Diane, mtDNA is short for mitochondrial DNA, which is passed down through the females, and so would not tell you anything about your male ancestors. I believe you are thinking of the Y-chromosome check that men can have done to trace the male line. For further information on mitochondrial DNA, here are some sites: http://www.jpac.pacom.mil/mtDNA.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitochondrial_DNA http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=8923 Rhonda Graves Fort Worth, TX Drhea11@cs.com wrote: Sherry, I think the mtdna results can be false. If you checked through yourself, as a female. I doesn't work that way. It shows up in the male lines. Even though it is passed down from the maternal side. I'm not positive about all of this, but don't be discouraged. If you really believe you are of Native American descent, keep on looking. I had mine done and it came back that same way, so I researched many sites and by what I found this was not the right test for a female. I have no dought that my family is of Native American descent, but there has to be a more reliable way to prove it. Stick with the Cherokee by blood and follow the lines closely. I have been researching for years and found that by going over my oldest research(when I didn't have a clue!) Now am able to follow leads better. Keep on researching! Diane Surnames: Henderson, Jones, Byrd, Packett, Weaver, Hunter, Webber, McCloud, Lowe, Raines, Wilson, Duncan, Berry, Ezell, Heath, Painter, Wilson, & more ==== CHEROKEE-SURNAMES Mailing List ==== Indian Histories by Tribe: http://www.accessgenealogy.com/native/tribes/index.htm ============================== Search the US Census Collection. Over 140 million records added in the last 12 months. Largest online collection in the world. Learn more: http://www.ancestry.com/s13965/rd.ashx