For decades, Turkish pseudo-historians and propagandists have made bizarre claims about Turks being the ancestors of various ethnic groups around the world, including Native Americans, African-Americans, and the strangest of all, Melungeons—a little-known group of dark-skinned residents of Appalachia.
To counter Armenian political activities in Washington, the Turkish government regularly reaches out to anyone who could be co-opted with all-expense-paid trips, special gifts, and other financial inducements, including funding studies and conferences on the alleged Turkish origin of Melungeons. Even though these one million Appalachians do not carry much political clout in Congress, Ankara is interested in claiming them to be of Turkish descent, hoping to strengthen its political and economic clout in the United States.
The Turkish initiative faced one “minor” problem: there was no evidence that Melungeons were descendants of Turks. This issue was easily resolved when the Turkish government provided a “research grant” to a Melungeon named N. Brent Kennedy. In April 1995, he flew to Istanbul and wrote a book alleging that hundreds of captured Ottoman sailors were dumped on the shores of North Carolina by Sir Francis Drake in the 16th century!
Kennedy compiled a long list of “amazing” similarities between Turks and Melungeons, such as eating beef and mashed potatoes, the habit of hugging each other, Appalachian quilts having Ottoman designs, Anatolian folk dancers performing square dances, and Turkish music sounding like bluegrass. He discovered that the Turkish word “neyaygara” sounds like Niagara, “dilhah yer” is pronounced Delaware, “tenasuh” means Tennessee, “kan tok” is Kentucky, and “allah bamya” is Alabama.
Kennedy further stated that Turkish scholars have “long believed that a connection existed between themselves and eastern seaboard American Indians, based on both physical appearance and shared words and customs.” He gathered these “important facts” from Turkish “historians” during his meetings at Marmara University in Istanbul. “Several hundred Ottoman sailors could exert a powerful genetic, cultural, and linguistic influence on the 16th-century Native American Tribes into which they married,” Kennedy confidently concluded.
Appalachians, however, were infuriated by the distortion of Melungeons’ ethnic origin and exploitation of their history. Historian and award-winning journalist Tim Hashaw of Houston, Texas, sent a letter asking me to “investigate the tawdry connection between the ATAA (Assembly of Turkish American Associations) and the Melungeon Heritage Association.” Hashaw asserted that “Melungeons are an obscure tri-racial (white, black, and American Indian) community in Appalachia—Virginia and Tennessee. We are not now, nor have we ever been, Turkish. Yet, Melungeons are being wrongly exploited by Turkish associations to deny the Armenian Genocide and to support questionable Turkish agendas in Washington, D.C.”
Hashaw revealed in his letter that Turkey “sent gifts such as water fountains (cesme) to those who deny the Armenian Genocide. They have said in the press that they expect our support in Washington, D.C. I kept asking myself: Why is the very influential Turkic World Research Foundation bothering to pay for airfare to send waves of humble Appalachian hill folk from the U.S. to Turkey? We are not a large or affluent people. Why do the president and prime minister of Turkey give personal interviews to Melungeons from Appalachia when they visit? Why are the ATAA and the Istanbul Alumni group paying to send Melungeons to New York in order to honor them in recognition for their services to Turkey?”
Hashaw’s published works regarding the ethnic origins of the Melungeons were validated by a new DNA study published in the Journal of Genetic Genealogy, which disproved the “wild claims” that Melungeons are descendants of Turkish slaves. Instead, the research indicated that they were the offspring of “sub-Saharan African men and white women of northern or central European origin.” Shortly after release of this study, the red-faced leader of a Turkish-American group gave his followers the bad news: “Appalachia’s Melungeons are not Turks”!
Despite the incontestable DNA evidence, incorrigible Turkish propagandists may not be deterred by scientific studies. They will continue to claim that just about everyone on Planet Earth somehow originated from Turks. As Tim Hashaw mockingly wrote: “Abraham Lincoln was a Turk! Elvis Presley was a Turk! American Indians are Turks! Obama’s mama was a Turk! Melungeons were born in the country of the Hatfields and McCoys. The blood feud is in our DNA. The Turks do not know yet, but they will regret bribing greedy ignorant people to deny the Armenian Genocide.”
