Indians call the American indigenous population. Today, Indians make up about 1% of the total population of the Earth. A lot of interesting cultural and historical issues are connected with them. One of the ordinary, but fascinating topics - is the beard growing among the Indians?
The concept of race
A race is a large group of people that has formed historically. Representatives of the same race are united by a common geographical location, as well as biological features that appear externally. Some external features are manifested under prolonged exposure to the environment.
Scientists agree on the existence of three basic races: Caucasian, Mongoloid, and Negroid. But they also have subtypes of their own. Indians belong to the American race.
Hairline is one of the most important racial characteristics along with skin color, the shape of the nose, eyes, lips, etc. Specialists distinguish three types of hairline: primary, secondary and tertiary. Primary appears before the birth of the baby. Then, just before birth, a baby or secondary hairline is formed. When it comes to vegetation on the face and body, this refers to the tertiary hairline that occurs in adolescence.
Tertiary hairline is used in anthropological studies. They give an idea of all the components of human life in the past.Based on the multitude of information received, it is possible to understand the origin of people, their development, culture and so on. This sign is correlated only with men.
There is even a point system that allows you to evaluate the development of hairline. It starts from 1 (very weak development) and ends with 5 (very strong). The Indians are really characterized by the almost complete absence of facial hair at the level of 1-2 points. But this does not mean that their mustache and beard do not grow at all.
Why don't the Indians have a beard?
The weak manifestation of tertiary hairline in Indians is most likely due to their habitat. They also have dark skin and a straight nose. The eyes are narrowed, but wider than the Asians. By the way, the peoples of Asia (representatives of the Mongoloid race) also have a weak hairline.
The main version of the lack of a beard, as well as the presence of other racial attributes - adaptability to climatic conditions. High temperature, aridity of territories, frequent winds - all these conditions do not require facial hair. Thus, the Indians are not genetically predisposed to it.
Interesting fact: in spite of the fact that the Indians seem to be shaven, the hair on their heads always had a special meaning for them. Each tribe had its own traditions. Someone shaved off almost all of their hair, leaving one long strand, someone braided them in small braids. But most Indians wore long hair, often loose. Hairstyle for them served as a symbol of militancy and freedom.
Genes are not the only reason. The fact is that, according to their ancient traditions, the Indians preferred to get rid of facial hair. However, they did not shave their mustaches and beards, but plucked them. In the past, improvised means were used for this - shells, with two flaps of which the hairs were pulled off and pulled out.
This procedure was started from adolescence, as soon as the first facial hair appeared. Over time, they began to appear even less. An exception to the general rule are some Indian tribes. For example, the Tlingit, living in southeastern Alaska and partly in Canada, wore long beards and mustaches.
The Indians can grow a beard and mustache, but very weak for several reasons. First, they belong to the American race. Its representatives (like the Mongoloid race) are distinguished by the presence of a weak tertiary hairline (score 1-2 on a five point scale). This feature is due to living and adaptation to a hot, dry climate. Secondly, one of the traditions of the Indians was the removal of facial hair by pulling with shells. The procedure was carried out from the very beginning of the appearance of the hairline and led to a gradual weakening of the hair follicles.
