Documenting My Yésah Ancestry in Amá̡:inausí̡ka:

Photo of Saponi people at the Haliwa-Saponi Pow Wow. Link: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/488499890806469531/

Introduction:

I’d like to begin this article by introducing myself in my native language, Yesa:sahį, and sharing some information about my background and personal history.

Me:ku Jala Simpa Wįkilá:kewa mįyątipi:wa mįgikohane:se Lenapehoking amą:i Munsee Lenape, watíwa Mima Yésah Occoneechee Saponi nigás asé:pi hahé Yesanechi bīwa Hena Amai.

My name is Jala Simpa, and I use Simpa as my last name in social settings to honor my African ancestors who were brought to Turtle Island (now known as the Americas) during the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade. I have written a genealogical article about their stories, which is attached to my Medium profile, titled “Genealogy of the African Simpa Family of Edgefield, South Carolina.” I am an Afro-Indigenous Yesą woman of Merina Malagasy, Yoruba, and Edo descent from my African ancestors. There’s plenty of other tribes/ethnic groups I descend from on the Motherland but due to poor record keeping and the effects of colonization, it is hard to pinpoint which exact ones. I belong to the Yesah people, a citizen of the Occoneechee Virginia tribal community, and I am apart of the Saponi Ohio community. Additionally, I have Native American…