Re: EXPLANATION OF NAMES REGARDING RACE MIXTURES
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In reply to:
EXPLANATION OF NAMES REGARDING RACE MIXTURES
Joan Pearsall Robinson 1/17/04
Be cautious of racial definitions like these. Our ancestors used these terms in a lot of ways. For example, the US Census prior to 1870 used the term 'mulatto' for anyone of mixed race. Most of these were mixed with black, but it was not an exclusively black/white mix -- I have found a thousand people of probable Native American/white mix listed as mulattos in 1860 census because the choices were white, black, and mulatto. The various families I have information on were red/white mix, with no evidence of African ancestry (they served as officers in the Confederacy as well.)
Furthermore, the Spanish word 'mestizo' and the French words 'melange', and 'melee' simply mean 'mixed', while 'sang melee' means 'mixed blood,' and were applied to all kinds of mixes of various races and amounts. Mustee and Mestee are variants of mestizo, commonly applied to black/Indian mixes -- but not exclusively so.
'Quadroon' is derived from the Spanish term 'cuateron' which refers to someone who is a quarter of something. My earliest readings show the term 'cuateron' being applied to people of mixed white and Native ancestry.
Caution is required to interpret the terms used according to the local context. Also recall that people would vilify others by applying labels which were not strictly correct, while other people would euphemize racial issues by using terms that were also not correct. Regretably, due to the racism of times past, this often meant accusing/denying African ancestry. When dealing with people of possible mixed race, multiple sources must be consulted and carefully weighed.
More Replies:
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Re: EXPLANATION OF NAMES REGARDING RACE MIXTURES
Joan Pearsall Robinson 2/10/04
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Indian Ileys
Beau Bowen 12/13/04
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Indian Ileys