Was Heath Ledger part Samoan/Pacific Islander?

[B_henry miller]

Watching a program about him just now, I notice his amazing cheek bones. They seem to be that of a Samoan or Pacific Islander. I could be wrong in this assumption, but I wonder if he had maybe a very small percentage of Samoan/Maori/Pacific Islander heritage. Most white Americans are part Native American and Black, so it shouldn't be too odd to consider that most white Australians are part Aboriginal/Samoan/Maori/Pacific Islander, etc.

 

[slate_australis]

No, most Australians do not have islander/indigenous blood.

I don't believe Ledger did either.

People often note my bone strcuture, I do have some aboriginal blood a long way back, but that comes from my mothers side who are so anglo it's not funny.

 

[B_henry miller]

Confusing response. You both deny and then confirm (using yourself as evidence) what I suggest.

 

[slate_australis]

Sorry I did confuse it.

My bone structure comes from my mother's side which is very anglo, not the aboriginal on my father's side. From what I know, Ledger's background is very anglo, so I doubt any islander blood.

 

[hotbtminla]

Most white Americans are part Native American and Black...

Really? I didn't know that.

 

[B_henry miller]

You really didn't know that? Yeah. Most white Americans have at least a very, very, very small degree of African ancestry and Indian/Native American ancestry. And vice versa.

 

[Principessa]

You really didn't know that? Yeah. Most white Americans have at least a very, very, very small degree of African ancestry and Indian/Native American ancestry. And vice versa.

Sorry, but you are so wrong I don't even know where to begin. Where on earth did you get such convoluted information?! I dare not call them facts and lend them further crededence.

The truth is that many though not all black Americans contain small quantities of white and Native American ancestry. It is not the other way around because blacks were slaves and thus were not allowed a choice in whom they slept with when it came to other races. :duh:

 

[Ed69]

Wow! njqt my maternal grand mother two generations back was BlackFoot can you see it in my photo?Bet you can't.

 

[bmw335]

Henry, did you mean to say "most americans are either part black OR native american in there background?

I'm a half breed half -- native american and half scottish with a bit of irish/german on my dad's side. My mom's parents both were native american.

 

[IntoxicatingToxin]

I have Native American (Cherokee) in my blood as well. My great great grandmother was full blooded. Lived on a reservation and everything when she was a child.

 

[Meniscus]

You really didn't know that? Yeah. Most white Americans have at least a very, very, very small degree of African ancestry and Indian/Native American ancestry. And vice versa.

Sorry, but I agree with njqt. Although whites have been in North America for about 400 years, many (most?) white Americans are the descendants of immigrants who came to the United States from Europe in the late 19th & early 20th centuries. Although some people can trace their ancestry back further (e.g., to the American Revolution, or even back to the early colonies), racial intermarriage was extremely uncommon then. (It's not even that common now.) Certainly white men made babies with non-white women, but most of those children would have been raised by their mothers and would most likely married another black or Native American. Hence, as njqt said, many blacks have a small amount of white ancestry, but not the other way around.

You could probably say the same for Australia. Whites have only been on that continent for a few generations, and racial intermarriage is probably just as uncommon there, if not more so.

Certainly some white Americans have some non-white ancestry. I do know a few white people who claim to have a Cherokee grandmother or great-grandmother. (Why is it always Cherokee and not any other tribe? Did a lot of Cherokee women marry white guys in the late 19th & early 20th centuries?) My mother's cousin married a black woman, although I don't know if they had children. (He does have children with his second wife, but she's white.)

Also, I should say that the situation in Central and South America is different. It's my understanding that intermarriage between the colonists and the indigenous population was common, so few Latin Americans are purely of Spanish/Portuguese heritage; most have some Native American ancestry.

 

[9incharkansasdick]

This is an odd topic for this website, but since it is here and I have been doing some geneology work for my family, I'll share with you all what I have discovered.

I am of German, Scottish, Irish, Eglish, French, Native (Cherokee and Choctaw), AND African. In my findings, I decided to run a search on my family tree for famous people. My (12) great grandfather was one of the first Pilgrims, John Alden. Also listed in my lineage are Queen Elizabeth II, Bill Clinton, George Bush 1&2, AND Booker T. Washington. I am not going to try to explain why he is there and why a queen is there, they just are. I can not help what my ancestors did, all I can do is help what I do.

If you really want to know your heritage, I suggest doing a DNA test. It will tell you everything you are.

 

[JanumSaleem]

you're right. while many african americans have white and native american ancestry, it s entirely untrue to assert that "most" white americans have black and native ancestry. in fact, "most" white americans have 100% european ancestry. the percentage of white americans with native american and back ancestry is much, much smaller. I, however, do have back and native american ancestry, which puts me in them minority of white americans.

 

[B_henry miller]

Your argument makes no sense whatsoever. Like the first person to respond to this thread, you confirm and yet deny what I say.

