Part 3
_Minimum Frontal_
No. Range Mean S.D. C.V.
Total sample 815 99-125 109.9 4.0 2.7 Interior 154 100-121 109.8 3.6 3.3 East 120 99-122 110.8 3.8 3.4 Coast 210 100-125 109.7 4.7 4.3 N.W. 79 101-120 109.4 3.7 3.4
A minimum frontal diameter of 109.9 mm. indicates a fairly ample forehead breadth for the total sample. None of the subgroups depart much from this value.
_Fronto-Parietal_
No. Range Mean S.D. C.V.
Total sample 815 58-89 70.6 4.3 6.1 Interior 154 63-82 72.2 3.3 4.6 East 120 64-79 70.5 3.0 4.3 Coast 210 58-77 69.9 4.1 5.9 N.W. 79 61-89 69.7 8.7 12.5
Forehead breadth relative to total cranial width is 70.6 per cent. The greatest deviation from this average occurs in the interior where the fronto-parietal ratio is 72.2 per cent and lesser head breadth more than greater forehead width causes the higher index.
THE FACE
_Bizygomatic_
No. Range Mean S.D. C.V.
Total sample 815 110-164 145.7 5.0 3.4 Interior 154 110-163 145.8 6.3 4.3 East 120 137-161 146.7 4.3 2.9 Coast 210 128-164 145.2 4.9 3.4 N.W. 79 136-156 145.1 4.3 3.0 Fiji (Howells) 132 130-159 144.05 5.05 3.5 Solomons (Howells) 84 115-149 138.0 5.5 4.0 Tonga (Sullivan) 116 131-159 143.5 5.9 4.1
Broad faces are the rule among most of these people, as the total average of 145.7 mm. shows. Regional values for this criterion are closely alike in all parts of Fiji, the eastern showing a slight superiority in bizygomatic breadth.
Howells' Fiji series is slightly lower in this diameter as is the Tongan average. The Solomon Islands natives have definitely narrower faces.
_Cephalo-Facial_
No. Range Mean S.D. C.V.
Total sample 815 82-108 93.5 5.7 6.1 Interior 154 84-108 96.0 4.8 5.0 East 120 82-102 93.3 3.2 3.4 Coast 210 85-103 92.5 5.7 6.2 N.W. 79 80-104 92.6 6.4 7.3 Fiji (Howells) 132 85-111 93.7 3.5 3.7 Solomons (Howells) 84 85-111 95.4 3.8 4.0 Tonga (Sullivan) 116 85-103 92.8 3.5 3.7
Face breadth relative to head width averages 93.5 per cent for all Fijians; Howell's series is much the same. The narrower heads of the interior people largely account for their higher index; otherwise there is general similarity in the several provinces.
_Zygo-Frontal_
No. Range Mean S.D. C.V.
Total sample 815 64-100 75.5 3.0 3.9 Interior 154 64-98 75.4 3.2 4.2 East 120 68-99 75.5 2.5 3.3 Coast 210 66-100 75.5 3.1 4.1 N.W. 79 66-93 75.4 2.9 3.8 Tonga (Sullivan) 116 63-84 73.1 4.2 5.8
The ratio of forehead width to face breadth is 75.5. All of the regional averages for the zygo-frontal index are strikingly alike among the Fijians in every instance; the forehead is about three-quarters the breadth of the face. The Tongan ratio is a little lower.
_Total Face Height_
No. Range Mean S.D. C.V.
Total sample 815 100-147 122.5 6.0 4.9 Interior 154 103-137 121.3 5.6 4.6 East 120 110-147 124.7 5.8 4.7 Coast 210 107-142 122.6 6.1 5.0 N.W. 79 100-143 121.7 6.8 5.6 Fiji (Howells) 133 105-159 121.8 6.9 5.7 Solomons (Howells) 85 100-129 116.4 6.6 5.7 Tonga (Sullivan) 116 112-147 128.2 6.8 5.3
Fijian faces have the moderate average height of 122.5 mm. Slightly shorter faces occur in the interior people, whereas the greatest total face height average occurs in the east. The Fijian of Howells' series is close to mine. The Tongan value for face height describes them as definitely longer faced. The Solomon Islanders depart in the other direction with decidedly shorter faces.
