# What is your descent? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 26, 2000, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-descent/16511 "2000-04-26T20:53:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2000, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-descent/16511/41 "2000-04-28T00:58:00Z")
Heya folks. The **Pakeha** are actually… anyone who isn’t Maori 😉 It’s the Maori term for the Visitors (usurpers, I guess, really) who colonised New Zealand (Aotearoa) and claimed it as their own. Basically, they’re European, mostly English. But technically that includes Scots, Dutch, Chinese, and any others who happened along to this tiny corner of Paradise in the 1800s. * * * [The Legend Of PigeonMan](http://www.hotkey.net.au/~guanolad/pigeonman/) - **Shadow of the Pigeon** - Weirdo of the Night ---
**Author:** ![junebeetle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@junebeetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/junebeetle)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2000, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-descent/16511/42 "2000-04-28T01:10:00Z")
50% Mexican 25% German 12.5% English 12.5% Irish Looks like I’m a pedigree compared to some of the people in this thread. Regardless, I still have trouble filling out those pesky race questionnaires. My choices are basically: 1. White (non-Hispanic) 2. Hispanic (non-white) I usually flip a coin. I have a feeling that these kind of questions will be pretty useless a few years down the road when people become too mongrelized to be classified accurately. Good riddance! -JB ---
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2000, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-descent/16511/43 "2000-04-28T02:40:00Z")
1/2 Canadian 1/2 American Shaken, not stirred Best when warm ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2000, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-descent/16511/44 "2000-04-28T03:07:00Z")
4.8768 m/sec^2 (Terminal velocity: 102.82 m/sec) * * * Tom~ ---
**Author:** ![Flutterby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Flutterby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flutterby)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2000, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-descent/16511/45 "2000-04-28T03:26:00Z")
Well me Mum is Scottish her ancestors came across from Scotland in 1801 to be servants to the Prince of the Isle (which I don’t really know what that has to do with anything so maybe I’ll look it up) And me Dad is German (on his Mom’s side) and English with a bit of Spanish (his Great great great Grandma was Spanish the rest is English as far as we know but I think somewhere on my Grandpa’s side there was Irish due to his red hair {when he had hair} and the red highlights in all our hair now) And that makes me a Canadian. * * * Bargain not with the Darkness: in time it will take us all. Exerpted from The Book of Nod St. TopazAntares: Patron Saint of Quintuplet Posts. And Patron Saint of Chinese Food. _Courtesy of SwimmingRiddles_ ---
**Author:** ![CuBorab](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9a140/32.png) [@CuBorab](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CuBorab)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2000, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-descent/16511/46 "2000-04-28T04:06:00Z")
Irish on my dad’s side, Irish, Scottish, English, and (supposedly) Mohican on my mom’s. ---
**Author:** ![Silo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ac91a4/32.png) [@Silo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silo)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2000, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-descent/16511/47 "2000-04-28T04:10:00Z")
Wally says: > [@](#): > > I don’t believe it. > I’m the only Ukranian here? Up in that OP I said I was part Russian, but more specifically it is Ukranian. So your not alone Wally, Michael Masterson has Ukranian roots too. It seems that most of the community here consists of muts (myself included). I think there is a correlation between intelligence and diversity. Carry on peoples… ----\<–{@ * * * A hurricane is a breeze of a bigly size. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2000, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-descent/16511/48 "2000-04-28T04:16:00Z")
I’m your typical Eastern-European Jewish mish-mosh. Rumor has it that I’m 1/4 Latvian and 1/4 Hungarian, and the remaining 1/2 is from that shape-shifting region of western Russia. I have red hair, though, so on St. Patrick’s Day I pretend I am Irish and collect kisses. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2000, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-descent/16511/49 "2000-04-28T06:42:00Z")
Hm. Okay. I’m third-generation American on every side, which makes things kind of easy. Mom: 75% Irish and 25% English or German (we’re kind of confused). Dad: 100% Eastern European Jew. Family from Lithuania, Ukraine, Russia, and Estonia. I tend to mostly identify as Jewish, but I inherited my appearance from the Irish side of the family (blond hair, blue eyes, fair skin). ---
**Author:** ![Agentakbar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7cd45c/32.png) [@Agentakbar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agentakbar)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2000, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-descent/16511/50 "2000-04-28T14:33:00Z")
OK-Newbie checking in here. Mamma: 50% Italian, 50% Arabic Sicilian (they look Arabic, they speak Arabic, they live in Sicily.) Dad: Dutch, English, German, Scottish, Irish, Norwegian, French, Spanish, Flemish, Russian: the usual European mutt-mix. Gee Whiz, am I the only A-Rab around? I feel so…so special! 🆒 Anyway, that’s me in all my glory. Akbar (Brian, really.) ---
