Racial and language composition

According to their appearance the Indians of North America refer to the big Mongoloid race, but they occupy a special position in it. In some classifications Indians are distinguished into a separate Americanoid race that is a branch of the big Mongoloid race. One should keep in mind, however, that the concept of “race” almost fell into disuse at present. “Races” do not have distinct borders; there is a multitude of groups of people, each with physical peculiarities typical of them only. These peculiarities are determined by a set of genes that people receive from their parents. 

We can still speak about some features, however, that are typical of Mongoloids. These Mongoloid features are more distinct with North American Indians than South American ones. Indians are united with Asian Mongoloids by relatively dark, yellowish skin, stiff straight black hair on their heads, little hair on their bodies, dark eyes and wide faces with prominent cheek-bones. What makes them different from Asian Mongoloids is high, the so-called “aquiline nose”, the ill-defined epicanthus (eyelid) and some other peculiarities. According to researchers, the Indians have preserved ancient features of the Mongoloid race that were lost by their congeners in Asia. Some differences of American Indians from Mongoloids can be viewed as variations that emerged later, when inhabitants of the New and the Old World developed separately. The Eskimos and the Aleuts are closer to the main anthropological types of North-East Asia than Indians. The reason must be the fact that they migrated to America in a later period. 

According to a number of features the aborigines of North America are united into a separate group that is different from the Central American and South American groups. The “aquiline nose”, straight eye slit and tallness are typical of North American Indians. In South America the physical diversity is much bigger.

Portrait of man. Greenland. The Eskimo. Mid-to-late 19th cent.		Mother with child. USA, Alaska, Aleutian Islands, Umnak. The Aleutians. V.I. Iohelson. 1909		Portrait of amn. USA. The Dakota. Mid-to-late 19th cent.
Portrait of tattooed Apache Indian. USA. The Apache, late 19th c.		Chief Jose. Pima tribe. USA. The Pima, late 19th c.		Anthropological photo: young Apache man (front view). USA. The Apache, late 19th c.
Grey Bear. USA. The Dakota, late 19th c.		The Eskimos of East Greenland. Greenland. Greenland Eskimos. Talbizer W., 1905		Taos Round Dance
Humming Bird Song