The purpose of the voyage, we know today, was not the one that made it famous, that is, the circumnavigation of the globe. Such was a notorious consequence of a voyage meant to reach a less notorious goal: to open for Spain a maritime route into the distant, desired, and lucrative spices of the Moluccas.
The maternal side of M.’s family – M. is a fictional character who I’ve positioned in a Part 1 of this project, conducted before the DNA ancestry test result came through – had, in the near past, at least, stemmed from a hill tribe in S.E. Asia, a people who are often without citizenship.
In the last decades, the idea of “ancestry” has become one of the most important and popular notions in human population genetics. On this notion stands genetics perspectives on the origins and history of contemporary living populations. However, ancestry has several meanings and outside of genetics, the idea commonly informs practices related to identity, kinship and family history.
Ancestry has become, in the last decades, a central concept in human population genetics. On this notion stands genetic perspectives about the origins and history of contemporary living populations. However, ancestry has several meanings and outside of genetics, the idea commonly informs practices related to identity, kinship, and family history.