RJA #3c: Research Question

1) Basic questions;

Who are the Melungeons?
What genetic background is a true Melungeon?
Where are they located?
How did they become a genetically separate race (such as Caucasian, African American, Native American, etc.)?
When or over what period of time did this happen?
Should they be considered a separate genetic race?
What is their phenotype?
Could this occur (or be happening) in today's modern age of travel?

2) Some of the goals I hope to achieve with this research paper include a compilation of information on the subject and a clarity of the Melungeons' background, including ancestral and genetic heritage, as well as a cultural clarity. Above all, I am already enjoying satisfying my own curiosity and learning needs.

3) I am writing not only for myself, but also for those hoping to find answers about the Melungeons, including Melungeons themselves. I have already discovered a prevalence of varied genetic disorders, and hopefully compiling these findings to further aid those seeking answers to something that could be ailing them. This seems to be already done in a couple of places so it may not be a pressing thing to include but still relevant to the topic. Education and a greater spread of awareness that tri-racial groups do exist are my main goals and the purpose for my choice of topic.



4) Final question- How did the Melungeons develop into a genetically recognizable race of peoples, and should they be classified as such?

RJA #2b: Research Topic

I have settled on a part of Southern Appalachian culture and heritage composed of a people called Melungeons. I have always been intrigued by this group of people, and originally it was mostly a joke where I grew up. We always joked about how stocky the kids from the area were and at some point heard the name Melungeon and consistently cracked jokes about it as we grew up. When we went to the football games in the extreme southwestern tip of Virginia, we cracked these jokes. Narrow-minded and very high school-ish yes, but still typical behavior of the age. Come to find out as an adult- they are truly a separate people. Oops. As I've learned more and more about genetics and reproduction, my mind always floats back to these people- what makes a Melungeon, and should they have their own race?

I know that the group is centered around the border between Virginia and Tennessee, near Cumberland Gap. I remember hearing part of the composition of the Melungeon people was French, Native American, and black. Whether this is accurate or wholly incorrect I am not sure at this point. The Melungeons created their own separate group due to isolation, and the area is very poor- that's a fact. I hope to address many aspects of these scant facts as I proceed, and I have many questions left to answer as I go. I know they do hold meetings of sorts to help preserve their heritage, but I don't know how one knows they should be a part of these meetings either.

The questions I have are almost endless right now, and I hope there is sufficient research (I believe that there is) to back up my topic. I probably know someone who is Melungeon, or at least in part- do they know this? I hope to address the questions of genetic profiling, outward physical characteristics, and culture through the semester. I don't know that I wholly agree they should be a race other than American, mixed, or something similar. I hope that my research uncovers what racial influences compose this wholly other race, and how this could happen in such a relatively short period of time. Was the short period of time sufficient? Geneticists seem to believe so but I am not sure that I do.