Native American Heritage-Have You Made This Discovery?

Thursday, August 16th, 2018     by Debra DuPree Williams     Start the Conversation

by Debra DuPree Williams @DDuPreeWilliams

This weekend will mark the thirtieth annual PowWow of the Nansemond Tribal Association in Suffolk, Virginia. I had planned to attend, but at the last minute, I am not able to do so. It isn’t just the fact that this is the thirtieth event that is of significance, but this year, the Tribe has just been federally recognized. 


It is amazing that it took so many years for this to happen. The Nansemond Tribe has been around for centuries. They were/are, indeed, a part of the Powhatan Nation. I know you recognize that name. Powhatan was the father of Pocahontas. Fast forward a few years to 1618, and my own seven-times-great grandmother was born, a member of the Nansemond Tribe. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nansemond

 Native Great-Grandmother
Many people claim to have Native American roots, but only a few can actually prove it. I am fortunate to be a part of the group who can prove it. See, this seven-times-great grandmother married John Basse who was born in 1616. Since my grandmother was the daughter of the chief, I suppose that gave the right of chiefdom to her husband, John. At any rate, for generations since the mid-sixteen-hundreds, a Bass has been the chief of the Tribe. This year, the chief is not a Bass, but I could almost promise that he is related.

I won’t go into all of the details and the genetics, but my line of Basses which came from the union of Elizabeth (Nansemond) and John Basse in 1638, came all the way down to my mother whose maiden name was Bass. My sister and I have only recently discovered our relationship to these noble people. We are very proud of our heritage.

 Paper Trails . . .
Many DNA tests out there these days claim to tell you if you have Native American heritage. From my understanding, there has yet to be a test which definitively tells you this. But, take heart, they are hard at work on perfecting such a test. The thing that helped us was a paper trail. If you have a good paper trail with documentation, you, too, may be able to prove your lineage back to a Native American tribe. I’m fortunate in having so many cousins who are closely associated with either the Nansemond Tribe or another tribe known to have a relationship with the Nansemond. The research of many of these people is impeccable. Those of us who are benefitting from their deep research and understanding of tribal ways cannot thank them enough.

 And DNA
But don’t let this discourage you from doing a DNA test. They do provide one with certain indicators that point to having Native Americans in one’s lineage. I’m not an expert on such, but you can learn just about anything on the internet these days. If you are a male, I suggest you do a yDNA test so that you can track your male lineage back into ancient times. After you’ve done this, you may wish to add the autosomal test which gives you information from both of your parents. Women who want to know their female lineage will take the mtDNA test. All testing sites are pretty equal, other than Ancestry which does only autosomal at this time. Again, do your research and make an educated decision about which test is best for you. Both Family Tree and Ancestry have their tests on sale through the month of August.

I’d like to send my best wishes to my cousins who will be participating in or who will be attending the PowWow this coming weekend. My thoughts will be with each one of you. If you are near Suffolk, Virginia, consider attending this event. Believe me, you will not be disappointed.


Do you have Native American heritage? Let us know and share with us how you made your discovery.

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