This is much more than simply an aesthetic or stylistic choice. Many ancient cultures maintain that hair is an extension of not only the human nervous system but also the soul. For Native Americans, long hair equates to POWER, VIRILITY, and PHYSICAL STRENGTH.
They didn't wash their hair and mess with their hair everyday so this allowed their hair to relax which is very important for hair growth. If you are constantly messing with your hair it can hinder the growth. Indigenous hair is also braided often.
The archetypal American Indian's hairstyle is long and flowing or with long plaits or braids and a central part. This applied to both men and women and was particularly seen in the Plain Indians. Men generally wore their hair long and flowing, in braids, or shaved.
Male Pattern Baldness (MPB) is entirely genetic. Pure-bred American Indians are blessed not to have the gene. It allows Native American men the ability to wear long hairstyles throughout life. If you see a bald Native American it is from a non MPB condition, such as alopecia areata or some other skin condition.
A gene variation of EDAR that arose about 30,000 years ago seems to give some people thicker strands of hair. More than 90% of Han Chinese, 70% of Japanese and Thai people, and 60% to 90% of Native Americans carry the “thick hair" version of the gene.
Caucasians have the highest hair density among the ethnicities studied. Black people have the lowest. Asian people have hair density that falls somewhere in between.
Native Americans do not appear to have facial hair because they are not genetically predisposed to growing thick hair everywhere on their bodies. And, no. It is not because of ethnicity, as a matter of fact, Native Americans do have facial hair, but it is very soft and sparse.
Certain races have higher rates of hair loss compared to others. Caucasians have the highest rates out of all the ethnic groups. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Native American Indians, Inuits, and Chinese have the lowest rates.
Our hair is considered sacred and significant to who we are as an individual, family, and community. In many tribes, it is believed that a person's long hair represents a strong cultural identity. This strong cultural identity promotes self-esteem, self-respect, a sense of belonging, and a healthy sense of pride.
A source of power
Hair has special spiritual and cultural significance for tribes, though traditions and styles vary from tribe to tribe. Whether worn long, braided or bound in a knot, most North American indigenous peoples see hair as a source of strength and power.
Hair has a deep tie to old and new life across tribes. In Native culture, a widespread belief is that when someone's hair is cut, they lose a small part of their relationship with themselves. In the Navajo Nation, hair is cut to mourn death in the immediate family.
A gene variation of EDAR that arose about 30,000 years ago seems to give some people thicker strands of hair. More than 90% of Han Chinese, 70% of Japanese and Thai people, and 60% to 90% of Native Americans carry the “thick hair" version of the gene.
Caucasian people will begin to gray in their mid-thirties, African-American people can retain their original hair color until their midforties, Asian people begin graying in their late thirties, whereas, as compared to South Indian population, North Indians begin to grey in their early thirties.
Native Americans, on the other hand, do not struggle much with male pattern baldness. As mentioned, pattern baldness is genetic, that is, hereditary. This means that male pattern baldness actually runs in the family.
What Does Cutting The Hair Signify? Many tribes cut their hair when there is a death in the immediate family as an outward symbol of the deep sadness and a physical reminder of the loss. The cut hair represents the time with their loved one, which is over and gone, and the new growth is the life after.
Throughout history, societies devised systems to enable water to be brought to population centers. The oldest accountable daily ritual of bathing can be traced to the ancient Indians. They used elaborate practices for personal hygiene with three daily baths and washing.
You didn't think dreadlocks were specific to Rastafarians and black culture, did you? In some Native American tribes, notably the Cree and Mohave, the men often wore twisted and matted locks, frequently hanging below their waistline.
Its a myth that our people can't have naturally curly hair, and can have it being full Blood Native American Indians of the Americas.
According to tradition, the Navajo tribe would cut the hair of their children on their first birthday, after which it would be left to grow untouched for the rest of their lives. Other tribal traditions would see men shave their heads as a sign of mourning.
According to Men's Health, the highest rate of hair loss was found among Caucasians, followed by Afro-Caribbeans.
Caucasians Lose The Most Hair
In terms of which ethnicity tends to experience the most hair loss, Caucasians are the undisputed leaders.
Caucasian, Asian and Indian hair samples were put to the test for the World's Best Hair study. Their results put an end to any splitting of hairs over the issue: in terms of health, the Indian hair is the best, topping other ethnic groups on all four counts.
According to Thomas Jefferson, Native Americans regarded body hair as disgraceful, and believed that it likened them to hogs. Visible body hair, like women's smoking, drinking, and paid labour outside the home, became a ready mark of the new woman's “excessive” sexual, political and economic independence.
Yes, they do have facial and body hair but very little, and they tend to pluck it from their faces as often as it grows. G.J.J., Roseville, Calif. My wife, who is Native American, says most Native Americans have fairly fine and short body hair and usually very little facial hair.
There is no tribe of Indians that is predominantly blue-eyed. In fact, blue eyes, like blond hair, is genetically recessive, so if a full-blood Indian and a blue-eyed Caucasian person had a baby, it would be genetically impossible for that baby to have blue eyes.