I have been intrigued by Ned Heite's research in Native American remnant communities since I read his article "Searching for Invisible Indians".  I think this would be an interesting thread to explore if others are interested.  Otherwise, Ned, I would like to get your opinion privately.  Here in Kentucky, there are several traditions of thought (for lack of a better term) floating around that have not been much studied by professionals and, in some cases, generally discounted.  These include the Melungeons of eastern Kentucky, the tradition of Native American connections among many African-American families, and the assimilation of Cherokees within the south central Kentucky area during the Trail of Tears.  Kentucky underwent considerable Native American population shifts in the 100 years prior to historic settlement (resulting in tribes such as the Shawnee moving north of  the Ohio River, the Cherokee being only on the fringes of southeastern Kentucky and Chickasaw using far western Kentucky primarily as a hunting ground), and the relationship between Native Americans and settlers was consistently advesarial from the get-go.  The settlers also perceived an "empty" central Kentucky when they got here; not exactly an entirely accurate perception since Indians still hunted here and carried out raids against the settlers, but their permanent villages were certainly outside of Kentucky's boundaries or on the fringes by the 1770s.  So one of my questions is, how would one determine or assess the degree to which Native Americans contributed to the settler gene pool through intermarrying, etc. in a place like Kentucky?  I am particularly interested in this question with regard to the tradition that many African-American families have concerning "Indian blood" in their families.  But the Melungeon question has also raised some controversy in the past (many academics tending to discount it generally while its validity remains popular among the general population), and, according to a recent newspaper article which I unfortunately did not save, is being reexamined.  Any reactions or suggestions would be appreciated.
Nancy O'Malley
Department of Anthropology
211 Lafferty Hall
University of Kentucky
Lexington, Ky.  40506
606-257-8208