Wednesday, July 19, 2006

My Ancestors


I apologize for the glaring flash in the center of the photo, someone needs to cough up some dough for a scanner. The woman in the rocking chair is my Cherokee great-great grandmother. Her husband, a Scottish farmer, stands behind at their farmhouse in northern Oklahoma. Please tell me all those people didn't live in that tiny shack, packed in like clowns in a VW Bug. I guess having a black dog is part of my heritage. But my question is, why didn't any of that dominant gene Injun skin trickle down so that I might have just a pinch of melanin in my otherwise Anglo body? Even grandpappy is pretty dark.

Anyone out there know period costume well enough to say what year that is?


4 comments:

Huckleberry said...

1860-1910 I'd say...fashions were relatively static and wonderfully utilitarian in those days.
As for the skin tone, I wonder as well. I'm bloody half-mexican/apache, yet I'm as white and pale as non-fat milk.
100W light bulbs could give me a sunburn.

jt castleton said...

need i say something to represent the irish?

kissyface said...

jt - you mean in regards to the milky whiteness, which is indeed where mine originates? (tho' personally i'm more interested in the outcome of your sorority weekend.) speak man, speak.

huck - fashion seems to be in stasis in the country generally. utilitarian yess, sometimes even more beautiful and elegant than our clothing today. but those button up collars? no thank you. i could definitely get into some Edwardian costume, but not the Victorian holdovers.

POTASH said...

lol... to many degrees of melanine-priviledge to aspire for, but all nature will allow you is a half descent sun tan.