Maternal Lineage (mtDNA)

My greatest grandmother on my father's side was one of Haplogroup H. They are known as the Colonists. Below are the results of the mtDNA test. . .

Meet Your People

Read on for the story of your most ancient ancestors.

Ancient ancestry:

The Colonists

Haplogroup:

H

Learn more about your haplogroup from our DNA partner:

You belong to the Colonists, haplogroup H, which is about 30,000 years old. You belong to the same haplogroup as the individual whose mtDNA was used to establish the standard (rCRS) with which we compare everyone's results.

The Colonists are believed to have arrived in Europe from western Asia about the same time as a culture known as Gravettian. For that reason, it's probable that the Colonists adopted or even originated the Gravettian technology.

Stone played both a functional and religious role in Gravettian culture. The Colonists may have used stone blades to craft voluptuous Venus figurines, possibly out of steatite, calcite, limestone or other soft stone. Although the exact significance of the figurines is not known, they may represent fertility or the Earth Mother goddess, a concept which prevails in many cultural mythologies. Your ancient ancestors may have regarded the Earth Mother as a symbol of security or as a deity who enabled plentiful harvests and numerous offspring.

The most famous of these statues is the Venus of Willendorf, discovered in an Austrian village in 1908.

It's estimated she was carved between 24,000 and 22,000 B.C.E. Similar figurines were found later, and are collectively referred to as Venus figurines, although they predate the emergence of lore around the Roman goddess, Venus.

Over a 10,000 year period following their initial arrival, the Colonists spread wide and far through continental Europe and into central Asia. Their migration would have likely continued had it not been for the Ice Age. During this time, an ice shelf spread across Europe as far as southern Ireland, mid England and northern Germany. Northern Spain and continental Europe were covered in tundra during these climatic shifts. As the Colonists moved their homes south to hunt game below the tree line, they settled primarily in southern France, Iberia (present day Spain and Portugal), Italy and the Caucasus. When the ice sheet retreated about 6,000 years later, many of the Colonists migrated back into northern Europe.

Current European populations are made of 40- 50% Colonists and near east and Caucasus region populations have about 20-30% Colonists. It's thought that during the 6,000 years of forced ice age isolation, several genetic subpopulations of Colonists arose. Contemporary subpopulations of Colonists probably reflect the migrations which occurred after the end of the Ice Age. Subpopulation H1 is found at high rates among present day Basque, Iberian, North African and Sardinian populations, among others. H3 can be found at lower, yet still notable, rates among the Basque and Sardinian populations. As our DNA test and matching conventions progress, we may be able to match you with an H subgroup. For now, we'll tell you about some cultural features of Colonist associated populations, which may date back to ancient times.

Your ancient ancestors may have played a role in developing the unique music of Sardinia, a distinct quality of the island's culture. Known for its vocal polyphony, the music is characterized by the guttural sounds of throat singing. Sardinians also play the launeddas, a woodwind triplepipe that probably dates back to the 8th century BC. Crafted from reeds and beeswax, this instrument has a role in religious ceremonies and accompanies traditional Sardinian dance. The sound is so compelling that many contemporary musicians have incorporated the launeddas into their compositions.

A unique modern day population, the Basque people self-identify as a discrete ethnic group in north-central Spain and southwestern France. Early Basque culture was basically democratic and their pre-Christian religion was formed around a superior female goddess, Mari. A rich mythology of Basque creatures and characters includes imps, giants, dragons, soothsayers and other nature-based deities.

Traditional Basque cuisine was dictated by the mountains and sea surrounding Basque country.

Lamb, fish and beans are typical ingredients of a Basque meal. The language associated with the Basque people is euskara, which linguists believe exists in a family by itself, and is not related to English or other western European languages.

In The Seven Daughters of Eve, author Brian Sykes describes the lifestyle of the Colonists in a rich narrative surrounding their ancestral mother, whom he calls Helena.