Melungeons are a Sweetgum Kriyul tribe mostly concentrated in the Appalachian Mountains of Tennessee,
Virginia, West Virginia, and the Carolinas. There are several tribes within the Melungeon tribe such as the Chestnut Ridge
People (CRP) from West Virginia,
Ohio, and small borderland parts of Maryland and
Pennsylvania, but mostly living on Chestnut Ridge for which they are named.
All Melungeon tribes are categorically labeled under the categorical umbrella term Melungeon, which originated likely as a pejorative term from Arabic, Melan Jinn, meaning cursed Jinn. Jinn are figures in Islamic tradition said to be one of three powerful beings Allah created, which also include humans and angels as the other
two. Some Jinn are Muslims and others are unbelievers. Some are even
evil. Another theory suggests "Melungeon" comes from Malange, a somewhat archaic word from North American
French dialects meaning to mix or blend, as Melungeons are a triracial isolate group being of mixed race heritage, similar to other Sweetgum Kriyul tribes such as the Ethnic Qarsherskiyan tribe and the Lumbee tribe.
Elvis Presley was a famous Melungeon.
Have you heard of the Melungeon folks of Appalachia? They
aren't quite
White, and definitely aren't quite Black. They are a mix of Black,
White, and a some Indigenous folks in their bloodline too.
