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Melungeon ( ) is a term traditionally applied to one of numerous "tri-racial isolate" groups of the Southeastern United States. Historically, Melungeons were associated with the Cumberland Gap area of central Appalachia, which includes portions of East Tennessee, Southwest Virginia, and eastern Kentucky. ''Tri-racial'' describes populations thought to be of mixed European, African and Native American ancestry. Although there is no consensus on how many such groups exist, estimates range as high as 200.〔(William Harlan Gilbert, Jr., "Surviving Indian Groups of the Eastern United States", Report to the Board of Regents of The Smithsonian Institution, 1948 )〕〔(Donald B. Ball and John S. Kessler, ''North from the Mountains: The Carmel Melungeons of Ohio'' ), Paper presented at Melungeon Heritage Association Third Union, 20 May 2000 at University of Virginia's College at Wise, Virginia, Accessed 14 Mar 2008〕 Melungeons were often referred to by other settlers as of Portuguese or Native American origin. According to the ''Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture,'' in his 1950 dissertation, cultural geographer Edward Price proposed that Melungeons were families descended from free people of color (who were likely of European and African ancestry) and mixed-race unions between people of African ancestry and Native Americans in colonial Virginia.〔Ann Toplovich, ("Melungeons" ), ''Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture,'' 25 December 20009, updated 1 January 2010, accessed 18 February 2013〕 ==Definition== The ancestry and identity of Melungeons have been highly controversial subjects. Secondary sources have disagreed as to their ethnic, linguistic, cultural, and geographic origins and identity, as they were and are of mixed racial ancestry. They might accurately be described as a loose collection of families of diverse origins who migrated, settled nearby and intermarried with one another, mostly in Hancock and Hawkins counties in Tennessee, nearby areas of Kentucky, and in Lee County, Virginia.〔(Roberta J. Estes, Jack H. Goins, Penny Ferguson and Janet Lewis Crain, "Melungeons, A Multi-Ethnic Population" ), ''Journal of Genetic Genealogy'', April 2012, accessed 25 May 2012〕 Their ancestors can usually be traced back to colonial Virginia and the Carolinas. They were largely endogamous, marrying primarily within their community until about 1900. Melungeons have been defined as having multiracial ancestry; they did not exhibit characteristics that could be classified as those of a single racial phenotype. Most modern-day descendants of Appalachian families traditionally regarded as Melungeon are generally European American in appearance, often (though not always) with dark hair and eyes, and a swarthy or olive complexion.〔(Shirley Price, "The Melungeons Are Coming Out in the Open" ), ''Kingsport Times-News'', 28 Jan 1968, accessed 9 Apr 2008〕 Descriptions of Melungeons have varied widely over time; in the 19th and early 20th century, they were sometimes identified as "Portuguese," "Native American," or "light-skinned African American". During the nineteenth century, free people of color sometimes identified as Portuguese or Native American in order to avoid being classified as black in the segregated slave societies.〔Estes et al. (2012), "Melungeons", pp. 8-9〕 Other Melungeon individuals and families are accepted and identify as white, particularly since the mid-20th century. They have tended to "marry white" since before the twentieth century.〔(Paul Heinegg, ''Free African Americans in Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Delaware and Maryland'' ), 1999–2005〕 Scholars and commentators do not agree on who should be included under the term Melungeon. Contemporary authors identify differing lists of surnames to be included as families associated with Melungeons. The English surname Gibson and Irish surname Collins appear frequently; genealogist Pat Elder calls them "core" surnames.〔Elder, Pat Spurlock (1999). ''Melungeons: Examining an Appalachian Legend'', Blountville, Tennessee: Continuity Press〕 Vardy Collins and Shep Gibson had settled in Hancock County, and they and other Melungeons are documented by land deeds, slave sales and marriage licenses.〔 Other researchers include the surnames Powell, LeBon, Bolling, Bunch, Goins, Goodman, Heard, Minor, Mise, Mullins, and several others. (Family lines have to be researched individually, as not all families with these surnames are Melungeon.) As with many other surname groups, not all families with each surname have the same racial background and ancestry. The original meaning of the word "Melungeon" is obscure (see Etymology below). From about the mid-19th to the late 20th centuries, it referred exclusively to one tri-racial isolate group, the descendants of the multiracial Collins, Gibson, and several other related families at Newman's Ridge, Vardy Valley, and other settlements in and around Hancock and Hawkins counties, Tennessee.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Melungeon」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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