Redbone (ethnicity)
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- This article is about the Redbone ethnic group. For other meanings, see Redbone.
A Redbone or Red Bone is a member of an ethnic group similar to that of the Melungeons. While Redbones are sometimes considered a sub-group of Melungeons, it is usually accepted that Redbones are located in Louisiana, while Melungeons are located further east in the United States.
While it is difficult to pin down a firm definition of what ethnic groups combine in a Redbone, or even to come to a consensus on a common appearance, they often have characteristics similar to those of Native American and African descent.
According to some sources,[1] around 1857 more than 100 families who later constituted part of the Redbone population arrived by wagon train from Holmes County, Florida and settled in Vernon and Rapides parishes, where many descendants still live. Shortly after arrival in Louisiana, so one legend has it, the men gathered in a mass meeting in the woods at Valentine, Rapides Parish, near present-day Gardner, and took a group oath never to reveal their true origins to outsiders. No evidence is yet known to link their origins with those of the triracial Dominickers of Holmes County, though records show a few links by marriage at time of the great trek and after.
As a whole, the Redbones are quickly disappearing, but they have a distinct culture which differentiates them from similar mixed-race ethnic groups. They are also found in southeastern Texas.
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- ^ "Mayo, Thomas (Word file). found on the Holmes County USGenWeb site at http://www.rootsweb.com/~flholmes/famhistories.htm
[edit] References
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- Redbones of Louisiana by Don C. Marler
- My Bones Are Red: A Spiritual Journey With A Triracial People in the Americas by Patricia Ann Waak
