Ginger hair portraits show unexpected 'golden thread' connecting Americans
The 45-year-old, from Edinburgh, who is himself a "proud ginger", began taking pictures in his homeland in 2013 as part of a series examining Scottish identity.His interest in the subject soon took him to other ginger hotspots such the Russian city of Perm and Jamaica's Treasure Beach.His 2020 book Gingers spanned the world but after its release he notice there was a "huge gap"."I realised I didn't have any American citizens," Kieran told the BBC. "Then all these people got in touch."Image source, Kieran DoddsImage caption, Nicholas Modaressi says his dad, who grew up in Iran, refuses to get his genetics tested. "I'm Persian," he tells his son Nic, who grew up in Maryland"I was like 'oh wow, of course, the whole world is in the States'," Kieran says. "It's a microcosm."He says a message from a Native American man who had red hair instantly aroused his curiosity."I found it very interesting and it made me think, 'where on earth did it come from?'"Image source, Kieran DoddsImage caption, Joshua Elliot says his mum's side has always been involved with the Muscogee tribeThe cover of his latest book - Gingers of America, external - features Joshua Elliot from the Muscogee (Creek) Nation in Oklahoma.He told Kieran that some of his mother's relatives were German and on his dad's side there were people from England and Sweden, so that could explain where his ginger hair comes from. "My mom's side has always been involved with the Muscogee tribe and traditions and I've grown up around it," he said. Joshua knows he does not fit people's expectations of what a Native American should look like, but he said: "Our chief's wife told me it's about your involvement in your community and your tribe, the people around you and what you put back into it."Which I really took to heart." Image source, Kieran DoddsImage caption, Lottie Wahkinney is a Comanche girl, from Oklahoma, with Scottish grandparentsKieran spoke to a lot of Native Americans on his visits and most knew of a European ancestry which could explain their red hair. "The thing that surprised me was how early on there were these Scots and Irish marrying Native Americans," he said.Lottie Wahkinney, a Comanche girl from Oklahoma, has Scottish grandparents, from Galashiels.Her father Jared told Kieran his dad was Comanche but his mum was born and raised in Scotland."That's why my Lottie has a good mix of everything going on," Jared said. "My Scottish grandparents would come over every summer. "On my first visit to Scotland when I was 22, folks were like, 'Where are your moccasins? Where's your headdress?'. "I explained 'I wear Nikes'."Image source, Kieran DoddsImage caption, Lakia Jones (right) says all her relatives have long, straight, jet-black hair like her sister Maci (left)While most Native Americans could explain where the ginger gene might have come from, there was one exception - a Cherokee girl called Lakia - whose family knew of no European ancestry."It is a totally different colour of red," Kieran said. "It's deep ruby. That really intrigued me." In the book, Lakia says that all her family, on both sides, have jet-black straight hair but hers turned red during her childhood."Everyone thought, since I was about eight, that I dyed my hair," she said. "And still now everyone's like, 'what hair colour is that?'."Image source, Kieran DoddsImage caption, Jaxston Hudson from Birmingham, AlabamaAfter meeting Native Americans, Kieran knew there was something in the US he could explore. Over the next few years, he made seven lengthy trips, often linked to his full-time profession as an environmental photographer.One state he found s
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