Harut Sassounian
Why hasn’t somebody turned the Melungeon debacle into a sitcom? The Turks got so carried away with this lunacy they named one of their surplus hills “Melungeon Mountain.” Honest. This is comedy gold, Jerry, gold!
Maybe an Angry Turk game app?
Tiny overfed flying Turkish diplomats [Super Mario-ish in appearance] and US lobbyists [think Richard Gephardt or Denny Hastert] are launched from DC, trying to land unscathed in Appalachia with brief cases full of money, yalanchis and Istanbul hotel accommodations and air fare [sorry, no First Class] for their long and very lost Melungeon cousins, who are prone to shooting them down in flight with squirrel guns.
If 10 Angry Flying Turks land unscathed, they immediately start ring dancing around the nearest Melungeon who signs a form “No Armenian Genocide” letter to the editor of the Wise County, Virginia Pilot.
If 20 land unscathed the felony conviction for the deceased Arkansas “Judge” and homespun denialist Samuel Weems gets expunged, and Ragnar Naess finally gets a job at Yozgat junior sub-college.
If 30, a screen flashes showing that Geo. Washington was a Turk who looked just like Ergun Kirlikovali.
LOL.. love it jda…LOL
Odd,my ancestors were full German blood immigrants in the late 1700s, but I am now only 3% german with DNA tests. So how would anyone know my ancestors were full German? Why did Sir Francis Drake’s own ship logs in 1570s talk about the people who were already living here that were not native American and described them in detail which matched the Turks? The recent study they just came out with talking about the Barbary pirate slave trade of Europeans which happened to start the same time that Africa itself was starting slave trade explains now the migration patterns of these ethnicities that form the Melungeons. I can trace my records back to native Americans and not one drop of native American blood shows in my DNA test. So I don’t really think that DNA tests can solve migration patterns to form ethnicities when you have to get the DNA of everyone to form the migration patterns in the first place. What designates Turkish blood when it was Roman, Greek and Middle East that all came together to form the Ottoman Turks? I cannot just rely on DNA tests of a small amount of people in the entire world and think that you can designate a particular ethnicity when you don’t even know what designates that ethnicity to begin with.
Mr. Sassounian,
This is a fascinating article. I had not heard of Melungeons, but there are so many small groups of people around the world unknown to the vast majority. The PR games the Turkish groups are using the Melungeons should be exposed.
The “similarities” that Kennedy has written about appear to be naive and amateurish since coincidental similarities can happen without a direct connection. A quick reading on wikipedia on the origins of the word “Alabama” makes this clear. It’s like the selective usage of facts and evidence that UFOs have made contact with ancient human civilizations.
I do have to play devil’s advocate for one second though. Is the genetic study capable of showing a Turkish connection? Did the 16th century Turks have a distinct genetic makeup that would show up in a genetic study of the Melungeons?
Googling shows that there is no hard historical evidence that Francis Drake brought Turkish sailors to the Americas.
Here’s an interesting blog posting:
http://historical-melungeons.blogspot.com/2008/02/wayne-winkler-melungeon-heritage.html
While genocide denial isn’t funny, the Melungeon foray and the unremitting, tireless dopeyness of denialists can be.
I guarantee that Wayne Winkler, the author of the letter to which you linked, has somewhere been called an “anti-Turk” by someone in ATAAland and that high level Turkish operative [meaning, some kid going to some Gulen school with access to a modified Commodore computer and an internet connection] has started going through Winkler’s family records to see if his 17th century Aunt Agnes was actually Aunt Aghavni. Guaranteed!
Or as Ergun Kirlikovali, the cheesiest porcine racist likes to say : “Period!”
This gets an A+ for creativity, dream fantasies, science fiction.
The plot has the making of a wonderful comedy; not too far from the
“The Dictator”.
How about it???
Despite all the evidence, the Turkish Embassy in DC will continue to brainwash thousands of American public school teachers with this and plenty other lies. They have an annual event scheduled around Ataturk’s “Holiday of National Sovereignty and Children” every year on April 23! Somehow they manage to target Muslim teachers from American public schools and send them back with bags full of gifts and subsidized trips to Turkey invites. Try to introduce Armenian Genocide curriculum in their schools after that….
The truth about Turkish slave traders selling African slaves to America is still needs to be uncovered.
