Do Melungeon People Have Red Hair?
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While the European elements often include Portuguese, Spanish, and Mediterranean bloodlines, the African roots are typically Sub-Saharan. Genealogists also link this group to free persons of color known as Melungeons in historical records dating back to the 1800s. There are several theories on how the Melungeon people came to have red hair.
Melungeon History, Research, and Resources
Tucker Davis has documents from this early time period of his own ancestors appearing in court, fighting the theft of their land after having been labeled Melungeon. According to Isom, discrimination and the resentful sentiment of being labeled a Melungeon can still be very tangible in northeast Tennessee. If you suspect a Melungeon connection, start with your immediate family and work backward, collecting birth certificates and other documents that might hold clues to your family’s heritage. Visit the websites mentioned here, or simply search for Melungeon with a search engine. Information is added every day as more and more people discover and embrace their Melungeon roots.
What characteristics are commonly associated with Melungeon heritage?
Hernando de Soto trooped through the region in 1540 in the first contact with whites for many Native American tribes. The name likely comes from the French "melange," a slur most often used by suspicious white neighbors in the days of the Jim Crow South, when African-Americans and anyone with dark skin faced prejudice and segregation. The idea of racial status forming the basis of identity is a persistent — and harmful — belief. “Race itself is so socially constructed,” remarks Tammy Stachowicz, a diversity instructor at Davenport University in Michigan. For Stachowicz, her experience as a Melungeon had nothing to do with her skin tone.
(Almost) Losing the Melungeon identity
Oral tradition - and perhaps convenience - had the Melungeons believing they were of Portuguese descent, but a new study published in the Journal of Genetic Genealogy points to African ancestry. But Overbay encountered discrimination for the first time in Asheville. She remembers her friend being asked to leave a lunch counter at a drug store on Pack Square.
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Until I read Barbara Kingsolver’s 2022 novel Demon Copperhead, I had never seen the word Melungeon (pronounced muh-luhn-juhn). It turns out it is the name given to a “race” of people who settled in the Appalachian Mountains of the USA, probably as early as 1567. Their heritage is extremely confusing, even to academics who are studying them today. There are efforts to identify Melungeon DNA, but it is proving to be a challenge to professional genealogists. The physical traits of Melungeons stem from a confluence of European, African, and Native American ancestries.
One people, all colors
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The technological revolution of the 1990s has allowed many who had forgotten their heritage to rediscover the truth of their origins and boldly remember their Melungeon ancestors. The research going forward in understanding the mystery of the Melungeon people will only be answered in full by their descendants who have forgotten their ancestry. Sometimes described as mysterious, Melungeons are one of many tri-racial isolates in the Southern United States.
Clip-ins can be installed in loose hair or hair that has been braided down. The Melungeon are a mixed-race group which has claimed to be descended from Portuguese and Turkish ancestors. That was an effective story developed in the early 1800's to minimize increasing racial discrimination. That being so, some consider that the presence of red hair in the Melungeon population may be linked to their European ancestry.
The improvements in genetic testing have allowed scholars and genealogists a greater understanding in their knowledge about the Melungeon people. Genealogical research and DNA studies have sought to trace the lineage of Melungeons and to clarify their genetic ancestry. The Cumberland Gap, a key passage through the Appalachian Mountains, is a historically significant area for this community.
Researchers have theorized that Melungeons may have been a mixture of European, African and Native Americans. A DNA study in the Journal of Genetic Genealogy in 2012 found that the families historically called Melungeons are the offspring of sub-Saharan African men and white women of northern or central European origin. Yet prior to — and even following — the rise of racial slavery and legal segregation, people of all different backgrounds were sharing cultures and marriages, adding to the identity of Melungeons today. As Davis explains, the story of Melungeons is not just one of discrimination, but also of diversity and community. This plight is poignantly revealed in Appalachia, which has long struggled to shed stereotypes imposed by others.
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Claims of Portuguese ancestry likely were a ruse they used in order to remain free and retain other privileges that came with being considered white, according to the study’s authors. Estes and her fellow researchers theorize that the various Melungeon lines may have sprung from the unions of black and white indentured servants living in Virginia in the mid-1600s, before slavery. Beginning in the early 1800s, or possibly before, the term Melungeon (meh-LUN’-jun) was applied as a slur to a group of about 40 families along the Tennessee-Virginia border. But it has since become a catch-all phrase for a number of groups of mysterious mixed-race ancestry. Growing acceptance of Melungeon identity is the most recent emergence in this complex narrative. Hair or eye color alone are not reliable indicators of Melungeon ancestry.
They are often met with curiosity and sometimes discrimination due to their distinct features, including red hair and darker skin. This combination of traits can lead to confusion about their racial and ethnic identity, as well as misunderstandings about their cultural heritage. Our Spiral Curl clip-in extensions are perfect for wash n go’s, twist outs, braid outs and rod sets. Whether you plan to leave your natural hair out or want it tucked away, all you need is one set.
The stigma attached to red hair and Melungeon heritage has historically led to discrimination. Society’s biased views often labeled red-haired individuals within the community with derogatory terms. During times of systemic racial segregation, such as the era of Jim Crow laws, Melungeons with red hair faced increased scrutiny. Moreover, the Racial Integrity Act of 1924 exemplifies legal efforts to impose racial classifications that further marginalized multiracial individuals.
Within the Appalachian Mountains, from the mountainous regions of Tennessee and Virginia, to parts of Kentucky, there has traditionally been a group of people known as the Melungeons. The origins and ethnicity of the Melungeons are a point of debate; however there are multiple documents and cultural similarities that can be used to determine who the Melungeons most likely are. Melungeons, the mysterious dark-skinned mountaineers of eastern Tennessee and southwest Virginia and into Kentucky, have sparked myths and theories over the past century. They were whispered to be descendants of shipwrecked Portuguese sailors, or gypsies now known as Roma.
Court cases and civil rights battles became stages where the Melungeon community had to contest for recognition and equal treatment, striving to overcome barriers to education and civil liberties as a result of their mixed ancestry. The Melungeons are a unique group of people, often mixed-race, who have lived in the Appalachian region of the United States for centuries. One of their most distinctive physical traits is their red hair, which is a result of their diverse ancestry that includes European, African, and Native American heritage. Unfortunately, this unique characteristic is at risk of being lost due to a lack of awareness and preservation efforts. It has that "this is my real hair" look that a sew-in just can't give. If you're looking for some additional length/volume to spice up your silk press, look no further.
From neighbors recounting tales of African or Native American lineage, to a Sunday school teacher who said they could be identified by a small knot of bone on the back of their heads, no one could say who the Melungeons were with certainty. From 2005 to 2011, researchers Roberta J. Estes, Jack H. Goins, Penny Ferguson, and Janet Lewis Crain began the Melungeon Core Y-DNA Group online. They interpreted these results in their (2011) paper titled "Melungeons, A Multi-Ethnic Population",[13] which shows that ancestry of the sample is primarily European and African, with one person having a Native American paternal haplotype.
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