Throughout history, the subject of skin of colour has been covered up in multiple, complex layers of misconception, mystique, and misunderstanding.
Since antiquity, people have sought answers to various questions, such as, “where does skin colour come from?”, “what was the skin colour of the first human”, and “why do people develop different skin colours?”. Naturally, ancient people sought to answer these questions through mythology, one of the earliest explanations for skin colour was proposed by the ancient Greeks. Early African mythology also produced a theory, there are various North American Indigenous legends and of course, every religion seems to have its own doctrine on the origin of skin colour; especially on the source of darker vs. lighter tones.
Although history has taken us on a journey in terms of how, why, where and when skin has changed and evolved throughout history, a widely accepted modern theory of skin colour is the vitamin D/sunlight theory. But this too, is merely postulation. With time, knowledge and technology, we have been able to further develop our theories and beliefs; coming to a more scientific and biological explanation of the skin, and why it functions differently according to its shade."
