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Category Archives: DNA Heritage Tours

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DNA Journey: The Power of Nature—Day #2

Keepers of Our Culture Posted on January 9, 2016 by california womanJanuary 9, 2016

imageI set out this clear Saturday morning to enjoy another spectacular day in San Sebastián, Spain, determined to enjoy myself— and to be on the lookout for Basques that might possibly be related to me. Not sure of what traits might have been passed to me through DNA from 15,000 years ago, so I knew it would take some serious sleuthing.

Over cafe con leche I spotted these twin boys with their mother. My father was an identical twin (Claude and his brother Clyde Hamilton) – could they be the spawn of the same recessive gene? Ha ha! Better keep looking ….image

My day went nothing like I had planned yesterday. A midnight email response from Basque CoolTour and I ditched the first of today’s city tours and signed with them to have an authentic Basque experience on a sheep farm, with specially-bred Border Collies from Scotland herding specially-bred sheep, which are the only kind that can be used to produce their variety of cheese.

imageSepa,  one of the owners, met me by the Maria Cristina Hotel and we drove 15km to the Adarrazpi sheep farm where they make Idiazabal Cheese, award-winning cheeses throughout Europe for the past 15 years.

imageWe drove up and down narrow country roads through beautiful rolling hills with small farms, simple houses, and sheep dotting every pasture.

Sweet, fragrant hay smells and bleeting of sheep greeted our small group of Eco-tourists as we entered the barn. Hay forks were stuck here and there in bales, a multi-colored grain mixture was piled in a wheelbarrow, and a hundred or so wooly sheep stared up at us. The farmer told us about our day on his farm and what we would see and experience.

This baby sheep was born just four hours earlier.

This lamb was born just four hours earlier.

The owner and a helper opened the barn doors and released the sheep, and with the dog following the sheep we fell in line behind and headed for the field. imageimage

The Collie was completely focused and oh so fast, moving the sheep to and fro as the farmer barked commands, that it was impossible for me to get a good photo. The little black dog, part Chihuahua and part Dachshund, is a sheep dog wanna-be, following along but not getting too close to the sheep.

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My mother was a fraternal triplet (two identical girls, one boy). I spotted these fraternal twin sisters. Any resemblance here? Hmm... Better let that line of thinking go.

My mother was a fraternal triplet (Charline and her sister, Charlotte, and brother, Charles Murray). These darling fraternal twin sisters were also taking the tour. Their mother is English and father is German – the same genes of my parents! See any family resemblance here? Hmm… Should I let that line of inquiry go?

After the shepherding demonstration, the farmer showed us the milking parlor and explained how the sheep are calmed down before milking and are actually asleep when their milk is taken. Otherwise production is cut in half.image Milk goes from teats (using a Delavol system like my father used) to a large stainless steel cooling vat in an adjacent room. There the farmer’s wife showed us how she makes cheese from the sheep’s milk. The entire process takes four hours and then the cheese ages in a separate cool room for more than two months. Here are sequential photos of the process.

Protective gear before we enter the cheese making room.

We washed our hands and put on protective gear before entering the cheese making room: plastic apron, hair net, and booties over the shoes. Here I am with the farmer’s wife.

The milk is cooled and stirred to produce curds and whey...

The milk is cooled, a small amount of rennet (curdling component made from the inside of a lamb’s stomach) is added, and all is stirred to produce curds and whey, which are then separated with strainers. We help punch the whey down into the molds. Three cheeses are produced during the process: a soft, fresh cheese, sterilized medium and hard cheeses. Whey is used to make yogurt. Leftover bits of curds and whey are fed to the cats, dogs, and pigs.

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Afterwards we all enjoyed cheeses served with cider, another Basque specialty product, and membrane,

Afterwards we all enjoyed cheeses served with cider, another Basque specialty product, and quince membrana (similar to jelly). The cheese tasted very similar to Parmesan but milder and softer. Delicious! By the end of the meal, Suzanna, the twins’ mother, and I had become best friends. She and her husband live here and love it – their children are learning four languages: English, German, Spanish, and Euskera.

The second half of the tour was a traditional lamb dinner with other traditional Basque dishes: fried potatoes, Carmelized onions on baguette, lettuce salad, and yogurt with local honey for dessert.

Traditional Basque lamb dinner.

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A new group came for a traditional Basque dinner, which I had signed up for as well. I learned that the Basque language and culture are a mystery. No one knows where the language originated and it is the most difficult language to learn. It’s not Latin-based but has elements of Eastern European languages. Other Spanish dialects are all similar to Castillian and can be understood but Basque is so different no words are familiar to other Spainiards. After dinner they invited me to join them to watch a traditional Basque Jai Alai game at an arena in a nearby town. The name is Basque and jai means festival + alai means merry. So, I blew off the second city walking tour and went with this robust group of Basque men to complete my day’s saturation in Basque Country. The jai alai game was a playoff between two young men—and there was a lot of betting going on in the gallery. Our boys bet 20 Euro and won 100 Euros! Oh, wait, I had try one more DNA thing during dinner. Everyone had a big laugh at my joke – I had explained to them my DNA Journey and how I was reconnecting with my most ancient roots – and that we may very well be related. About half had heard about DNA testing and were intrigued by my quest and thought it was great of me to be here with them as a result.