If many black people have a small degree of European/white ancestry, it is because their ancestors at some point slept with white people. Then it goes both ways. For every black person whose ancestor slept with a white person, there is a white person whose ancestor slept with a black person; those white people are the ancestors of white people. Thus, for every black person who has a white ancestor, there is a white person who has a black ancestor.

And the fact that many white Americans have Indian/Native American ancestors is too commonly known to necessitate an argument.

Sorry, but you are so wrong I don't even know where to begin. Where on earth did you get such convoluted information?! I dare not call them facts and lend them further crededence.

The truth is that many though not all black Americans contain small quantities of white and Native American ancestry. It is not the other way around because blacks were slaves and thus were not allowed a choice in whom they slept with when it came to other races. :duh:

 

[B_henry miller]

I believe the consensus is that most Americans who pass as "white" in fact have BOTH black and Indian ancestry. (Let's not even open the can of worms about who is really "white." There was a time when Irish weren't considered white because the Celtics were considered less than the Anglos, and the Italians weren't considered white because many of them were from the south of Italy and were dark skinned, spoke a different language, and had a different religion. The concept of "white" is ultimately an illusion.)

Henry, did you mean to say "most americans are either part black OR native american in there background?

I'm a half breed half -- native american and half scottish with a bit of irish/german on my dad's side. My mom's parents both were native american.

 

[dong20]

I believe the consensus is that most Americans who pass as "white" in fact have BOTH black and Indian ancestry.

A casual reading of this thread alone would question the basis of the conclusion.

 

[B_henry miller]

I have Native American (Cherokee) in my blood as well. My great great grandmother was full blooded. Lived on a reservation and everything when she was a child.

By the way, just a heads-up. Most people who are legally classified as Indian, either 1/4, 1/2, etc., and legally registered with a tribe, hate it when people who are "white" say they are part Indian. They go ballistic. I had to learn this lesson the hard way. I once met a full-blooded Blackfoot man and very innocently told him I was part Indian. He looked at me and said, "Well, all that means is that one of your ancestors probably raped an Indian woman." I thought that was so fuckin' offensive. I said, "Or one of my ancestors was raped."

I think this is where njqt is coming from. I'd never seen this before, but there are probably some black people who would be offended by the idea of "white" people saying they're part black.

Okay, to lighten the mood....

YouTube - My Black Son (Family Guy Music Video)

YouTube - DWB Driving while black

 

[B_henry miller]

Actually, if we're going to get technical, many scientists believe that ALL HUMAN BEINGS have African ancestry and in fact originated in Africa.
Recent African origin of modern humans - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sorry, but I agree with njqt. Although whites have been in North America for about 400 years, many (most?) white Americans are the descendants of immigrants who came to the United States from Europe in the late 19th & early 20th centuries. Although some people can trace their ancestry back further (e.g., to the American Revolution, or even back to the early colonies), racial intermarriage was extremely uncommon then. (It's not even that common now.) Certainly white men made babies with non-white women, but most of those children would have been raised by their mothers and would most likely married another black or Native American. Hence, as njqt said, many blacks have a small amount of white ancestry, but not the other way around.

You could probably say the same for Australia. Whites have only been on that continent for a few generations, and racial intermarriage is probably just as uncommon there, if not more so.

Certainly some white Americans have some non-white ancestry. I do know a few white people who claim to have a Cherokee grandmother or great-grandmother. (Why is it always Cherokee and not any other tribe? Did a lot of Cherokee women marry white guys in the late 19th & early 20th centuries?) My mother's cousin married a black woman, although I don't know if they had children. (He does have children with his second wife, but she's white.)

Also, I should say that the situation in Central and South America is different. It's my understanding that intermarriage between the colonists and the indigenous population was common, so few Latin Americans are purely of Spanish/Portuguese heritage; most have some Native American ancestry.

 

[B_henry miller]

I read somewhere that most people have royalty in their background if they trace their lineage far enough.

This is an odd topic for this website, but since it is here and I have been doing some geneology work for my family, I'll share with you all what I have discovered.

I am of German, Scottish, Irish, Eglish, French, Native (Cherokee and Choctaw), AND African. In my findings, I decided to run a search on my family tree for famous people. My (12) great grandfather was one of the first Pilgrims, John Alden. Also listed in my lineage are Queen Elizabeth II, Bill Clinton, George Bush 1&2, AND Booker T. Washington. I am not going to try to explain why he is there and why a queen is there, they just are. I can not help what my ancestors did, all I can do is help what I do.

If you really want to know your heritage, I suggest doing a DNA test. It will tell you everything you are.

 

[B_henry miller]

Another confusing response. Simultaneously acknowledging and yet denying what I say.

you're right. while many african americans have white and native american ancestry, it s entirely untrue to assert that "most" white americans have black and native ancestry. in fact, "most" white americans have 100% european ancestry. the percentage of white americans with native american and back ancestry is much, much smaller. I, however, do have back and native american ancestry, which puts me in them minority of white americans.