Knowing where we come from is a very common question these days. For those who live in a country of great diversity like Brazil, which was colonized by people from different corners of the world, it becomes difficult to know their origins.
In Brazil, we have the largest Japanese colony outside Japan, the largest Italian colony outside Italy and the same goes for some other countries.
With such great diversity, it is very difficult for the average Brazilian to find records and know who their ancestors were and where they came from.
But that's where collaborative technology comes in.
Wait, but what is Collaborative Technology? Well, it is nothing more than technology that is enriched based on the collaboration of several users, that is, several users, each one putting some kinship information, little by little the network becomes huge, and makes it possible for anyone to discover their origins.
In practice it works like this:
My Heritage App
My Heritage is a free application, which can be found for both IOS (Iphone) and Android.
It is considered the largest database of records in the world, and to illustrate this, I will show my case, to show how it works.
When I created my account, I started from the basics, I put my name, my parents, my grandparents and great-grandparents.
When finished, the tool automatically pointed out some people who also have the same great-grandparents as me, that is, distant relatives!
Through my father's family, I reached my great-great-grandfather, I found several families that have this ancestor in common, the best thing is that it is possible to send messages to them and find out more about where they live and who they are.
In my case, I found relatives in Italy, Argentina and in several places in Brazil.
Other ways of knowing.
Now there is another way to discover your relatives and your origins, even more precise and safer.
Still speaking about my case, my mother's family has few records, that is, I didn't find my ancestors like in my father's family, for that the tool has another way.
Ancestry testing via DNA.
Fancy, right? The coolest thing is that it's very simple. You must buy the test online, in the app itself, and they will send you a kit, with everything explained, and through the saliva that you will deposit, they will discover several things about you.
1- Discover distant relatives: Through the test, it will be possible to find them, even without document registration.
2- Your origins: 40% Native, 20% European, 10% Asian 30% African? Anyway, the application will show you EXACTLY your origins, which people, which regions of the world, it's incredible!
3- Who knows, you might discover an important lineage, like that of a king or someone very important.
4- Discover special characteristics, such as knowing which foods are better or worse for your DNA.
5- Seek possible citizenship:
Advantages of knowing your ancestors:
Have you ever thought about finding out that because you are descended from Italians, Portuguese, Spanish or Germans you have the right to citizenship of that country? In other words, to have the right to a passport and to live in the country LEGALLY?
This is information that many people look for in this application, to find out information that can make their European citizenship valid.
There are several countries, and all you need to do is find your ancestor and it is legally possible to start the process. Of course, in this case, the process is not done on the app, but directly at the consulate or through a lawyer or specialized companies.
But it is worth mentioning the point as important, because in Brazil, thousands of descendants of immigrants have this right and do not use it.
So, did you like the tips? Hurry up, download the app and start discovering your past!