[familyop]

...the Trail of Tears.

LOL! Some of the comments here are killing me. There were major cultural differences between some Indian nations. At least one used wooden houses, had a written language, and took immediately to Judeo-Christian religion and culture. Another raised its sons to dress like girls and engage in sodomy. ...long list of differences and culture wars between them. Some were short, squat and had bubbly rear ends. Others looked more like Yul Brynner in the movie, "Mohawk".

[yankeedame]

While we're on the subject, maybe some of you good Freepers can answer a, albeit admittedly trivial, question I've been wondering about for a long time re: American Indians.

Indians-- male naturally-- as a group are always shown to be beardless. Was this always the case?

I've wonder about this b/c the continent of North America is a huge land, roads (as opposed to trails) were essentially non-exhistant, communications between peoples primitive, if at all. And yet from the shores of the east coast to those of the west the American Indian male is shown as having neither beard and/or mustache and, we are apparently lead to believe, throughout the lumbering centuries.

How is this possible? Statistics alone -- given the area of land, the various natures of tribes, the span of time -- would seem to suggest that somewhere, at sometime, some group(s) of men sported facial hair.

Like I said before, this is a trivial question and human lives don't hang in the balance. But still and all if anyone can give me an answer...well, I'd be much obliged.