In the wonderful book THE EDUCATION OF LITTLE TREE about the life of a boy in the Appalachian region during the 1930s, the title of Chapter 5 is "I kin ye, Bonnie Bee."
Though most of us associate the word "kin" with family ties, as in "kinfolk," there is another meaning that is explained in THE EDUCATION OF LITTLE TREE.
The word kin, as used in previous eras of the Appalachian culture, can also mean "to understand" others as part of human relationships, including family relationships.
Understanding the many factors involved in the upcoming West Virginia and Kentucky Democratic primaries may involve more than some people realize.
For many decades, people of the Appalachian region, including West Virginia and Kentucky, have experienced poverty, limited educational resources, lack or absence of professional health care, problems with self-image and repression by economic powers-that-be, most notably the coal mine operators.
It has often been correctly pointed out that most of the disadvantaged people and children living in poverty in America are actually white, though we might frequently associate disadvantaged circumstances with Native American Indians, African-Americans, Mexican-Americans or ethnic groups.
For Obama to kin the people of the Appalachian region, and for them to kin him, it seems as though a look at some old and more recent cultural history could be helpful.
HISTORY OF THE MOUNTAINS
Having been born and raised in the Cincinnati, Ohio, area, and attended college in the southeastern Appalachian Ohio region, I am somewhat familiar with the culture and demographics of both Kentucky and West Virginia.
For those people unfamiliar with the region, Cincinnati sits on the Ohio River in the far southwest corner of the state, bordering both Indiana and Kentucky.
In fact, the area of northern Kentucky just across the river is considered part of metro Cincinnati. The Cincinnati international airport is actually in Kentucky.
About halfway across southern Ohio and along the Ohio River to the east, West Virginia is the southern neighbor to Ohioans.
Southeastern Ohio is part of the Appalachian region, both geographically and culturally.
The foothills of the part of western side of the Appalachian mountain range start there in southeastern Ohio. The people speak with a moutain accent. Coal mining and old-timey traditional (pre-Bluegrass) mountain music is common.
Like many Kentuckians and other Appalachians, my great grandfather migrated to Cincinnati from Kentucky. Other relatives stayed in the hills of Kentucky.
Undoubtedly, like many other Americans who came from England, Wales, Scotland and elsewhere to the American colonies in the 1600s and 1700s, and later to the new nation after the American Revolution, my ancestors probably landed in Virginia and slowly moved across the Appalachian mountains, through West Virginia to Kentucky.
As part of that migration, in some cases over decades and across generations, these Scottish, Welsh and other settlers and pioneers met the Cherokee people whose homeland for at least a thousand years had been the Appalachian mountain region.
There was a significant amount of intermarriage between these pioneers and explorers with the Cherokee during the 1700s.
By the time of the forced removal of the remaining Cherokee nation in 1839 on the infamous "Trail of Tears," (triggered in large part by the people of Georgia) there were already several generations of mixed-ethnicity Scottish-Cherokee, Welsh-Cherokee and similar families.
Although African-American slaves were introduced into this region, generally the huge plantations and much of the culture of the old South were not present throughout the Appalachian mountain area.
A few of the wealthy mixed-ethnicity Cherokees did own slaves, though according to historical reports, the Africans were treated more like family. Some of these slaves accompanied the Cherokee on the Trail of Tears.
Today, many people in West Virginia, Kentucky, Ohio and throughout the United States have Cherokee DNA in their family trees as a result.
During the Civil War, both West Virginia and Kentucky were "border states," officially siding with neither the North nor South.
In many cases, families and neighbors were split on this, some supporting and fighting for either side.
According to tales in my family, some of my grandfather's relatives in Kentucky fought for the North, some for the South.
RELEVENCE NOW
And what does this have to do with Obama and the direction our nation and society is heading in?
One element is that West Virginia and Kentucky have a long history of ethnic diversity and blending as demonstrated by those with Cherokee in their family trees.
When they, and we, take a look at this, the idea of being able to "kin" a guy like Obama whose mom was a Dunham from Kansas and whose dad was from Kenya, Africa, is not as difficult as it might seem.
Those who are pandering to "less-educated whites" and implying that this group is intolerant and ethnically identify only as "white" may be in error. Many in the Appalachian region and elsewhere in the U.S. are proud of any Cherokee or other Native American Indian bloodlines.
