My heritage is like this: I'm from Israel and my parents are from Russia. However my Mom's side of the family originally came from a region in central Asia near Afghanistan or Iran, hence their swarthy coloring. My Mom many times has been asked if she's Indian or Pakistani and I remember a photo of her with my aunt and several of her cousins where if I didn't know them I NEVER would have guessed that they came from Russia. My Mom was born in the city of Khabarovsk which is just a very short distance from the border with China. My Dad has much more of the "Slavic appearance." He's burly, with a big, full face, fair skin although his eyes are brown. He was born in a town which is now part of western Ukraine but his family spoke a lot of German as well as Polish. I look exactly like my Mom and her side and I have their swarthiness and their features. My parents met in my Mom's hometown after WW2. My wife who's Israeli of Moroccan origin has roots in southern Spain and Turkey. Our daughter has her mommy's exotic beauty and sweetness and extremely dark coloring!
Europe 99% Ireland 63% Europe West 16% Great Britain 14% Trace Regions 6% Italy/Greece 3% Scandinavia 1% Iberian Peninsula < 1% Finland/Northwest Russia < 1% West Asia < 1% Trace Regions < 1% Caucasus < 1%
Many years ago while my Mom was still alive, she was pretty much the "unofficial" historian. She used to tell me about my ancestors, even my Dad's. And they all came from Greece in the northern area, Macedonia and before that Ipirus, part of which is now in Albania. So unless there was some person who came from outside their areas of growing up, which I doubt, got 100% Greek in me.
I lived as you know in Thessaloniki. We have a lot of friends who came from places like Ioannina, Kavala, Kastoria, Kozani, and Grevena. All these places are part of Macedonia. Many Jews lived in this area of Greece before WW2.
The funny thing about DNA is, that just because your relatives came from a certain part of the world, their genetics could have been mixed with those from around the world. The Romans, and Vikings were notorious for taking back trophy women, and having babies with them, after conquering a village or country.
Also one of the things my Mom told me about. Also I'm sure you've heard of The Plaka in Athens, sort of a village and marketplace inside Athens. My Mom told me that many years ago, her family and two others, which I think were relatives and/or close friends, had owned it or at least some of it. Wish it was still in the family.......
I guess it's also because my coloring is too dark for people to imagine me being of Russian origin. Even my inlaws were flabbergasted when I told them the first time I met them. I remember my mother-in-law telling my wife quietly in French "He's almost black!" "Where is he really from?" This was in July when I was well-tanned but even in the winter I'm very olive-skinned.
Of course I know the Plaka! However I spent most of my years in Greece in Thessaloniki and the area. In the summer I'd go to the islands, especially Crete and Mykonos or Chios. 3/4 of my friends had family there, especially in Crete. I gave a tailor here in Montreal a fit when I started talking to him in Kritikos and then told him where I'm really from!
During the summer we spent there, we spent most of the time in my Mom's village, Drosopigi, and in Thessalonika visiting other relatives. Never did visit my Dad's village of Flamboro. At the time it was customary for people to just walk around in the streets at night. I always went after freshly roasted pumpkin seeds they used to sell on almost every street corner wrapped in a cone shaped newspaper.
Drosopigi's population now unfortunately is so small - perhaps 45-50. I was never there but we know someone who lived there during the war and he told me horror stories which made me cry. There's a retired furrier from Flampouro who used to buy mink from my Dad and foxes from me.
Good point about giving your DNA out, that said the police have had mine twice. so not an issue for me lol, that said being from the UK I would be a very mixed bag given the history of the UK.
A very close friend of mine who served in the IDF with me is of Hungarian descent says his family in India. Yet, I don't see it. He's blond, very fair-skinned and has blue eyes!
Its one thing Im pretty sure I wont get done, I was adopted at birth so I have no real way to yeah thats accurate or thats way off etc.......
Oh yeah, it was a hot spot for Partisans, which my uncle, as a boy of around 16 years old, was part of. An SS officer wanted to "teach" the population of the village by killing family members of partisans after an attack they did killing a bunch of German soldiers. My Mom's included, but was stopped almost at the last minute, they were pretty much already lined up to be shot, by the local German Commandant, regular army who had higher rank and didn't believe in doing that. Guess I can thank him for my existence. The village was eventually bombed and destroyed and moved to it's new location.
My genealogy is known back to 1100AD in the British Isles. I personally have concerns about sending my DNA code to an outside entity, and will never do it.
There is an area of northern India that was conquered by the Moghul Persians. Today we call that nation and people "Iran". Iran literally means land of the Aryan. Your friend may be a remaining descendant of those who conquered the Dravidian aboriginal population of India/Pakistan. The Moghuls were a Caucasus originated group, and are related to the Goths and Vandals who became the Germanic speaking people who settled in NW Europe.
We are so mixed up - people who come from warm areas can be fair as Nordics and people from cold areas can be as dark as or darker than myself and people from the Middle East or North Africa. In summer, or if I go down south I get tanned to the point where I get asked if I'm Ethiopian or Somali! Lolllll Nobody looks nicer with a tan than my wife - she gets the most gorgeous golden tan!
