Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Cranial variation in the Marquesas Islands.

Vincent H Stefan1, Patrick M Chapman

  • 1Department of Anthropology, Lehman College, CUNY, Bronx, New York 10468, USA. vstefan@lehman.cuny.edu

American Journal of Physical Anthropology
|July 29, 2003
PubMed
Summary

Cranial analysis of prehistoric Marquesans reveals distinct northwest and southeast island groups, supporting linguistic and cultural divisions. However,

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Symmetrical fracturing of the skull from midline contact gunshot wounds: reconstruction of individual death histories from skeletonized human remains.

Journal of forensic sciences·2005
Same author

Assessing intrasample variation: analysis of Rapa Nui (Easter Island) museum cranial collections example.

American journal of physical anthropology·2004
Same author

Coronal cleft vertebra initially suspected as an abusive fracture in an infant.

Journal of forensic sciences·2003
See all related articles

Area of Science:

  • Physical Anthropology
  • Bioarchaeology
  • Human Evolution

Background:

  • Marquesas Islands traditionally divided into NW and SE groups based on linguistic and material culture differences.
  • Previous research indicated distinct cultural and linguistic patterns between these island groups.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate intra-archipelago heterogeneity in prehistoric Marquesans using cranial traits.
  • To determine if a cranial northwest/southeast division is evident.
  • To investigate the affinities of 'Ua Huka within the archipelago.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of 28 cranial discrete traits and 49 craniofacial measurements from prehistoric Marquesans.
  • Utilized Mean Measure of Divergence (MMD) for discrete traits and RMET/NORM analyses for metric data.
  • Included samples from Nuku Hiva (NW), Fatuiva (SE), Tahuata/Hiva 'Oa (SE), and 'Ua Huka.

Main Results:

  • Cranial discrete and metric analyses confirm significant differences between NW and SE Marquesas Islands.
  • Southeastern islands (Fatuiva, Tahuata/Hiva 'Oa) show greater cranial similarity to each other than to Nuku Hiva (NW).
  • 'Ua Huka exhibits cranial affinities with the southeastern islands, despite traditional NW grouping.

Conclusions:

  • Cranial data support the linguistic and cultural division of the Marquesas Islands into NW and SE groups.
  • The cranial distinctiveness of Nuku Hiva (NW) from SE islands is evident.
  • 'Ua Huka's cranial similarity to the SE suggests its role as a central interaction point within the archipelago.

Related Experiment Videos