Aaliyah
Aaliyah in 2001, photo by Prphotos.com
Birth Name: Aaliyah Dana Haughton
Date of Birth: January 16, 1979
Place of Birth: Brooklyn, New York City, New York, U.S.
Date of Death: August 25, 2001
Place of Death: Marsh Harbour, Abaco Islands, Bahamas
Ethnicity: African-Jamaican, African-American, possibly some Native American
Aaliyah was an American R&B singer, actress, dancer, and model. She starred in the films Romeo Must Die and Queen of the Damned. She was also known as Baby Girl.
Her parents, Diane (Hankerson) and Michael Haughton, are both black. The name Aaliyah is from the word Aliyah, which is of Hebrew origin, meaning “highest, most exalted one, the best.” Her uncle is record producer and music manager Barry Hankerson, who founded Blackground Records, and was previously married to singer Gladys Knight. Aaliyah’s brother is writer, director, and screenwriter Rashad Haughton. She was said to be a cousin of Tek-N-Steele, of hip hop duo Smif-N-Wessun. Aaliyah was killed in a private plane crash.
Aaliyah had stated:
When I wake up in the morning I am African-American, and when I go to sleep at night I am African-American, and I can assure you I love who I am…
Her father is of African-Jamaican descent and her mother is of African-American ancestry.
Aaliyah has sometimes been cited as having a Native American grandmother, or as having a grandmother with some Native American ancestry. It is not clear if this ancestry has been verified/documented. A photo of her maternal grandmother Mintis can be seen here.
Aaliyah’s paternal grandfather was Franklin Gresley Reid Haughton (the son of Solomon Ehud Haughton and Lilia Margaret Bell). Franklin was a Jamaican emigrant, from Darliston, Westmoreland. Solomon was the son of Robert Samuel Haughton and Judith Richardson. Lilia was the daughter of Joseph Zebulon Bell and Ester Jemima Walker.
Aaliyah’s paternal grandmother was Gladys Lucille Burton (the daughter of Joseph Francis Cato Burton and Adella Adelaide Allen). Gladys was a Jamaican emigrant, from Bagnold Spring, Saint Mary. Joseph was the son of Francis Cato Burton. Adella was the daughter of Henry Staines Allen and Esther Adelaide Anderson. A picture of Gladys can be seen here.
Aaliyah’s maternal grandfather was Ernest W. Hankerson (the son of Waddy/Woddie Myers and Susie Hankerson). Ernest was born in Bullock, Georgia. Waddy was the son of Henry Myers and Andenia/Hannah/Anna Hankerson. Susie was the daughter of Henry Hankerson and Rachel Peeples.
Aaliyah’s maternal grandmother was Mintis L. Hicks (who possibly was the daughter of Daniel Hicks and Anna Scott). Mintis was born in Barnwell, South Carolina. Anna was the daughter of Sam Scott and Millie.
Sources: Genealogies of Aaliyah – https://www.geni.com
https://www.wikitree.com
Ps. I am 100% purebred Navajo. What’s your paternal and maternal clan…haha
That’s my comment above I just wrote sorry didn’t put a name! I don’t want the other “Anonymous” taking credit for what I just wrote
First your not a real “Native American” unless you have your Certificate of Indian Blood maybe you should look that up before you start talking. It may be just be a piece of paper but at least it something that signifies who you are. This whole “I’m Cherokee” business is a scam, the Cherokees sold or shud I say had their heritage stolen from them. So this in turn leaves many of the so called Cherokee without an identity. I’m tired of people saying that their cherokee then when I asked them if they have their CIB or enrolled in a tribe…no response. And that’s when they ask what that is and what it’s for. For the fellow “native” pleaze: choose your words wisely young one. I don’t where this comment came from “probably livin on a reservation” huh? I grew up on the reservation there’s nothing better than knowing where you came from. It may be impoverished but I’m proud of where I came from and you should be too. It’s a little thing our elders call…Respect. You should watch how you speak because it’s a reflection of yourself. In our Native American culture we are taught to marry within our own race because it could create problems later in the future. Native American and Proud has every right to say what she feels and if she sees the world in black and white let her. What harm has she done to you? We have our own opinions and our own biases it’s just the way life goes.
Don’t you guys see what that native american person did to you? It just wasted your time. Thats how the person gets attention because this was only suppose to be about Aaliyah
Wow…Native American And Proud….you must be soooo ignorant to say that your tired of black people claiming they are indian…for one…African AMERICANs are african AMERICANS because they are not pure Africans…Pure african means that there is no other race in you. After slaves were brought from Africa the blood was no longer pure because of all of the mixing of diff. races, including NATIVE AMERICAN. Oh yeah there goes that word again..AMERICAN..Hmm AFRICAN….AMERICAN…BLACK…INDIAN lol wow…now is isnt that something. Wonder why they decided to call us African AMericans…Beats me…