About us
Welcome to the Cape Coloured DNA Ancestry Project.
On the southern tip of Africa lies a community that for over 350 years has been struggling with identity. A community mostly birthed out of slavery, whose labor built one of the richest African nations, and whose history has been overlooked for centuries in South Africa. Like other slave colonies around the world very few records exist of ancestors. In addition, the separation of many families during Apartheid added to their inability to connect the 'ancestral' dots (so to speak). As a result so few today can trace their ancestry beyond their grandparents. Thus the creation of this project.
With new technology millions of people around the world are discovering their ancestry through the use of DNA testing. A break through in genealogy for those who can not find a paper trail of records or whose family simply does not want to discuss their ancestry. DNA testing is a first step towards linking one to other distant relatives and revealing an ancestral heritage that for too long has been lost.
Our experts are available to guide you through this journey of revelation and help you put the pieces of your ancestral puzzle together.
On the southern tip of Africa lies a community that for over 350 years has been struggling with identity. A community mostly birthed out of slavery, whose labor built one of the richest African nations, and whose history has been overlooked for centuries in South Africa. Like other slave colonies around the world very few records exist of ancestors. In addition, the separation of many families during Apartheid added to their inability to connect the 'ancestral' dots (so to speak). As a result so few today can trace their ancestry beyond their grandparents. Thus the creation of this project.
With new technology millions of people around the world are discovering their ancestry through the use of DNA testing. A break through in genealogy for those who can not find a paper trail of records or whose family simply does not want to discuss their ancestry. DNA testing is a first step towards linking one to other distant relatives and revealing an ancestral heritage that for too long has been lost.
Our experts are available to guide you through this journey of revelation and help you put the pieces of your ancestral puzzle together.
Background: This project started in October 2007 during the pre-production of the documentary film 'I'm Not Black, I'm Coloured - Identity Crisis at the Cape of Good Hope', an historical documentary film about the Cape Coloured community of South Africa. Executive Producer Kiersten Dunbar Chace (whose sister is a Genetic Genealogist) consulted all of the cast members, which included community leaders, pastors, college students, social workers, teachers etc... and asked them whether or not a DNA ancestry project like this, would be of value to them personally and of value to their community. And each one answered with a resounding yes. With these affirmations and support from ftDNA a series of events took place that has birthed this unique project.
This project uses the standards of the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation 2017, the most recent editions of FTDNA’s Terms, the Genetic Genealogy Standards, and ISOGG’s guidance for Project Administrators.