“The truth about Turkish slave traders selling African slaves to America is still needs to be uncovered”
Why? Were they doing something no one else was? The Ottoman Empire had a well documented slave system, who cares if they sold slaves to the US?Turkish, English, Portuguese, Spanish, French, what’s the difference?
I agree with RVDV. The slave trading is a separate issue and the proper place for it would be in academia. The issue here is the Turkish government and organizations using Melungeons for PR purposes. Actually any historical connection with Turks is irrelevant. Even if there was some minor connection, the PR agenda is improper and wrong. Armenians and Melungeons have nothing to do with each other specially when it comes to the Armenian genocide.
This PR agenda is tied into the pro-Turkey Native American trade bill. The slave trade history is not relevant.
“who cares if they sold slaves to the US”
I don’t know, African Americans might care. Turks were slave traders selling Slavs, Armenians, and Africans all around the world. This is another crime against humanity.
Turks are looking everywhere for their relatives except where they came from – namely the Altai mountains of nowadays Russia near the Mongolian border.
“I don’t know, African Americans might care”
I’d care more about the fact that selling human beings was legal and widely practiced then the fact that who specifically sold me. Yes, it was a crime against humanity- because of the fact that people felt entitled and so superior to others that they treated them like property and sold them. It doesn’t matter which people were sold to make it a crime, just that people were sold. Also, care to share some proof of Ottoman slave trade to the new world?
Here’s a wiki page about slavery in the Ottoman empire. I don’t know how accurate it is, but I would follow the references used at the bottom of the page to get more info.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slavery_in_the_Ottoman_Empire
But I don’t see a reason to bring this up just to rub it in. Unless Turkey starts approaching African Americans and doing a PR campaign of how tolerant and wonderful the Ottoman empire was.
One word to describe theseTurkish propaganists… IDIOTS…
can someone say “BUSTEDDDDDDDDDDDDD”””””””
inch lav eghav.. irants tents el petq er…
Well, what do you expect, coming from people desperate to keep the lie going and willing to do anything to make sure it stays as such. The reason why Turkey gets away with stupidity like this, until it’s caught out, is because it’s far more politically and strategically important than Armenia. Pure and simple. If it wasn’t, they would’ve got short shrift on this years ago and made to account for themselves and what they did to the Armenian people.
What made me really laugh about this was the reference to Delaware. The state, river, bay and the Indian tribe, were all actually named after Sir Thomas West, 3rd/12th Baron de la Warr (pronounced Delaware), who was the governor of the Jamestown colony, amongst other things. The reason why I know this, is because I am related to him:):).
You said it Carl… :)
Thanks for the info on your ancestor. I found the following wiki page:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_West,_3rd_Baron_De_La_Warr
This is another annoying reality of Turkish mediocrity cpvered inteigently by Mr. Sassounian.
I repeat loudly your words! Mr. Sassounian.
“The blood feud is in our DNA. The Turks do not know yet, but they will regret bribing greedy ignorant people to deny the Armenian Genocide.”
Why is this issue is so disturbing to Armenians? Dont the Armenians claim that Noah was an Armenian?
So, what is wrong with the Turks claiming that the Native Americans have Turkish blood?
By the way, which Armenian will deny that the Native Americans crossed the Bering Strait thousands of years ago to come to North America? That makes them Siberian Turks. Yakuts.
Ahmet,
It’s all about evidence, how you evaluate the evidence and whether nationalistic attitudes bias ones conclusions. We’re specifically talking about Melungeons here and the evidence is essentially non-existent. I personally don’t care if Melungeons have some Turkish background or not. It’s the behavior of the Turkish government and organizations that’s upsetting. And apparently some Melungeons are upset about it too.
Do you think there is evidence that Melungeons have some Turkish heritage?
As for crossing the Bering Straight, the most recent crossing is supposed to have happened around 12,000 years ago. Were there Yakuts there at the time? I think you’re making assumptions here. Turkic people are not the only groups living in North Asia. I think it’s dangerous to take the current existing peoples in a given geographic are and project them back 12-20,000 years.
Besides, Noah is a mythical figure and according to legend, one of descendants named Hayk is supposed to be the founder of the Armenian people (again according to myth). I don’t believe this means Noah was Armenian. Georgians themselves have the myth where they’re descendants of another of Noahs grandsons.
