Sex, Race, and Family Trees

I read an interesting article that stated ONLY 1 in 20 African Americans actually had Native American Ancestry and what we mistook as Native American Ancestry is actually European Ancestry.

So - to my fellow black folks who thought that they were descendants of any Native American tribes, ya'll are actually descendants of the Spanish, French, Dutch, and British Tribes.

During slavery times, fugitive slaves were often returned to their masters by bounty hunting Native Americans. As a matter of fact, the colonies implemented policies that rewarded Native Americans with guns, land, and cattle if they returned a significant amount of runaway slaves, dead or alive.

Native Americans weren't going to risk their land and freedom by protecting black folks. They had already lost so much from the Trail of Tears journey and the mass extermination of the Buffalo, so they were willing to do just about anything to get their shit back or recoup what was lost. According to researchers and historians, substantial social contact ONLY occurred in the early colonial era (circa 1619) where settlers enslaved Native Americans and Africans together, and then between the Revolution and Civil War where a small amount of black slaves were owned by the 5 civilized tribes.

So my question is, who started the myth about blacks and native Americans race mixing? I guess Chris Rock said it best; "It's easier to say you have Native American Blood than to say your ancestors got raped by master a few times"!

I guess that question shouldn't matter to me because I know who I'm a descendant of. My documented European ancestor's name was Baptiste Becquette. The French and Spanish governments ruled parts of Missouri before the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. Both the French and Spanish governors provided land grants to the early settlers, and Baptiste was one of those early settlers who were granted land circa (1799).

I don't know anything about the early Becquettes, but I do know that they settled in the St. Genevieve MO area in the late 1700's and my Nana is from St. Genevieve and had that last name up until she got married to a Jones in the 1920's.

I think tracing your family roots is fascinating. We should all do it!

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