"Question
Do American Indian males grow beards?
Montie, 65, white, Grinnell, Iowa

Question
This may seem a silly and ignorant question to those who are Native American (American Indian), but do Native Americans have facial and body hair? Recently, I met a man who said he was 100 percent Native American but who had heavy beard stubble and very hairy arms. Charles, 33, white, Nashville

Replies
The guy who told you that he was 100 percent Native American was a 100 percent liar.
Susan, 37, American Indian, Marysville, Wash.

No, genetics won't allow it, unless mixed with some other race. Ha ha, I've tried for four years to grow a mustache by shaving my face. No such luck.
Terrence, 22, American Indian, Albuquerque, N.M.

Some do, some don't. And you may be interested to know that we are not in any way related to Asian people. That idea comes from the ice-bridge story, which is a lie. Asians have their beautiful culture(s), and we have ours.
Samson, Native American, Rapid City, S.D.

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."

Get the Story:
Dare to Ask: Do Native Americans have facial and body hair? (The Jacksonville Times-Union 7/29)