But we’re talking about real people; Melungeons and 16th century Turkish sailors. And there does not appear to be any connection between the two.
Niagara – Nayek Ara (the first one who saw it was amazed)
Delaware – De lav Ara (Ok Ara)
Tennessee – Tan esi (they decided to call it their new home)
Kentucky – Kent (ronakan) Aygi – (Central Park) bacause of forests there,
1.Alabama – Al in Armenian means “rosy” apaga means “future”. So-bright future!
2.Alabama- AR Obama. Which means-Obama is Armenian!
hilarious AR.
Delaware is the best.
AR.. oh my goodness.. I laughed soooooooooo hard.. you are absolutely hillarious.. I LOVED YOUR POST…lol
What about Bruce Lee, Mikey Mouse, Charlie Chaplin or Helen of Troy? Are they turks too?
Turkish claims that everything and every tribe on earth belongs to them finaly proves that their genes are dominantly ARmenian. The only difference is that they do it conciously. But we do it unconciously.
It is much more likely, based on recent DNA studies, that most (84%) residents of Turkey, aka, ‘Turks’, share a significant portion of their genetic makeup with Armenians. This means that at their fundamental base, they aren’t really Turks at all. Real Turks live in Turkestan. The people of Turkey, after a thousand years of blending with the true natives, the Armenians, are so dliuted and devoid of anything central Asian that they are, in effect, Armenians more than anything else. That’s what the real science shows.
I am of Melungeon descent. And I have 16% Turk/Persia DNA. I also have a genetic match who is Armenian descent. The match’s home place was Harput, Turkey. An Armenian village before the Genocide. My ancestors were from Virginia. There is some connection here.
My family has lived in the Southern Highlands of North Georgia and the Western Carolinas for over 200 years, having Anglo-Saxon names, and traditions of being part Cherokee. Many ancestors came south from Virginia and the Carolinas for land after the Revolutionary War in the late 1700’s. To our great surprise we had 3 to 6% Middle Eastern DNA which FTDNA classifies as originating from Asia Minor in what is now Turkey, with the rest of our DNA European, primarily British, Scandinavian and Southern European. My uncle has a very small amount of Native American DNA, less than 2%, and my paternal side also has West and South Asian according to FTDNA.
Richard Thornton, author of The Forgotten History of North Georgia, has told me he believes there were colonies of Christian Turks or Armenians in the Southern Highlands. I would appreciate any help in locating documentation for such a colony.
In the meantime, our next best explanation for the unusual DNA is the story about Turks or Armenians being dropped off on the coast of the Carolinas, or from remnants of Sephardic gold miners in North Georgia. My sister has a small amount of Jewish DNA, and we all have small amounts of Eastern European DNA, possibly from German lines.
My family has always been known as Melungeons. Per DNA results I have significant Asia minor DNA. I have the Analonial knot along with the Asian Crain ridge on the back of my head. Also with my research of genealogy on the lds website I have lots of family members from that area and even am a direct descendant of a Byzantine King. Growing up in Appalachian south most of us knew we had different DNA but our voices are never heard because the leaders of the South are usually descendants from people of English slums or poor subsistent Scottish farmers. To them we had to be descendants from whites and blacks.Turkwy is right their descendants did make a great contribution to American society.
They were Berbers. This is why your dna test even proves that they were of subsaharan African descent. 16th century North Africans had some genetic connections with the peoples of the sahara. Read this if you don’t believe me; http://www.nawawi.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/roots_of_islam_p1.pdf
40.000 years ago. The Turk Khazak blood is everywhere.
Watch National Geographic about Asia and
The Turk Niyazof who life In Khazastan.
Many Europeans Asians and Native Americans have a Turkish bloodline.
It’s hard for you guys I know. But it’s a DNA proofs.
Turks live in a area from Sibiria to Hungary. We say history about this.
The article is unbelievable to read. I am a puertorrican with the Melongeoun bump. My mother’s Ancestry happens to have Turkey area DNA. These people are not only in the mountains of the USA. Actually, there are studies that reveal they got there from the Caribbean. Civilization was born in the Mesopotamia area of the world. Why are you so upset? You think you have the mainhold on history? Do you know anything about migration and its patterns?