American Museum of Natural History 



WHERE DO THESE COME FROM? 



Here are several American citizens who acknowledge their European ancestry. 

 Which can we definitely recognize as "Nordic", which as Spanish, or Russian, or 

 Scandinavian, or Scotch, or French, or Italian? How can we recognize them? 



Human Types and Cultures The process which has been going on in 

 our American "melting pot" has been going on also along the world's high- 

 ways. In Paris, Capetown, or Singapore one can easily recognize an "Ameri- 

 can". But a sample of such wandering Americans would show almost as great 

 a variation in stature, complexion, coloring, hair, and other physical features 

 as samples taken at random from various nations or "races". What makes 

 them all recognizable as Americans? Apparently it is not so much distinct 

 physical characteristics as something in their manner and bearing. It is these 

 subtler elements of behavior that distinguish modern groups. And the an- 

 thropologists have found it much more satisfactory to consider prehistoric 

 and early historic mankind from this same point of view, distinguishing cul- 

 tures rather than separate races. 



Over large areas and for long periods there has been great consistency in 

 types of pottery, basketry, housebuilding, tools and weapons, as well as in 

 types of language, religion, customs, ceremonials and beliefs. That is, peoples 

 have remained distinct in what they maJ^e and do. There has been no corre- 

 sponding agreement in physical characteristics. On the one hand, distinct 

 physical types may share in a particular culture. Many different kinds of 

 human "organisms" may act in much the same way, think in the same way, 



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