Brass Ankles
| Total population |
|---|
| Unknown |
| Regions with significant populations |
| Orangeburg County and surrounding counties, eastern United States |
| Languages |
| Religion |
|
Predominantly Baptist |
| Related ethnic groups |
|
Melungeon, Lumbee Indians, African American, Beaver Creek Indians, whites |
The Brass Ankles of South Carolina were a "tri-racial isolate" group that lived in the area of Orangeburg, Berkeley, and Charleston counties in South Carolina in the 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries. They had a combination of African, European, and Native American ancestry.
Although the individuals were of mixed ancestry, state records, such as death certificates, required classification as one race. The segregated states of the South forced people into the categories of white and black after the American Civil War; as in earlier times, this discounted and denied people's own identification as Native American or mixed race. Less frequently they were classified as Croatan. For some time, the federal census classified classified people of the group as mulatto, but this category was dropped in 1930. Their surnames included Jackson, Chavis, Bunch, Driggers, Sweat, Williams, Russell, and Goins, some of which have been represented in other mixed-race groups, such as the Melungeons in Kentucky and Tennessee. Over time, people of mixed race identified with and married more frequently into one or another group, becoming part of the white, black or the Beaver Creek Indians community, for instance.
Numerous people of mixed race have lived in a section of Orangeburg County near Holly Hill, called Crane Pond. The term "brass ankles" generally has been considered derogatory, as it was applied to those of mixed ancestry who were accused of "passing" as white, even if they had more white ancestry than black.[1] The Crane Pond community still exists. Reflecting their diverse ancestry, there are many local stories about the origins of these people.
Some people formerly identified as "brass ankles" are members of Native American tribes officially recognized by the state of South Carolina in 2005. Because for several decades census surveys had no classification for Indians, such individuals were often classified as mulatto, and after 1930, as black or "other races."[1]
[edit] References
- ^ a b Bo Petersen, "Local tribe reclaims its roots, heritage", 17 April 2005, accessed 14 December 2011
[edit] External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Brass Ankles |
- Mestee Groups of the South, Black Dutch blog
- "Adventures in the Gene Pool", The Wilson Quarterly, 1 January 2003, at Goliath Website