I know physical traits are passed down. Do our hands look alike???

I know for sure that physical traits are passed down. Do our hands look alike???

Oh, well, I loved making sport of seemingly trying to find some physical evidence to supplement the DNA evidence. I definitely connect with the spirit of Basque Country in its simple beauty and love of life. I’m having an incredible adventure here.

I strolled around the plaza before retiring and spotted these lovely desserts in one of the busy stores. I was too full and didn’t try them – but, hey! I’m here three more days!

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Cheers!

Posted in DNA Heritage Tours, DNA JOURNEY, NEWS, Writing Your Stories | Tagged BASQUE, culture tour, DNA Interpretation, heritage tour | Leave a reply

DNA Journey: The Power of Nature—Day #1

Keepers of Our Culture Posted on January 8, 2016 by california womanJanuary 8, 2016

It was difficult for me to imagine what shape my visit to the Basque Country of Spain, home to my most ancient ancestors, would take once I arrived. Would I find what I was looking for? Did I know what I was looking for?

imageI arrived late afternoon, January 7, after 11 hours of train travel from Paris, to Bordeaux, to Biarritz, to Hendaya, to my destination—San Sebastián, España.

I exited the train depot on foot, in pouring down rain, in search of Joaquin Pension, Calle Camino 4. I soon found myself in an ancient city of old Spanish architecture, sculptured gardens, and marble alamedas filled with hundreds of people—strolling, shopping, enjoying small plates of food in outdoor cafés, with street entertainers and animated conversations everywhere I passed. I know a little Spanish and caught the occasional word. Half of the people looked like me, that is, not foreign. Street signs had both Basque and Spanish names.

Half an hour later I reached the pension and checked in, tired, wet, and happy. Alone in my room, I “knew” that I belonged here, with all I had seen and experienced. “I’m all calm,” I said to myself. “But will I feel the same way in the morning?” Here are some photos from my first day in Basque Country. It’s the start of something big!

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Basque speciality foods, known as “Pintxos”, exquisite tapas, about 2 Euros each – delicious!

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It looks like it’s all about the food – and indeed Basque Country is known as the Holy Grail destination for foodies. I sipped and nibbled my way through my first day.

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This nice lady helped me find warm scarf, hat, and gloves.

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imageI did spend three hours in el Museo San Telmo, where I met Julian, whose family has been here for generations. Any resemblance?image image

San Sebastián has been chosen as the Capital of European Culture for 2016, and there are celebrations going on all year.

I also visited the Oficina de Turismo and am taking two city walking tours tomorrow: 11 a.m. “Led by a professional guide, you’ll discover on foot San Sebastián Old Town’s “musts,” its best-kept secrets and the most curious anecdotes surrounding the city.” 4:30 p.m. “From music to rowing, from dancing to cinema, from Jai Alai to Euskera, the Basque language, from the sea to the streets. Discover the rich cultural tradition of the European Capital of Culture 2016 on foot with a professional guide. See you there!

Posted in DNA, DNA Heritage Tours, DNA JOURNEY, NEWS | Tagged Ancestry, BASQUE, dna, haplogroup, travel, VHaplogroup | 1 Reply

There's genealogical ancestors–and now there's genetic ancestors

Keepers of Our Culture Posted on December 18, 2015 by california womanDecember 18, 2015

Cedar Street Times 12-18-2015

by Patricia Hamilton and Joyce Krieg

When most of us think about putting together a family tree, we assume our research will take us back a few hundred years at the most. After that—unless we happen to be descended from royalty—the written records are scarce or non-existent and the genealogical trail will peter out.

Or so we think.

Today, amazing strides in DNA research enable us to trace our family heritage far beyond Ellis Island, beyond the Mayflower, beyond even the Siberian land bridge, to the very dawn of civilization itself. From 2016 all the way back to 15,000 BCE—all in a few drops of saliva! Join us for the first PG Spit Party (see below) and take your own Heritage Culture Tour on your next vacation.

My Journey of 17,000 Years Back in Time

My cousin researched our Griswold family line from the present day back to 500 A.D. To augment and complete the work that many in my family have done on several family lines, I’ve commissioned two anthropologists—Drs. Alexis Bunten and Siamak Naficy—to unearth my hidden history from my ancient ancestral roots 17,000 years ago to today.

Names and exact dates are not available of course, but through their analysis of my maternal genome (DNA), scientific research into epochs of history, and informed conjecture, I will be able to construct a linear line describing where my ancestral families lived and what their lives were like, from ancient beginnings to the present. This exciting augmentation to my family’s history is the perfect building block to finishing my memoir.

The adventure begins this coming Sunday, Dec. 20, when I fly to Paris, France, to embark on my first Heritage Culture Tour.