In fact, we really don't know the complete ethnic background of Obama. His mom's side of the family reportedly has roots back to the pre-Civil War eras and possibly further back in American history. Obama's "white" side of the family might be more diverse than we think.
Apart from the issue of voters getting past the issue of Obama's African dad, it should be clear that disadvantaged people of all ethnic groups and geographic roots have much in common. Educational and economic opportunities have often been out of reach for people who are white, black, brown and red ... and the various mixtures of those ethnicities.
Though some people may think of West Virginians and Kentuckians as "hillbillies," undereducated and backward, there is a type of wisdom in the culture of this region.
And this takes us back to THE EDUCATION OF LITTLE TREE, published in 1976, and written by a man who used the name "Forrest Carter" but whose real name was Asa Earl Carter, a former speechwriter for Alabama governor George Wallace, and reportedly a man with connections to the KKK.
This also takes us to other related recent developments of interest: Oprah Winfrey removing the "Little Tree" book from her book list and the Oklahoma Cherokee Nation holding an election to disenfranchise black "Freedmen" from tribal membership.
For further exploration of Oprah's position and deeper aspects about "Little Tree," readers can visit my article "Oprah bumps book 'Education of Little Tree' from list; readers can explore many factors involved".
I also took a look at the Cherokee Nation election in "Who is a Cherokee? Many Americans have Indians in the family tree".
The elements looked at in these articles might provide food for thought about who we are as Americans, where we have been and where we are going.
The upcoming election has been rightly called one of the most important in recent times. It is requiring us to look deep within ourselves and to search our hearts and minds.
When we also search our history, going back to the days of Daniel Boone, the American Revolution, the ancient Cherokee homeland and other rich aspects of the culture of the Appalachian region of West Virginia and Kentucky, we may discover that we can "kin" each other and move forward to a much brighter future.
NOTE TO READERS: Those who enjoyed this article may be interested in my piece "Mixed-ethnicity Americans face challenges". Also, please visit the Joint Recon Study Group site and look around. You can read my novels online by clicking these links for MISSION INTO LIGHT and the sequel LIGHT'S HAND.
Though most of us associate the word "kin" with family ties, as in "kinfolk," there is another meaning that is explained in THE EDUCATION OF LITTLE TREE.
The word kin, as used in previous eras of the Appalachian culture, can also mean "to understand" others as part of human relationships, including family relationships.
Understanding the many factors involved in the upcoming West Virginia and Kentucky Democratic primaries may involve more than some people realize.
For many decades, people of the Appalachian region, including West Virginia and Kentucky, have experienced poverty, limited educational resources, lack or absence of professional health care, problems with self-image and repression by economic powers-that-be, most notably the coal mine operators.
It has often been correctly pointed out that most of the disadvantaged people and children living in poverty in America are actually white, though we might frequently associate disadvantaged circumstances with Native American Indians, African-Americans, Mexican-Americans or ethnic groups.
For Obama to kin the people of the Appalachian region, and for them to kin him, it seems as though a look at some old and more recent cultural history could be helpful.
HISTORY OF THE MOUNTAINS
Having been born and raised in the Cincinnati, Ohio, area, and attended college in the southeastern Appalachian Ohio region, I am somewhat familiar with the culture and demographics of both Kentucky and West Virginia.
For those people unfamiliar with the region, Cincinnati sits on the Ohio River in the far southwest corner of the state, bordering both Indiana and Kentucky.
In fact, the area of northern Kentucky just across the river is considered part of metro Cincinnati. The Cincinnati international airport is actually in Kentucky.
About halfway across southern Ohio and along the Ohio River to the east, West Virginia is the southern neighbor to Ohioans.
Southeastern Ohio is part of the Appalachian region, both geographically and culturally.
The foothills of the part of western side of the Appalachian mountain range start there in southeastern Ohio. The people speak with a moutain accent. Coal mining and old-timey traditional (pre-Bluegrass) mountain music is common.
Like many Kentuckians and other Appalachians, my great grandfather migrated to Cincinnati from Kentucky. Other relatives stayed in the hills of Kentucky.
