BlackfootAinuMexican IndianFilipinoChineseNative Hawaiian girlTierra del Fuegan American IndianJapanese Mongoloid /ˈmɒŋ.ɡə.lɔɪd/ is a term for peoples indigenous to East Asia, Central Asia, Southeast Asia, Siberia or North Asia, Northern Europe, the Arctic, the Americas, parts of the Pacific Islands, parts of Africa (Madagascar), and parts of South Asia. Individuals within these populations often share certain associated phenotypic traits, such as epicanthic folds (epicanthus), sinodonty, and neoteny. Epicanthic folds and oblique palpebral fissures are common among most Mongoloid individuals. Most exhibit Mongolian spot from birth to about age four. The vast majority have straight, black hair and dark brown almond-shaped eyes, and most have broad, relatively flat faces as well. Traits more controversially ascribed to Mongoloids include high intelligence and a stoic, taciturn, unaggressive demeanor. The extent to which individual psychological makeup is a social construct, rather than a matter of biology, remains a matter of debate. (See also the articles Race and intelligence and Model minority.) The term "mongoloid" was introduced by 18th century ethnologists to describe Central Asian and East Asian populations, as part of a tripartite typological model of race: Mongoloid, Caucasoid, and Negroid. Although some forensic anthropologists and other scientists continue to use such terms in some contexts (such as criminal justice), their usage is now discouraged by most anthropologists due to the questionable nature of such models. In addition, "Mongoloid" has had a second usage, now generally avoided as highly offensive: until the late 20th century, people with Down syndrome were often referred to as "Mongoloids" or in terms of "Mongolian idiocy" or "Mongolian imbecility".

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