To GHARDAGE, and the list: I hope I haven't overstepped the rules and common courtesy by replying to the list regarding the Creek/Anatolian knot. I was asked if I could explain the Creek/Anatolian knot. I am NO expert, but have studied Indian and Melungeon peoples for about l0 years. I believe that there are certain common characteristics in both groups. Melungeons are mixed-race people which includes Indian blood along with white, black, Gypsy, Sephardic Jews, etc. The Melungeons were/are found in Appalachia and through time, some descendants moved into the Southern foothills and elsewhere. I think that many people in the South have Indian and/or Melungeon ancestry, with most having no idea of their backgrounds. I have transcribed verbatim the following information from Nancy Sparks Morrison. She is host of the Melungeon Topica site, and also has references to several other noteworthy sites listed below. I give credit solely to Nancy, not me. www.geocities.com/mikenassau/definition.htm www.sparksgenealogy.com/melungeon.html www.melungeonhealth.org/info.html I apologize for the blank picture showing shovel teeth, but it would not print. Refer to the last site above and it will show you the correct picture. Shovel teeth are just that--flat on the front like the back of a shovel, with a deep curve like a spoon on the backside. The last several paragraphs point out similarities between Melungeons and Turkish (Anatolian) people. Again, I hope I have not offended anyone. Thank you. Carolyn Funderburk bamagal50@ec.rr.com MELUNGEON PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS: There are some physiological characteristics which are called ethnic markers, that seem to be passed on through the lines of some Melungeon descendants. There is a bump on the back of the HEAD of SOME descendants, that is located at mid-line, just ABOVE the juncture with the neck. It is about the size and shape of half a golf ball or smaller. This is called an ANATOLIAN BUMP, and indicates ancestry from the Anatolian region of Turkey. If you cannot find the bump, check to see if you, like some descendants, including myself, have a ridge, located at the base of the head where it joins the neck, rather than the Anatolian bump. This ridge is an enlargement of the base of the skull, which is called a Central Asian Cranial Ridge. My ridge is quite noticeable. It is larger than anyone else's that I have felt, except my father's. I can lay one finger under it and the ridge is as deep as my finger is thick. Other ridges are smaller. To find a ridge, place your hand at the base of your neck where it joins your shoulders, and on the center line of your spine. Run your fingers straight up your neck toward your head. If you have a ridge, it will stop your fingers from going on up and across your head. ONLY people who live/d in the Anatolian region of Turkey or Central Asia also have this "bump/ridge. " See the following diagram for the site of both the ridge and bump. Back of Head \lllllllllllllllllllllllll/ ears ( ___x___ ) ears x marks the bump's location \valley / the ridge is the line __ shown \ / neck / \__shoulders There is also a ridge on the back of the first four teeth - two front teeth and the ones on either side (upper and lower) of some descendants. If you place your fingernail at the gum line and gently draw (up or down) you can feel it and it makes a slight clicking sound. The back of the teeth also curve outward rather than straight as the descendants of anglo-saxon parentage do. Teeth like these are called Asian Shovel Teeth. Many Indian descendants also have this type of teeth. The back of the first four teeth of Northern European descendants are straight and flat. An example of northern European teeth would be similar to this diagram: [ \l ] Shovel teeth look like this diagram. Back of teeth [ )/ ] front of teeth, straight 10f7119f.jpg SOME Melungeon descendants have what is called an Asian eyefold. This is rather difficult to describe. At the inner corner of the eye, the upper lid attaches slightly lower than the lower lid. That is to say that, it overlaps the bottom lid. If you place your finger just under the inner corner of the eye and gently pull down, a wrinkle will form which makes the fold more visible. Some people call these eyes, "sleepy eyes, dreamy eyes, bedroom eyes." Many Indian descendants also have these kinds of eyes. nose < 0 > ^ place your finger here and draw down gently Some families may have members with fairly dark skin who suffer with vitiligo, a loss of pigmentation, leaving the skin blotched with white patches. Some descendants have had six fingers or toes. There is a family of people in Turkey whose surname translated into English is "Six Fingered Ones." The term for that in Turkiq is "AltI parmak." (pronounced "altah-par-mock) "AltI" ends with the undotted Turkish "i" which is pronounced as "uh." There is a region near Efes (Ephesus) called "AltI Parmak" - many of the people there have historically had six fingers. Some families have even taken the last name of "AltIparmak." If your family has an Indian Grandmother(father) `myth' which you have been unable to prove, an adoption story that is unprovable, or an orphan myth, and they have been hard to trace and they lived in NC, TN, KY, VA, WV areas in the early migration years or if they seem to have moved back and forth in these areas and if they share any of the mentioned surnames and characteristics, you MAY find a connection here. Some descendants do not show the physical characteristics and of course, there are many people with the surnames who are not connected to this group.