Keepers Culture 12-18-15 Pic 1

Jan 5, 2016 I begin my Heritage Culture Tour in Cantabria, Spain

From the Basque Country to Dordogne, France

My ancestral journey begins January 5, 2016, in magical Cantabria, a lush region of northern Spain, where jagged mountains meet the sea. The genetic mutation that distinguishes the women carrying my “V” genetic signature took place here about 17,000 years ago. This is where my line of female ancestors begins. You may remember “Vi,” the reconstruction of a Magdalenian woman dressed in furs to survive the harsh ice age climate, from a previous “Keepers of Our Culture” column. I carry her ancient genome, and it’s her footsteps I’ll be walking in.

Keepers Culture 12-18-15 Pic 2

January 9, 2016 I will visit the prehistoric paintings on the walls of Cueva Covalanas, where my earliest ancestors lived.

Approximately 15% of the current population of Cantabria, Spain, shares my ancestral genes through an ancient Paleolithic past. I’ll be visiting archeological and natural history museums, similar to our PG Natural History Museum, with exhibits of ancestral tools and dioramas of living conditions. I’ll learn about ancient daily lives and their hardships and challenges. What will it feel like to greet the living relatives in person, to chat with them at a café, to mingle amidst them in shops, and to pass them by on the sidewalks? I can’t wait to find out!

Following the itinerary Alexis and Siamak have prepared for me, I’ll walk the sands of the beaches where my ancestors walked, set foot on the mountainous steps and valleys where they hunted, and lay my head down in the caves where they slept.

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January 12, 2016 I will visit the picture-perfect Château de Beynac in the Dordogne region, known as the “prehistoric capital of Europe.”

As I trace tribal migrations, I’ll make my way to Dordogne, France, known as “the capital of prehistoric Europe.” Here I will explore the caves where Vi might have lived and try my hand at “hunting and gathering.” I plan to spend a day touring the countryside and visiting one of the local chateaus.

I’ll finish my adventure following my ancestors’ footsteps January 15 on a regional tour. As I speak with local farmers and vintners, I will learn about their special relationship to this place, and along the way, gain a deeply personal appreciation of the land that was home to my ancestors.

Click to see more of this itinerary, which was prepared by Dr. Alexis Bunten

My Linear Family Tree: 17,000 years ago–through the ages–to present day

This tour is one of several that will be personalized for me. When my family tree genealogy, which I have traced back through several generations, is combined with the genetic information, which these scientists have traced forward from ancient roots, I will have a linear accounting of details of family life about my most distant relatives through the centuries to myself: from northern Spain through France, to northern Europe, across to North America, from east to west coasts, to me, here today in Pacific Grove, California.

I will have a multi-leveled, composite portrait of my entire family beyond recorded human history: their genetic influences, their societies, how they lived, and the challenges they endured.

My complete Heritage Culture Tour itinerary is posted on keepersofourculture.com. Sign up to Follow and receive stories during my journey.

Nature and Nurture Stories Combine

When I combine ancestral information with the stories I’ve written about my own life experiences, family traits and tendencies—so-called genetic predispositions—will emerge. A more interesting, informative, and colorful portrait of my own life will come into focus.

As we know now, it’s not “nature versus nurture,” but “nature and nurture” that determines who we are. Nature is defined as what’s in our genetic code (DNA), and nurture is defined as the traits, knowledge, and personality quirks we acquire during our particular life experiences.

David Brooks, in his book The Social Animal, defines five major influences that determine who we are: DNA, family, cultures we live in, education, and reflection. With my genetic analysis and my stories, I’ll have a comprehensive self-portrait, similar to those of Harold and Erica, the fictional couple Brooks describes.

To write our life stories about nurture—and ignore nature—leaves half a legacy.

Benefits to Our Families

Writing one’s memoirs has been proven to be the most important thing we can do for our families. Life stories increase self-esteem and optimism, help all of us gain new insights for self-understanding, and experience the power of being heard. And looking back at one’s life leads to good feelings about going ahead.

I’m extremely fortunate to include this element of DNA analysis to underscore and amplify these benefits. I’m grateful for the work of Alexis and Siamak, who are pioneers in DNA analysis, which so far has been dominated by study of DNA’s impact on health issues.

Follow this blog for stories and photos from the road in Spain and France.

Spit Party in Pacific Grove

Want to find out more about DNA and family history? In the new year, Alexis and Siamak will be offering their services to the public, starting locally with a “Spit Party” in Pacific Grove to collect DNA samples. At this seminar, Drs. Bunten and Naficy will share the benefits of DNA analysis, explain how genetic data can best be interpreted using the scientific tools on hand, and share personal stories of revelations revealed through DNA discovery. You’ll send off your own sample of saliva for preliminary DNA analysis services and get your questions answered. For more information, or to reserve a space, email publishingbiz@sbcglobal.net with SPIT PARTY INFO in the Subject line.

Patricia Hamilton is the owner of Park Place Publications, 591 Lighthouse Ave #10 here in Pacific Grove, offering creative and dependable writing and publishing services since 1982. For details, contact Patricia at publishingbiz@sbcglobal.net.

Posted in Cedar Street Times, DNA Heritage Tours, NEWS | Leave a reply

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