General Abizaid

[Anthony Grant]

As far as I know, he's just a Christian Arab.  I've never heard Lakota ancestry claimed for him in the British press, who would be sure to pick up on such a thing for its 'novelty' value.  (I recall that much was made in the UK press of George Mitchell's largely Lebanese ancestry during the Ulster peace talks, and again because it was a 'novelty'.)  Most Brits know nothing of the historical demographics of the 'Rustbelt' and are completely unaware that there are any Arab Americans apart from Jamie Farr.  

But if anyone else knows differently aboput Gneeral Abizaid, I'll be happy to be corrected.  

(As an aside, novelist and academic Paula Gunn Allen has Native - Laguna Keresan - and Lebanese ancestry, and I think I read somewhere that she grew up speaking all these plus German and English.)

Anthony

>>> shokoohbanou at yahoo.co.uk 03/08/06 7:46 pm >>>
On a non-linguistic Siouan question, does anyone know
whether General John Abizaid, one of the senior
commanders of American forces in Iraq is a Lakota? 
There are two families among the Lakotas with Arab
names. One is Abdella and the other Abizaid.  I was
told these names went back to "Syrian"  forefathers
who had married into the tribe.  'Syrian' at that
period, I suppose 19th Century, would probably mean
Lebanese and probably Arab Christians who had come
maybe via the French in Canada.

Bruce


		
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