^6 Memoirs Bcniicc P. Bislwf^ Museum 



Tongan average as 82. 6. Tahitian average 85. 5, Marquesan average 85.5. Our 

 average for the nasal index is very much lower than that of Collignon for Poly- 

 nesians in general (73.6 and 8<)-8), l)ut the discrepancy is probahly due to a differ- 

 ent technique. 



Our series is noteworthy for its homogeneity. Taken character for char- 

 acter the variabilitv is very small. As compared with a series of pure vSioux 

 Indians and another series of Sioux-White half-bloods, the coefficient of variation 

 for nearly every character is appreciably smaller than that of cither of these 

 groups. 



Tap.ij-: XLIII. Coefficient of \'ariation — Mai.es Only 



Samoaii Sioux Sioux 



Pure Pure Half-bloods 



Stauire 3.05 3.27 3.92 



Head length 2.98 3.16 2.72 



Head wid^th 2.88 3.47 3.20 



Face width 3.59 3.65 3.83 



Face height 5.00 5.12 5.23 



Nasal height 6.09 6.75 6.48 



Nasal width 5.91 8.07 8.08 



Cephalic index 4.34 4.03 3.33 



Cephalo-facial index 3.01 3.35 3.40 



Facial index 3.42 5.78 6.22 



Nasal index 7.96 10.25 10.23 



Considering the group as a unit there seems to be very little Alelanesian 

 blood in evidence. On the basis of cultural or linguistic evidence it is common to 

 assume a large anntunt of Welanesian blood in all Polynesian groups. If such 

 blood exists it should be easily demonstrable. Melanesian intermixture should 

 result in lower stature, longer heads, broader noses, shorter ears, more curly, 

 frizzly, and woolly hair, a smaller transverse fronto-parietal index, a lower, nar- 

 rower face, greater prognathism and a heavier development of the glabella and 

 supra-orbital region. In none of these characters does this Samoan series approach 

 very near to the prevailing Melanesian type or types. 



As to the general affinities of the Samoans, it seems wiser to wait for more 

 comparative data before taking any definite stand as to their relationships to other 

 Polvnesians or to mankind as a whole. In view of the fact that it is becoming 

 more and more common to describe the Polynesians as of Eurojiean racial affini- 

 ties, it seems desirable to keep this point in mind in summarizing the facts brought 

 out by the material from Samoa at hand. Frequently a single character is chosen 

 as a criterion, but there is nothing in our available somatological data to warrant 

 such proceedure. If any one character is taken as a criterion and the classification 

 carried out to the logical end on that basis, the results are ludicrous. More often 

 than not it is naively assumed that nature has kindly provided us with absolute 

 criteria of race. Some rely on hair form, some on nose form, while others prefer 

 head form or skin color. Granting that all of these characters are valuable in 

 their proper sphere, it is useless and futile to argue as to which is the most reliable 

 test. While hair form might work admirably as a basis of classification for the 

 greater part of mankind, it would just as probably lead astray if used inflexibly. 



[18] 



