Redbones and Melungeons

Redbones and Melungeons:

"Redbones and Melungeons

The Mixed Peoples

The Redbones are one of a group of people of unknow mixed ancestry who lived in the Southeastern United States. The best known and researched of these groups are the Melungeons who lived in western Virginia and eastern Tennessee. Other similar groups include the Brass Ankles and Turks of South Carolina, the Brown People of Kentucky, the Carmel Indians of Ohio, and Guineas of West Virginia. The Redbones, sometimes called the 'Louisiana Melungeions,' originated in South Carolina and established the Redbone identity in Southwest Louisiana.
A recent book entitled 'The Farfarers' by Farley Mowatt tells of a present-day people in Newfoundland called Jakatars having a history reminiscent of the Melungeons and Redbones of the Southeast United States. Mowatt cites interesting but controversial archaelogical and historical records that indicate that a people he calls Albans traveled as far a Newfoundland before the Vikings. They originally settled Scotland before the Celts arrived and drove them out. The Vikings then drove them west to Iceland, Greenland and then mainland North America. He says they were small, dark-skinned, dark-haired people who were much in appearance like the present day Kurds or Basques. He thinks that the Jakatars, who were discovered by the British when they arrived in Newfoundland, are their descendants. He speculates that the term 'Jakatars' derives from a Basque word 'Jakue' meaning 'God' and 'tar' meaining 'related to'. So he thinks it was a way of describing early Christians in North America.
'Melungeons'

The origins and racial makeup of the Melungeons and their Louisiana equivalent 'Redbones' is very controversial. They are copper-skinned, dark-eyed, dark-haired, but they have English names and were speaking English at the time they were first enco"

Redbones of Louisiana