Wednesday, May 14, 2014

All Africans Under The Skin

A Masai tribesman from East Africa's Rift Valley.
Over the past several weeks, we have looked at the collision of cultures caused by Christopher Columbus' invasion of the Americas. We highlighted many differences between the two cultures. Today we will take a look at the shared African ancestry of all humankind.

In parts 1 and 2 of this lesson, we discussed in general the genetic roots of humanity. In the remainder of our time today, you will look at one person's attempt to trace his ancestry and evaluate the results of his inquiry.

Part 3: "In the Footsteps of My Ancestors"
  1. Visit the photo gallery produced by American journalist Donovan Webster to discover the roots of one person. Use this information to complete "Part 3" on your worksheet.
  2. Use Google Maps to locate each of the countries Webster visits.
Want More Information?
Check out National Geographic's Genographic Project to learn more about how advanced DNA analysis is being used to answer questions about human history.