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Several elements define a person's identity. Some of these components include a person's culture and ancestry. These can have a significant impact on a human's identity and are widespread in nearly every society throughout the world. That does not mean that a person's culture and ancestry are the exact same. There are significant differences between these two aspects. A person may be born inheriting their ancestry and culture, but they may change over time. Because of this, learning the differences between culture and ancestry is critical.

Culture is defined as a social anomaly that shows the characteristics of a specific society. Some things considered cultural are concepts such as beliefs, habits, art, music, and knowledge. Everyone who is a part of a distinct society will typically have the same cultural traits. It is not inherited biologically; instead, it is attained through the society they grow up in. Simply put, culture is full of learned behaviors. A child will pick up specific behaviors and beliefs as they grow up and watch their parents or guardians. Generally, cultural values are the choice of the individual.

On the other hand, ancestry identifies a person based on things they are born with, such as ethnicity, language, and race. In general, most of a person's ancestry is based on one's physical appearance, the way they dress, and what they eat. Mostly, ancestry is something that a person does not choose. For example, they could look up a 1950 census records and discover they have ancestors from Norway or Australia; nothing can change the fact that they are part Norwegian and Australian, even if they grew up in the United States.

A person's ethnicity and race are also involved in their ancestry. If a group of people has a common ancestry, language, or culture, they are of the same ethnicity. The main difference may be heritage. For example, there may be someone who is a fourth-generation American but has ancestors from China; therefore, they recognize themselves as ethnically Chinese.

There are four main areas where there are differences between culture and ancestry: definition, identification, and inheritance.

The definition of culture is based on the exclusive characteristics a distinct society shows. In contrast, a person's ancestry is based on their specific ethnicity, and the shared identity is based on their race, homeland, and language.

When it comes to identification, the big difference between ancestry and culture is that when it comes to someone's ancestry, they can generally identify a person based on their ethnicity, practices, and beliefs. On the other hand, when it comes to a person's culture, they are not distinguishable since their material possessions show their culture.

Another difference between culture and ancestry is how each is inherited. Culture is something that is acquired more socially, and because culture is dynamic, anyone can obtain specific traits. At the same time, ancestry is inherited by biological means and is only mobile if there is approval from both ethnic groups.

It is vital to understand the difference between culture and ancestry. A person's ethnicity or race does not define them. It does not show what a person is like because their ancestry is mainly based on their outward appearance. A person may have a specific ancestry, but their culture is tremendously different from their ethnicity.

A person can also have numerous traits from a variety of cultures while having a specific ancestry from one area. An example of this is if a person is a Caucasian from Ireland who was raised in England, they could have major English traits while also having Irish traits as well.

This is why it is important always to remember that even if a person looks like a specific race or ethnicity, they may have no connection to any of that race's culture or values. So, for example, they may look like they were born in Mexico, but that does not guarantee they hold Mexican cultural values. So again, knowing ancestry and culture are different will help avoid these assumptions.

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