Undoubtedly, like many other Americans who came from England, Wales, Scotland and elsewhere to the American colonies in the 1600s and 1700s, and later to the new nation after the American Revolution, my ancestors probably landed in Virginia and slowly moved across the Appalachian mountains, through West Virginia to Kentucky.
As part of that migration, in some cases over decades and across generations, these Scottish, Welsh and other settlers and pioneers met the Cherokee people whose homeland for at least a thousand years had been the Appalachian mountain region.
There was a significant amount of intermarriage between these pioneers and explorers with the Cherokee during the 1700s.
By the time of the forced removal of the remaining Cherokee nation in 1839 on the infamous "Trail of Tears," (triggered in large part by the people of Georgia) there were already several generations of mixed-ethnicity Scottish-Cherokee, Welsh-Cherokee and similar families.
Although African-American slaves were introduced into this region, generally the huge plantations and much of the culture of the old South were not present throughout the Appalachian mountain area.
A few of the wealthy mixed-ethnicity Cherokees did own slaves, though according to historical reports, the Africans were treated more like family. Some of these slaves accompanied the Cherokee on the Trail of Tears.
Today, many people in West Virginia, Kentucky, Ohio and throughout the United States have Cherokee DNA in their family trees as a result.
During the Civil War, both West Virginia and Kentucky were "border states," officially siding with neither the North nor South.
In many cases, families and neighbors were split on this, some supporting and fighting for either side.
According to tales in my family, some of my grandfather's relatives in Kentucky fought for the North, some for the South.
RELEVENCE NOW
And what does this have to do with Obama and the direction our nation and society is heading in?
One element is that West Virginia and Kentucky have a long history of ethnic diversity and blending as demonstrated by those with Cherokee in their family trees.
When they, and we, take a look at this, the idea of being able to "kin" a guy like Obama whose mom was a Dunham from Kansas and whose dad was from Kenya, Africa, is not as difficult as it might seem.
Those who are pandering to "less-educated whites" and implying that this group is intolerant and ethnically identify only as "white" may be in error. Many in the Appalachian region and elsewhere in the U.S. are proud of any Cherokee or other Native American Indian bloodlines.
In fact, we really don't know the complete ethnic background of Obama. His mom's side of the family reportedly has roots back to the pre-Civil War eras and possibly further back in American history. Obama's "white" side of the family might be more diverse than we think.
Apart from the issue of voters getting past the issue of Obama's African dad, it should be clear that disadvantaged people of all ethnic groups and geographic roots have much in common. Educational and economic opportunities have often been out of reach for people who are white, black, brown and red ... and the various mixtures of those ethnicities.
Though some people may think of West Virginians and Kentuckians as "hillbillies," undereducated and backward, there is a type of wisdom in the culture of this region.
And this takes us back to THE EDUCATION OF LITTLE TREE, published in 1976, and written by a man who used the name "Forrest Carter" but whose real name was Asa Earl Carter, a former speechwriter for Alabama governor George Wallace, and reportedly a man with connections to the KKK.
This also takes us to other related recent developments of interest: Oprah Winfrey removing the "Little Tree" book from her book list and the Oklahoma Cherokee Nation holding an election to disenfranchise black "Freedmen" from tribal membership.
For further exploration of Oprah's position and deeper aspects about "Little Tree," readers can visit my article "Oprah bumps book 'Education of Little Tree' from list; readers can explore many factors involved".
I also took a look at the Cherokee Nation election in "Who is a Cherokee? Many Americans have Indians in the family tree".
The elements looked at in these articles might provide food for thought about who we are as Americans, where we have been and where we are going.
The upcoming election has been rightly called one of the most important in recent times. It is requiring us to look deep within ourselves and to search our hearts and minds.
When we also search our history, going back to the days of Daniel Boone, the American Revolution, the ancient Cherokee homeland and other rich aspects of the culture of the Appalachian region of West Virginia and Kentucky, we may discover that we can "kin" each other and move forward to a much brighter future.
NOTE TO READERS: Those who enjoyed this article may be interested in my piece "Mixed-ethnicity Americans face challenges". Also, please visit the Joint Recon Study Group site and look around. You can read my novels online by clicking these links for MISSION INTO LIGHT and the sequel LIGHT'S HAND.
