Check Out Native American Physical Characteristics

Native Americans, also called First Americans, aboriginal Americans and a host of other names, are the first to dwell in what’s known as the United States today. And there are over 500 Native American tribes too.

Native Americans aren’t only unique in the way they hunt, fight, speak, and other rituals they perform. They also speak differently.

You can quickly tell if a man is Chinese from his physical look. A typical Chinese man will have a round head, round and pointy chin with very dark shiny hair, a flat round nose, flat buttock, fair in complexion, and an average height.

However, the Native Americans differ from other races. They have some unique physical characteristics that differentiate them from several tribes. These features include high cheekbone, slanted or almond shape eyes, long dark hair, light brown to dark brown skin, hairless skin (except for hormonal imbalance), wide feet, etc.

Our goal in this article is to discuss the physical characteristics of Native Americans. So, keep reading.

Native American Facial Features

Let’s begin with the facial features of Native Americans. A typical Native American’s head shape is oblong with a bit of forehead, extended eyebrow ridge, and cheekbones, protruding and lifted. The eyelashes are pretty thick and long. And they boast long noses.

Native Americans also have distinct. It’s long and dark brown to off-black; the brown is not as conspicuous as other ethnic groups.

Next are their eyes, which boast somewhat upswept corners and a slanted shape, well-positioned above the cheekbones.

Now, let’s talk about the teeth and ears. You’ll notice that Native Americans have long and shovel-shaped teeth. Their ears are well-developed and average in size.

Native American Hair

We have discussed the hair of Native Americans. But there’s a need to revisit it. That’s because their hair is unique; it differentiates them from other races.

If you look carefully, you’ll discover that Native Americans boast long and straight hair, reaching a length of 40cm-100cm.

Furthermore, the hair texture is also unique. It’s thick and rough but abundant compared to other tribes. It will also interest you to know that hair is sacred to the Native Americans.

A Native American’s hair is not only significant to the person’s look. It can also tell a lot about the individual, family, and community.

Hair defines a person’s self-worth and sense of pride. Thus, it’s not a common practice for Native Americans to shave their hair. They usually shave their hair when mourning a dead person.

However, during ceremonies, you’ll find Native Americans decorate their already beautiful hair with wool, feathers, and other artistic material to look good. In addition, it is taboo to touch one’s hair without permission.

Were Native American People Tall?

A recent study has contradicted the popular claim that Native Americans were not tall people. Around 1800, one of the Native American tribes, the Indians, happened to be the tallest people. They were slightly taller than the Europeans and Australians.

Additionally, they were also looking well-fed. The average height of a Native American adult male is approximately 1.726m, which is around 5 feet 8 inches.

The Australians were the next with regards to height. They stood around 1.72m for an average adult male. At the same time, the European’s height was approximately 1.71m.

Hand And Feet Of Native American People

Native Americans have well-formed hands and feet with dull-colored nails. The sizes of the hand and feet vary between tribes and they were widely compared to the whites. Furthermore, they have moderate foot arch, big toes, thick sole of feet, and ankle.

Did Native Americans Cherish Tattoos?

Early Native Americans practiced the art of tattooing, and it was culturally accepted. Virtually every Native American had a tattoo drawn on their body. These include men, women, and children.

However, Native American tattoos were made using sharp sticks, broken bones, sharp rocks, and carved stones to create designs or patterns on the skin.

Some of the picture patterns drawn on their bodies were snakes, geometric patterns, and celestial bodies like sun, moon, stars, and pictures of wild animals.

The very skilled and more talented Native Americans were allowed to draw tattoo patterns on the receiver’s body. Ashes from burnt grasses were mixed with water and they sometimes mixed them with other colors to make the tattoos conspicuous.

The mixture is to trace the tattoo pattern on the body before using the stick/bone to create cuts and dots on the patterns.

Tattoos were so important to Native Americans and mainly used to connote a person’s social position/rank and level of achievement in society. Warriors have their unique tattoos, which depict victories for each battle they fought.

Tattoos can also be for spiritual healings and medical treatment. They were also placed on the chest, shoulder, arms, breast, thigh, forehead, etc.

Where Are The Native American People Today?

The Native Americans were the first people to step foot in America. They arrived in what we now regard as America about 15 years ago or much earlier. They are also called First Americans, Indigenous Americans, American Indians, aboriginal Americans, Amerind, and others.

Now, who were the Native Americans? There are 574 Native American tribes recognized federally in the United States of America. Most Native American tribes include the Apache, Navajo, Cherokee, Odawa, Lakota, Crow, Cheyenne, Cherokee, Sioux, Shoshone, Ponca, and Otoe Arikara, Osage Nation, Sauk people, Comanche, and others.

Where are the Native Americans today? If there’s one thing that’s constant in the world, then it’s the term “change.” Today, thousands of Native Americans are living in the United States of America. But most of them are difficult to identify because they don’t look entirely like their ancestors.

According to the United States Census Bureau, there are over 6.79 million Native Americans in the United States of America. This figure represents approximately 2.09 percent of the country’s total population.

The report also indicates that fifteen out of the fifty states boast over a hundred thousand Native Americans. The United States Census Bureau also reports that 31 percent of Native Americans live in Arizona, California, and Oklahoma.

12 Notable Personalities With Native American Root

The Native Americans called the First Americans or the nation’s first people have a rich culture and unique personality. And even though the current descendants aren’t looking exactly like their ancestors, some still share a striking resemblance.

Many Native American descendants have achieved great things in the country and other parts of the world. Some have become great musicians, academicians, politicians, actors, entrepreneurs, and so on. Now, let’s look at Native American descendants who are making waves.

Carrier Underwood
Jessica Alba
Irene Bedard
Anthony Kiedis
Destiny Nicole Frasqueri
Jason Momoa
Joy Harjo
Tori Amos
Vivica A. Fox
Beyonce
Jimi Hendrix
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter

10 Native American Fun Facts

There are many interesting facts about the Native American tribes. Let’s look at some of them.

Native Americans have occupied the American continent since 12000 BC.
The state, Oklahoma was formed from the term “Choctaw okla homma.” It’s referring to “red people.”
The state, Utah, got its name from Utes. Utes refers to the Native American tribe that lived on the Plains and Great Basin’s edge.
Native Americans were famous for making hair brushes from porcupine hairs. They also made toothbrushes from sticks. After trimming the sticks to the proper shape, get the tip frayed before using it.
Whenever a plain man hunts and kills a buffalo, he gets rewarded with the animal’s tongue, considered the tastiest part. However, he’s expected to share the meat with his friends, a gesture that denotes generosity.
Native American’s life expectancy exceeds that of other Americans by five years.
Native American women weren’t lazy people. History shows that they were great horsemen and sharpshooters.
Native Americans rendered their services during WWI, even though they were not recognized as citizens then. Approximately 8,000 of them participated in the war.
The Arapaho, Lakota, and Cheyenne combined, fought, and defeated the United States Army during the Little BigHorn Battle.
Upon Columbus’ arrival, there were only 1.5 million Native Americans in what is today known as the United States of America.

Conclusion

The Native Americans boast physical characteristics that differentiate them from other races. They boast distinctive facial features, such as hair, head, and so on.

The First Americans were also warriors. History indicates that that stood up to the best army in the world, the U.S. Army. They fought with just bow, arrows, and probably other sharp objects, while the U.S. Army had guns and other artillery.

Furthermore, we also mentioned notable personalities who are somehow linked to the Native American tribes. The link could either be from their mother or father. But the primary thing is that they have the Native American blood running through their veins.