AncestryDNA^® is an amazing family history tool that can tell you where your ancestors once lived, based on the genetic information that was passed down to you. But DNA isn’t the only thing that families pass down through the generations. So much of who we are can be defined by the traditions and cultural heritage of our ancestors. By providing a unique look at your family’s geographic past, AncestryDNA can help you explore their heritage and perhaps even help uncover cultural connections you didn’t even know about.

How heritage shapes who we are.

The religions we observe, the holidays we spend with one another, the songs and stories we grow up with, and even the foods we eat and the clothes we wear are all part of our identities and often serve as profound connections to our families, our communities, and our past.

Whether it’s hazy childhood memories of music on the radio, long-standing holiday traditions, or closely guarded recipes from the old country, the things we cherish and which define our families are often shaped and influenced by the cultures and societies we come from.

How AncestryDNA can help you learn about your family heritage.

Even though it helps define who you are, cultural heritage is not something you inevitably carry with you, like your DNA. Traditions must be consciously passed down and maintained to persist from one generation to the next. Immigration, assimilation into other cultures, marriages, and adoptions are just a few of the ways that family heritage can be diluted or lost. For instance, if your grandmother from Kenya married into an American family and chose to adopt their customs over her own, her descendants might not have a strong cultural connection to their African identity. In short, heritage can be lost.

But fortunately, it can also be found again and AncestryDNA is one of the best ways to get started. We compare your DNA with samples from different regions around the world to give you a clearer picture of who your ancestors were and where they came from. It may confirm what you already know about your family history, but it can also reveal connections to cultures and history that you weren’t aware of. By learning about your ethnic origins, you can begin tracing your family’s story back to particular times and places, rediscovering the heritage of your ancestors and what it means to you.

In addition, AncestryDNA can connect you with living relatives by analyzing the DNA you share in common. You may find another side of the family that still keeps the old traditions alive. Not only can you add new members to your family tree, you’ll have new ways to celebrate with them.

The more you learn about your past, the more you’ll learn about who you are.

Discover what’s important to you, so you can choose what to pass on to your children. As your family research uncovers new connections to people and societies around the world, you’ll be rewriting your own legacy. AncestryDNA can be the first step in your journey of discovery as you re-forge those connections, reclaim your family heritage, and perhaps even honor the same traditions that your ancestors held dear, generations ago.