**Author:** ![Missy2U](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@Missy2U](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Missy2U)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2000, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-descent/16511/51 "2000-04-28T15:18:00Z")
I was adopted, so all I know is that my mother was from Ireland and my father was from South America. I don’t have anything more specific than that. ---
**Author:** ![annalamerino](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b3f665/32.png) [@annalamerino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/annalamerino)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2000, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-descent/16511/52 "2000-04-29T05:25:00Z")
What do you do when the place changes names? My Grandfather came here before WWI. He always said he was German, but his birth certificate said Austia-Hungary. The area eventually was given to Yugoslavia, and most Germans/Austrians fled to the West. It is now in one of those new Balkan nations. Should I try to find out which, or stick with German? ---
**Author:** ![MLAW](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/bc8723/32.png) [@MLAW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MLAW)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2000, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-descent/16511/53 "2000-04-29T23:12:39Z")
Dad’s Mom: English Dad’s Dad: 1/2 Eglish and something else Mom’s Mom: French Canadian from WAY back (Ontario Farmers) Mom’s Dad: French Canadian from WAY back (Ontario Farmers) Me: I say 1/2 French and 1/2 English (heavy on the half French) Hubby: English. 100%. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2000, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-descent/16511/54 "2000-04-30T03:23:42Z")
All four grandparents: English. No just British, but English. Me, I’m Canadian. * * * Rigardu, kaj vi ekvidos. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Kentzel-Griffin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ccd318/32.png) [@John\_Kentzel-Griffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Kentzel-Griffin)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2000, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-descent/16511/55 "2000-04-30T05:36:39Z")
German on both sides French Irish Scotch and water ---
**Author:** ![Demo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/demo/32/8472_2.png) [@Demo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Demo)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2000, 7:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-descent/16511/56 "2000-04-30T07:36:26Z")
Mom - Italian, Dad - Mexican/Indian/something anglo(Irish?) ---
**Author:** ![the\_Scarlet\_Pimpernel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f1d935/32.png) [@the\_Scarlet\_Pimpernel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_Scarlet_Pimpernel)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2000, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-descent/16511/57 "2000-04-30T11:13:11Z")
I remember reading in some encyclopedia that of American immigrants, the Portuguese and the Danes have the largest ethnic communities. IIRC, it was geographically speaking, not population-wise. Anyhoo, my mom’s side is 100% Danish, though there’s a dark family rumor that there’s a little gypsy in my grandmother’s blood. My dad’s side has been in the country for several generations, so who knows what all is there, but it’s mostly Scottish and English, with a few drops of German and Irish thrown in somewhere. ---
**Author:** ![ruadh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d2c977/32.png) [@ruadh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ruadh)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2000, 11:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-descent/16511/58 "2000-04-30T11:32:12Z")
Scottish and Spanish. Lot of brown-eyed redheads in my family. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2000, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-descent/16511/59 "2000-04-30T12:17:32Z")
I am decended from a primative proto-human. He was mute, as the beasts are, until he invented language. He was without claws or natural weapons & helpless before predators; until he invented clubs, knives, spears & bows. He was naked, until he made clothes. He froze in the winter, until fire first bloomed in the first hearth. He looked up at the stars in the night sky, and his dreams made the gulf between man & beast was made infinite. This is the most noble lineage imaginable. It has carried us from the cave to the Moon. Embrace it, & discard the nonsense. ---
**Author:** ![spartacist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/67e7ee/32.png) [@spartacist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spartacist)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2000, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-descent/16511/60 "2000-04-30T19:21:42Z")
Oh, let’s see… Mescalero Apache Swedish Scotch-Irish Welsh German 100% Northwesterner ``` I think my family and many ancestors have been here long enough to be Americans. I don't culturaly relate with any of my "genetic heritage", but I can relate to Americana, and pop-culture. What does any of it matter, anyway? Even if I were 100% English, that would not mean too much to me - the English came from somewhere, and are made up of many different peoples, and those that they are made up from, came from other places made up of other peoples. I guess if I were to look back far enough, I could say that my "family" originated in the steppes of central Asia. ``` [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-descent/16511.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-descent/16511.md?page=4)