• Testing Steps
• Uses
• Results

Testing Steps

A DNA test involves essentially 3 steps:

1. SPECIMEN COLLECTION

Once we have received your order for a tribal test, our Scheduling Department will contact all parties to arrange for a specimen collection appointment at one of our 5000 convenient specimen collection sites.

Tested parties will need to bring the following to their appointment:

• Government issued photo identification for all adult parties (e.g. driver’s license, passport, state identification)
  
• Government issued identification for any underage party (e.g. birth certificate, medical card)
  

2. LABORATORY TESTING

Once the samples are received by our laboratory, the following steps occur:

• Samples are assigned a unique bar code and are logged into our laboratory database
  
• Samples and paperwork are examined for completeness
  
• Samples are analyzed
• DNA profiles are triple checked
  
• Reports are generated
  
• Final report is verified by Ph.D. Laboratory Director
  

3. DISTRIBUTION OF RESULTS

Upon completion of the test, results will be distributed to the tested parties and/or tribe by regular mail.

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Uses

Tribal DNA testing can be conducted for a number of different reasons:

Enrollment – Each tribe has their own membership requirements as outlined in their Constitution or Enrollment Ordinance. Some tribes enroll new members based on a patrilineage or matrilineage requirement while others enroll new members based on direct lineal descendency criteria. DNA testing can be used to establish a relationship between a current member of a tribe and an applicant.

Ancestry – Some individuals who were adopted at birth or who are interested in genealogy may like to have more information about their genetic origins. Orchid Cellmark does not offer an ancestry test but can refer you to DNA Print Genomics (www.dnaprint.com). DNA Print offers a test called Ancestry-by-DNA 2.5™ which will provide an individual with information on the percentage of their DNA which is Native American, East Asian, European and Sub-Saharan African. It is important to note that this test will not provide any details on a person’s specific tribal affiliations since there are no tribe-specific markers available.

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Results

Routine DNA Paternity or Maternity Test - The results of a routine paternity or maternity test will take 3 business days from the time the last sample is received by our testing laboratory. Orchid Cellmark will release a notarized DNA test report which will indicate a probability of paternity and maternity. We routinely report testing results with a probability of paternity or maternity of 99.99% or higher on inclusions and 0.00% on exclusions. The reports which are released will include:

• Names of Tested Parties
  
• Date of Specimen Collection for each Tested Party
  
• A listing of the individual DNA profiles for each Tested Party
  
• A Combined Paternity or Maternity Index
  
• A Probability of Paternity or Maternity
  
• A statement of Conclusion
  
• A statement of laboratory accreditation
  

Kinship Test – The results of a kinship test can take up to 10 business days or longer from the time the last sample is received by our testing laboratory. Orchid Cellmark will release a notarized DNA test report which will indicate a probability of kinship. The probability of kinship will depend on the amount of shared DNA that is observed between the tested parties as well as the frequency of that shared DNA in the general population. Orchid Cellmark cannot guarantee a conclusive result in a kinship case. A kinship report will include:

• Names of Tested Parties
  
• Date of Specimen Collection for each Tested Party
  
• A listing of the individual DNA profiles for each Tested Party
  
• A Combined Kinship Index
  
• A Probability of Kinship
  
• A statement of Conclusion
  
• A statement of laboratory accreditation
  

Y-STR Patrilineal Test – A Y-STR test will take between 5 and 10 business days from the time the last sample is received in our testing laboratory. Orchid Cellmark will release a notarized DNA test report which will indicate a likelihood of patrilineal relatedness. The written report will include:

• Names of Tested Parties
  
• Date of Specimen Collection for each Tested Party
  
• A listing of the individual Y-STR profiles for each Tested Party
  
• A Patrilineal Relationship Index
  
• A Probability of Patrilineal Relatedness
  
• A statement of Conclusion
  
• A statement of laboratory accreditation
  

Mitochondrial DNA Matrilineal Test – A mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) test will take between 30 and 60 days from the time the last sample is received in our testing laboratory. Orchid Cellmark will release a notarized DNA test report which will indicate a likelihood of matrilineal relatedness. The written report will include:

• Names of Tested Parties
  
• Date of Specimen Collection for each Tested Party A listing of the individual mtDNA profiles for each Tested Party
  
• A Matrilineal Relationship Index
  
• A Probability of Matrilineal Relatedness
  
• A statement of Conclusion
  
• A statement of laboratory accreditation

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