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When I entered one of the family chat rooms during the Melungeon Third Union, I quietly took my place in the circle of people sitting on the ®oor. I was running a little late and did not want to interrupt the host, who was explaining her ability to tell a Melungeon by the way he or she stood for a photograph. After she spoke, all the participants introduced themselves, usually beginning with the disclaimer that they were unsure of their Melungeonness. They then typically described the accumulated clues that brought them to the conclusion that they might be of Melungeon heritage: a mysterious genealogical missing link or, perhaps, a common surname. Without exception, participants wondered aloud whether or not they had any of the physical characteristics claimed to be distinctive among Melungeons, most popularly, the Anatolian bump (a knot on the back of the head), an extended cranial ridge, and “shovel teeth” (the backs of which curve inward). In response, others immediately offered their own bumps, ridges, and teeth as reference points. More often than not, the larger group con¤rmed the inductee ’s Melungeonness, pointing to highly variable physical manifestations . When it was my turn to introduce myself, I felt somewhat inadequate , explaining that I was not Melungeon but an anthropologist doing research on Melungeons. The host of the family chat, in her characteristic way, laughed and explained to the others that I liked to say that I was not a Melungeon, but that she was not so sure. She pointed out my dark hair and olive skin, explaining that she could recognize a Melungeon even when they themselves could not. Members in the circle smiled at me, nodding. I gently protested, “I don’t think so; my family is from Pennsylvania.” Our host immediately began to discuss Melungeon connections in Pennsylvania. Fi4 / Melungeons and the Politics of Heritage Melissa Schrift nally I resorted to, “No, really . . . see, no bumps!” ®ipping my hair up to display the back of my head. Several participants ran their¤ngers along my head, which began to feel a lot knottier than I remembered . They asked me what my parents looked like. My father did have exceptionally dark skin (for which he received a great deal of both admiration and grief), I re®ected, with dark hair and bright blue eyes (not uncommon among Melungeons). The group looked at me knowingly. They were friendly and kind, and it felt nice to be accepted so readily. I conceded a little, “Well, who knows. Maybe.” Later, reviewing my notes, I felt a little embarrassed about my own father cum Melungeon digression. At the time, however, I remember enjoying the sense of inclusion and mystery. “Why not?” I wondered privately. One could do worse than becoming Melungeon. What Is a Melungeon? A long history of racist lore portrays Melungeons as a roguish group of “mixed race” outlaws who took refuge in the Southern Appalachian Mountains. Early journalistic accounts in the late 1800s describe Melungeons as shiftless, ¤lthy, ignorant, immoral, suspicious, inhospitable, cowardly, and just plain sneaky (Dromgoole 1891). Several decades later the legends had not changed substantially, as is evident by the following excerpt: Folks left them alone because they were so wild and devil-¤red and queer and witchy. If a man was fool enough to go into Melungeon country and if he come back without being shot, he was just sure to wizen and perish away with some ailment nobody could name. Folks said terrible things went on, blood drinking and devil worship and carryings-on that would freeze a good Christian’s spine bone. (Berry 1963, 60) Though journalistic accounts of Melungeons grew somewhat kinder with the years, the enigmatic reputation of Melungeons endured , owing primarily to continued debate regarding their origins . As Scots-Irish settlers poured into Virginia in the early 1750s, they encountered settlements of mountaineers with dark skin, an alleged “Elizabethan English dialect,” and English surnames who claimed to be Portuguese. The precise nature of Melungeon ethnic origins remained unclear, though they were typically considered “Indian” in appearance. In census reports Melungeons were most Melungeons and the Politics of Heritage / 107 often classi¤ed by the category “free person of color” but also as black and occasionally as “mulatto.” In the era of Jim Crow, the formalization of such ethnic ambiguity resulted in discrimination and disenfranchisement. Many Melungeons retreated to the remote and rugged Appalachian mountain ranges. Others pursued legal whitening through intermarriage with European immigrants. However, neither of these practices...

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