melungeons 

An ethnic group living deep in the southern Appalachian Mountains that decends from 16th century Turks dropped off somewhere in the Carolinas by Sir Francis Drake, were joined by portugese pirates and others including Jews and Moors escaping the Spanish Inquizition, and intermarried with various Native American tribes as they migrated inland. They were later joined by escaped African- American slaves and others. It is also said that they partly decended from the lost colony of Roanoke, having spoke in Elizabethan english as late as the 20th century. Many were eventually assimilated into the predomminantly English/Scotch-Irish domminated Appalachian culture.

Melungeons are amongst the longest settled non-inigenous people in North America. When the first British settlers came from the Eastern Seaboard, they refered to themselves as "Portugee," which goes back to their Portugese origins.

melungeons by Miskatonic Jack 2 January 24, 2007

melungeon 

The Melungeons are people from the Appalachians and the south. They are of triracial origin and possibly more. They have been found to be of European, Indian and in some cases African heritage. They are believed to also be of Turkish descent. They are truely mixed people and a remarkable representation of Americans. Some famous Melungeons include Elvis Presly, Abe Lincoln, and Tom Hanks. They generally appear white, but are of mixed heritage.

I'm a Melungeon so race does not mean much to me. I'm a melange/mix/mutt. I am what I am.

melungeon by Eric Platt October 17, 2007

melungeon 

A race of people pertaining magical powers.

Bryan Davis has magical powers...Therefore he is a Melungeon who should not be fucked with.

melungeon by haywoodjahblowmi July 30, 2008

Melungeon 

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.

Melungeon by Son of Ogun December 2, 2024