The Black Blondes.
The dark skinned blondes who are also known as the Melanesians, are the earliest inhabitants of Melanesia (also known as the Island of the blacks) which is a subregion of Oceania(southwestern part of the Pacific ocean), extending from the western New Guinea to the Arafura Sea. Melanesia consists of independent countries which are: Papua New Guinea, Fiji Islands, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands and also stretches to New Caledonia(The French overseas territory).
The Melanesians are known to be diverse in ethnicity , they are of various ethnic groups and each group has it’s own culture and customs. Though their cultural differences are not broad, each culture has a certain level of uniqueness that distinguishes it from the other, giving beauty to the culture of the black blondes.
Although the Melanesians’ African origin cannot be exactly traced, they are thought to have migrated from Africa to Oceania during one of the first human migration waves, which was about 50,000 years ago.
Culture of the Melanesians.
Religion:
The beliefs and cultural orientation of the Melanesians are depicted by warrior- ethic symbols of bravery, vengeance, honor and other religious essentials that promote aggression.
These symbols have placed great emphasis on the high level in which they observe cult initiation rituals, celebration of warfare and partake in homosexual rituals such as using a bleeding Penis (imitation of menstruation) during their rituals.
Marriage:
Polygyny ( a type of marriage in which two wives share a husband) was generally prevalent in Melanesia. Intermarriages between local groups were important, in order to maintain connections between ancestral and family based local groups.
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Marriages are sealed through the payment of bride-price ( payment made by the groom’s kin in order to validate a marriage) as a means of assurance of fair treatment of the bride and every offspring of the marriage.
Language:
Linguists have differentiated the melanesian language to be part of the Austronesian language family. By count, there are 1,319 languages spoken in Melanesia, these languages are said to be organs of a single melanesian pidgin which is primarily derived from the english language and it is 90 percent based on english patterns which have been much modified through the impact of individual Melanesian languages.
Dressing:
The costumes worn by the Melanesian’s were made from locally available natural materials, in some cases the men would cover their genitals with loin cloth made from tree bark fibers but usually they remain naked! Their women in most cases would leave their top bare but they always wear skirts made of grass of varying lengths which is usually tightened with a bark belt and occasionally they wrap their chest with a laplap (a basic woven cloth made of calico). A common example of barkcloth is the Tapa cloth, a common textile worn by the Pacific Islanders. It was produced by beating Mulberry fibers on hard wooden logs. Tapa cloth was believed to have originated in Polynesia, a place with such trees (Mulberry tree) in abundance. Occasionally, they would wear masks as a symbol of prosperity and abundance of food,their masks would be adorned with accessories such as the feathers of a bird usually seen when the bonito fish is abundant in the ocean (used as a symbol of availability of food for the nourishment of the people). In some cases,their masks are designed with patterns of mythical spirits and creatures.
Blondeness of the Melanesians.
The Melanesians are known to have the highest occurrence of blonde hair seen in any population outside of Europe. This variation in hair color is independent of European meddling and it originally boils down to genetics!
A single mutation of the TYRP 1 [ Tyrosinase protein 1 gene, which gives instructions for producing an enzyme called Tyrosinase related protein 1, found in melanocyte cells which are specialized to produce melanin pigments that give color to the skin, eyes and hair] is responsible for 46.14% of the variation in the hair color of the Melanesians. This mutation arose and has continually occurred in melanesian genomes and it has been confirmed to be 100% black made.
The existence of the Melanesians serves as living proof and a constant reminder of the fact that blonde hair is not owned by one demographic or race.
Ever heard of the black blondes? Share your thoughts in the comment section!
