Year of Award

2008

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Type

Master of Arts (MA)

Degree Name

Anthropology (Forensic Anthropology Option)

Department or School/College

Department of Anthropology

Committee Chair

Randall Skelton

Commitee Members

Ashley McKeown, David Beck

Keywords

anthropometry, cephalic index, nasal index

Abstract

Physical anthropologists study the patterns of human morphology to observe the influence of genetics and environment on cranial form. The following study compares cephalic and nasal index means from four Native American populations using modern statistical methods, including one-way ANOVA tests and Games-Howell comparison tests. The individuals used were of only Native American ancestry, over the age of seventeen when the data was collected, and were divided into male and female samples. The climatic conditions of each of the regions are compared to examine the relationship between the mean cranial and nasal indices and the environments in which the populations lived. Previous research suggests that larger cephalic indices should be found in populations from colder climates and larger nasal indices should be found in populations from warmer climates. Some cases in which a significant difference in means was found between populations it followed the pattern predicted from the environmental differences, though one population (the Miwok) provided an exception.

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© Copyright 2008 Catherine R. Mahoney