the initial inhabitants of the island of Boriken (Puerto Rico.) Research has finally proven that the Taino, believed by some in the scientific community to have been extinct, lives on in the Puerto Rican.

If you are Puerto Rican and have submitted your DNA to Ancestry.com, check out your most recent update and feel free to share your results and thoughts in the comments section. Of course, the new data is not the end-all or be-all of being Puerto Rican, but it’s helpful information that can lead to an insightful conversation with family and friends.

Ancestry.com states it updates its results from time to time to include more accurate information as it gathers additional DNA data sets from across the globe. The new results could be upsetting if, like in my case, one year you are more Portuguese than Spanish and the next year you’re back to being more Spanish than Portuguese.

In any event, I believe it’s important to know your ancestry because the knowledge provides an international perspective on your family history and demonstrates that we are more connected to each other than we are apart.

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