Nicely done! I think it is important enough to know of these things, that one can inform all medical personel involved with care. ...especially if you've documented your na ancestry. thanks naahkitty! nice to see you here!! Beth ----- Original Message ---- From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Sent: Saturday, September 2, 2006 12:34:19 PM Subject: [MDGARRET] About Physical Characteristics as "Indicators" of Native Ancestry Native Americans don't all look alike. And they are not the Hollywood image of old. Go to any Pow Wow and you will see Native Americans of all colors. From the lightest of color hair, eyes and skin to the darkest due to intermarriage with other races from the earliest of times up til today. The following list started as a collection of Physical Characteristics noted by numerous researchers over many years of doing research. It does not point to any one tribe. They are merely physical characteristics that we look for as "indicators" when researching Native American Ancestry. When I was in elementary school I was a Tomboy and loved being barefoot. Until one day in school where we traced our feet. I noticed for the first time that my feet were different. My big toes are shorter than my other toes and I have what is considered a small foot with an extremely high arch. I thought I was deformed and started wearing socks or sat with my feet under me to hide them. Another girls mother was a helper in class. She noticed the change, she told me that in some tribes, feet like mine were a sign of royalty. She actually used a different word which I didn't understand at the time that she explained was like a princess. She was a full Cherokee so I believed her and wasn't embarrassed anymore. I just accepted her reassurance as any young child would. Growing up I didn't know of my own heritage. I was constantly amazed by people who would come up to me asking what tribe. They would say I looked Indian because of my coloring, cheek bones, or my nose, and numerous other physical characteristcs. I felt complimented, but thought they were confused. It wasn't until years later when a distant cousin of my mothers told us we were part Shawnee, that I became involved in Native American Ancestry research and found out what they had been talking about all those years. Many people are surprised to find the physical characteristics running in their family, are often "indicators" of Native American Ancestry. High cheekbones where glasses set high on the face and get all smeary on the bottom of the lens. Almond shaped almost oriental looking eyes. Lazy eyes in children. Heavy "fat" eyelids where the eyelid appears to have an extra fold. A melanin (pigmentation) in the back of the eye on the retina peculiar to Native Americans. "Shovel" teeth, the teeth have a ledge on the backside. Run your tongue across them, they feel almost like a shovel shape. Large front teeth with a slight or more than slight gap. Lack of the Carrabelli cusp on the maxillary first molars, (a little bump) which is missing in Native Americans. Large heavy earlobes. Crooked fingers particularly the little finger or pinky. An inverted breastbone. Often called a Chicken Breast. The bone actually makes an indentation in the chest. Little toes that lie under the next one. A second toe longer than the big toe. A wider space between the big toe and second one. An extra ridge of bone along the outside of the foot. A student of mine was surprised when her Dentist asked if she has Native American ancestry. She said yes and he told her that she has "lingual nodes", two bony nodes that protrude from the jaw bone under the tongue. This sparked my interest as I have one, but the dentist told me as a kid that it was a misplaced tooth. Often misunderstood for physical abuse is the Mongolian bruise found on new born children of Native Ancestry. (Also appears in some Asian newborns). In some cases this is described as a blue stain, or a birth mark, in a triangle formation at the base of the spine. It may disappear in time, but is not always the case. In my family we call this the furry triangle, as it has been replaced by a light fuzzy triangle of hair. In addition to the physical attributes mentioned, there are five major diseases that we look for in Native American Family lines. Again everyone knows about the drunken Indian. Alcoholism is due to the lack of an enzyme to convert the alcohol in the bloodstream. Arthritis. It is beginning to appear that Fibromyalgia is also related to Native ancestry. About half of American Indian adults have diabetes; most have type 2 diabetes. Rates vary markedly among tribes. Type 1 diabetes in American Indian and Alaska Native youth is relatively rare; however, recent reports highlight an increasing incidence of type 2 diabetes in children and adolescents. American Indians and Alaska Natives have genetic, medical, and lifestyle risk factors for type 2 diabetes. American Indians and Alaska Natives with diabetes have a high incidence of diabetes complications such as eye and kidney disease, cardiovascular disease, and lower extremity amputations. Cardiovascular disease was the leading cause of death in American Indians, and diabetes is a high contributing risk factor for cardiovascular disease. There is currently much interest in the occurance of Hypo Glycemia - the opposite of Diabetes Low Blood sugar causing women to become Diabetic during pregnancy. Oclesia of the Esphogus - the last muscle in the esphogus becomes to strong and closes off after just a few bites and the person can not swallow any more. People with this can easily starve to death. Ventricula Parastole which is a heart Arrithmaya and is thought to occur only in Delaware (Lanape) ancestry. Heart Disease. Thyroid conditions Hypo and Hyper are often found in those with Native Ancestry. Kidney problems including Kidney stones. There have been many people who found out they are Native American quite by accident. They need a transfusion, or have cancer and are in need of bone marrow transplants, they cannot find a match as there are several antigens in the blood which are hard to match, also indicative of Native American Ancestry. Some of the information concerning Physical Characteristics which can indicate Native Ancestry, first appeared in an article by NAAH Contributing Editor Snowflower "Let's Get Physical". Snowflower is a Shawnee Genealogist familiar with all of the tribes in the Ohio Valley area. Additional scientific and medical information was gleaned from an article in the Family Tree publication of the Ellen Payne Odom Genealogy Library P O Box 1110 Moultrie Ga 31776-1110 Information in the article was credited to T.L.& M. Genealogy published by the Talbot Library and Museum , P. O. Box 349, Colcord OK 74338. The list appears on many websites, some approved and acknowledgd, others we aren't always aware of. The list is also used as one of many fact sheets at the Native American Family History and Cultural Heritage booth at many Pow Wows where we set up to aid people in beginning their genealogical search. The list is updated as we hear from other researchers, though we don't immediately add items unless there is some information corroborating the item as an inidicator. The list also appears in numerouse email lists online when discussions like this come up. Laurie Beth Roman Publisher/Executive Editor Native American Family History & Cultural Heritage Newsletter ==== MDGARRET Mailing List ==== Looking for your Garrett County ancestors? Make sure to visit us on the web at: http://www.rootsweb.com/~mdgarret/index.html