Relationships between Eskimos, Amerindians, and Aleuts: old data, new perspectives. 1995

S D Ousley
Department of Anthropology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville 37996-0720, USA.

Eskimos and Aleuts have long shown uncertain anthropological relationships to each other and to Amerindians. Various researchers, using different samples, data, and methods, have derived diverse relationships among them. Despite supervising the collection of anthropometric data during various expeditions around the turn of the century, Franz Boas did not use these data to formulate or support his Eskimo wedge theory. The perception of Eskimo biological uniqueness has persisted (Greenberg et al. 1986; Laughlin et al. 1979; Laughlin and Harper 1988), although it has been challenged by Szathmary and Ossenberg (1978), Szathmary (1979), and Ossenberg (1992). Genetic analyses, whether using nuclear or mitochondrial DNA, have not revealed consistent relationships for various reasons. A widely known multidisciplinary study (Greenberg et al. 1986) has failed to show agreement among data sets. As a result, Boas's theory has not been adequately tested to this day. A modern analysis of anthropometric data collected under Boas casts doubt on an Eskimo wedge and the assumed close relationship between language and biology. Compared with other north Pacific populations, the Siberian, Labrador, and MacKenzie Delta Eskimo samples are anthropometrically closest to northeast Siberians, whereas the Aleuts are closest to some Northwest Coast Amerindians. An analysis with additional data collected by Hrdlicka (1930) reflects ethnohistorical relationships and a geographic pattern of population affinities: The Eskimos of southwestern Alaska are similar to Aleuts and selected Amerindian tribes on the Northwest Coast. Despite linguistic similarities, Eskimo and Aleut populations are diverse, with some being more similar to populations from opposite sides of the north Pacific.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D007198 Indians, North American Members of indigenous North American populations with pre-colonial contact origins. Amerinds, North American,Indigenous North Americans,American Indian, North,American, Indigenous North,Amerind, North American,Indian, North American,Indigenous North American,North American Amerind,North American Amerinds,North American Indian,North American Indians,North American, Indigenous
D008297 Male Males
D008875 Middle Aged An adult aged 45 - 64 years. Middle Age
D003627 Data Interpretation, Statistical Application of statistical procedures to analyze specific observed or assumed facts from a particular study. Data Analysis, Statistical,Data Interpretations, Statistical,Interpretation, Statistical Data,Statistical Data Analysis,Statistical Data Interpretation,Analyses, Statistical Data,Analysis, Statistical Data,Data Analyses, Statistical,Interpretations, Statistical Data,Statistical Data Analyses,Statistical Data Interpretations
D004930 Inuit Inuktitut-speakers generally associated with the northern polar region. Aleuts,Eskimos,Inuits,Inuk,Inupiats,Kalaallits,Aleut,Eskimo,Inupiat,Kalaallit
D005260 Female Females
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000328 Adult A person having attained full growth or maturity. Adults are of 19 through 44 years of age. For a person between 19 and 24 years of age, YOUNG ADULT is available. Adults
D000569 Americas The general name for NORTH AMERICA; CENTRAL AMERICA; and SOUTH AMERICA unspecified or combined. America
D000885 Anthropology, Physical The comparative science dealing with the physical characteristics of humans as related to their origin, evolution, and development in the total environment. Physical Anthropology

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