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Melungeons have been the subject of much debate about their ethnic, linguistic, cultural and geographic connections. While not officially recognized as an ethnic or racial group by the U.S. government, they often have a keen sense of self identity and, in some areas, a long history of existing separate from the mainstream community.

The extent to which Melungeons constitute a specific race or ethnicity is controversial, because members of this group are considered to be ethnically mixed rather than exhibiting characteristics which can be incontrovertibly classified as being of a single racial phenotype.

Even the origin of the term "Melungeon" is highly controversial.

1 Location

"Melungeon" is applied to group members living in:

• eastern Kentucky
• south-western Virginia
• eastern Tennessee
• southern West Virginia
• southern Ohio
• southern Indiana

Potentially related populations include:

• Carmel Indians of southern Ohio
• Brown People of Kentucky
• Guineas of West Virginia
• We-Sorts of Maryland
• Nanticoke-Moors of Delaware
• Lumbee of North Carolina
• Cubans and Portuguese in North Carolina
• Turks and Brass Ankles of South CarolinaSouth Carolina ( In Detail) (Full size) State nickname: Palmetto State Other U. States Capital Columbia Largest City Columbia Governor Mark Sanford Area Total Land Water % water Ranked 40th 82,965 km² 78,051 km² 4,915 km² 6% Population Total ( 2000) Densi
• Creoles and RedboneThis article is about the Redbone ethnic group. For other meanings, see Redbone. A Redbone is a member of an ethnic group similar to that of the Melungeons. While Melungeons are sometimes considered a sub-group of Redbones, it is usually accepted that Reds of AlabamaAlabama is a state located in the southern United States; the population of Alabama is 4,447,100 as of 2000. The USS Alabama and CSS Alabama were named in honor of this state. History Main article: History of Alabama Among Native American people once livi, MississippiMississippi ( In Detail) (Full size) State nickname: Magnolia State Other U. States Capital Jackson Largest City Jackson Governor Haley Barbour Area Total Land Water % water Ranked 32nd 125,546 km²121,606 km² 3,940 km² 3% Population Total ( 2000) Density and LouisianaLouisiana is a southern state of the United States of America. It uses the U. postal abbreviation LA . The state is bordered to the west by the state of Texas, to the north by Arkansas, to the east by the state of Mississippi, and to the south by the Gulf.

Among the Native Americans, connections exist within:

• Algonquian tribes of eastern and central Virginia
• Lumbees
• Monacans
• Saponi
• Catawba
• Cherokee
• Muskogee
• Creek

Each of these groupings of Melungeons has a particular history and culture, but historical evidence shows relationships between them and indicates a common origin.