Key Points
- Angelina took a DNA test to prove she was European after being questioned about her identity.
- Instead, she found out she is Aboriginal and that her dad is not her biological father.
The 2021 Census shows more Australians than ever are identifying as First Nations. In a special NITV-Insight co-production, “Indigenous Identity” asks why are more people identifying. Watch it .
Just over 12 months ago, at the age of 49, I took a DNA test. The results changed my life.
When I took the test, I already had a family tree for both sides of my family.
Then, one night, I got told I didn’t look like my family so I ordered a DNA test just to prove them wrong. It turned out I was wrong.
Angelina Hadwen.
I had connections to my mother's side but not to my father's side, and then there were all these people that I was connected to that were Aboriginal.
My world was spinning, I was 49 years old and only just discovered that my family unit as I know it was not real.Angelina Hadwen
My results revealed I am 32 per cent Aboriginal. It also said I have Germanic and European ancestry as well. That is what I had been told all my life.
I was left to deal with my new reality that my dad is not my biological dad and my paternal father I have no idea about is Aboriginal.
When all this happened I felt I went into a spiral of questioning who I was.
Angelina Hadwen's biological father Kevin.
I didn’t know anything. I had a lot of thoughts. I asked myself if I am I adopted. Who my family really is.
When I was finally told the story, I was advised that the dad that brought me up was not my paternal father.
After a week of confusion and feeling alone in the world, I reached out to a couple of people on Ancestry that I was connected to.
I had a piece missing in my life, a piece missing in my soul that I didn’t know existed.Angelina Hadwen
I had limited information. All I had was a first name and information that he was from Narrabri and worked in the cotton fields in the 70s. However with the help of Facebook, we found a direct relative on my Aboriginal side. My Aunty Brenda.
I really could have left it there. However, I wanted to know the family I didn’t know about!
Friends would tell me, “it doesn’t change who you are.” It’s something I heard a lot, but it did!
Yes, my personality didn’t change but all of a sudden I felt I had a piece missing in my life, a piece missing in my soul that I didn’t know existed.
Angelina Hadwen sailing.
I was really upset as I remembered growing up that I used to get teased a lot because I was darker than my brother and my sister. I was called all sorts of names, that I was an ‘a- -’, that I was adopted, that I was a ‘w- -’ of some sort.
I guess I was still in denial then as I struggled to place myself into this new identity I didn’t know existed.Angelina Hadwen
Even into my adult life, my heritage was always questioned. However, I didn’t know any differently and would say that I am German/Italian as that was what I was told.
As my paternal father had passed away, my Aunty Brenda is the one who has filled me in on who he was and shared photos and stories.
I remember back then, I would look at these photos and try and see myself. I guess I was still in denial then as I struggled to place myself into this new identity I didn’t know existed.
Since then Aunty Brenda and I speak often.
She has taken ownership and she expresses her happiness that I do exist. She also expresses her sadness that I didn’t get to meet my paternal father.
Now, this part of my journey continues with Aunty Brenda and new family members as I find out more about my Aboriginality.
