Growing up black-haired and tan in a blonde, fair-skinned world

by Richard L. Thornton, Architect and City Planner

Apparently, most of the original settlers in Waycross, GA were from the Scandinavian parts of England and France. Waycross was originally settled by French immigrants. I strongly suspect that when I was growing up there, the non-African American portion of Waycross had a higher percentage of blondes and redheads than even the city in Sweden, where I lived after graduating from Georgia Tech.

The photos above are of my 6-year birthday party. My mother and I were the only ones at the party with black hair or even dark brown hair. Notice below, how different my skull is shaped from the fair-skinned friend on my right. I can generally tell a Creek skull from a Caucasian or Cherokee skull with a quick glance. In addition to the difference in shape, Creek skulls have thicker cranial bones and a strong, bony protrusion where the spinal cord enters the skull. This was inherited from the Denisovan hominids.