_Total Facial Index_
No. Range Mean S.D. C.V.
Total sample 815 68-104 84.1 4.6 5.5 Interior 154 73-96 83.2 4.4 5.3 East 120 75-101 85.0 4.4 5.2 Coast 210 73-97 84.5 4.6 5.4 N.W. 79 68-104 83.9 5.6 6.7 Fiji (Howells) 132 74-105 84.7 5.0 6.0 Solomons (Howells) 84 74-97 84.5 4.4 5.2 Tonga (Sullivan) 116 78-102 89.3 4.4 5.0
Relative to maximum breadth, the Fijian face tends to shortness, although this is due largely to their generous facial breadth rather than absolute deficiency of height. The interior groups have the lowest values and the eastern groups show relatively broad faces.
The Tongan average is much higher than any of the Fijian values, whereas the Solomon Islanders show similarity to the Fijians in this feature.
_Upper Face Height_
No. Range Mean S.D. C.V.
Total sample 815 56-84 70.2 5.1 7.3 Interior 154 59-79 69.1 3.9 5.6 East 120 64-83 71.7 4.0 5.6 Coast 210 59-84 70.4 6.6 9.4 N.W. 79 58-80 69.4 4.8 6.9
The ratio of the upper face height to maximum facial breadth shows the Fijians of the interior to be relatively shorter faced and the eastern people longest. The coastal and northwestern series are intermediate.
_Upper Facial Index_
No. Range Mean S.D. C.V.
Total sample 815 37-65 48.2 3.7 7.7 Interior 154 41-65 47.4 3.3 7.0 East 120 42-59 48.9 2.9 5.9 Coast 210 40-59 48.5 4.8 9.9 N.W. 79 39-56 47.8 3.5 7.3
The ratio of the upper face height to maximum facial breadth shows the Fijians of the interior to be relatively shorter faced and the eastern people longest. The coastal and northwestern series are intermediate.
_Bigonial_
No. Range Mean S.D. C.V.
Total sample 815 95-146 109.7 5.1 4.6 Interior 154 95-146 109.8 6.0 3.6 East 120 97-125 110.6 5.1 4.6 Coast 210 95-129 109.9 5.3 4.8 N.W. 79 99-119 109.1 4.5 4.1 Tonga (Sullivan) 116 92-119 104.8 5.8 5.5
Lower jaw breadth as expressed by the bigonial diameter indicates a tendency to broadness shared with little variation among all the subgroups. The Tongan value is considerably smaller.
_Fronto-Gonial_
No. Range Mean S.D. C.V.
Total sample 815 80-122 99.9 5.5 5.5 Interior 154 84-122 100.0 6.0 6.0 East 120 86-115 99.9 5.3 5.3 Coast 210 80-114 100.3 6.0 6.0 N.W. 79 85-113 99.8 4.8 4.8
Similarly the bigonial diameter in relation to forehead breadth is much the same in all groups, the general average nearly 100 per cent.
_Zygo-Gonial_
No. Range Mean S.D. C.V.
Total sample 815 65-86 75.3 4.1 5.4 Interior 154 67-86 75.4 6.0 8.0 East 120 65-82 75.4 3.5 4.6 Coast 210 66-83 75.7 3.4 4.5 N.W. 79 68-83 75.2 3.4 4.5 Tonga (Sullivan) 116 63-87 73.2 4.6 6.2
Relative to face breadth, jaw width is 75.3 per cent with very little geographic variation.
_Nasal Height_
No. Range Mean S.D. C.V.
Total sample 815 42-65 53.9 3.4 6.3 Interior 154 45-65 53.2 3.5 6.6 East 120 48-62 54.7 3.1 5.7 Coast 210 46-63 54.1 3.4 6.3 N.W. 79 45-61 52.9 3.5 6.6 Fiji (Howells) 133 44-63 52.4 3.9 7.4 Solomons (Howells) 85 40-59 49.9 3.8 7.7 Tonga (Sullivan) 117 47-65 57.4 3.9 6.8
The Fijian nose may be called medium long. Greatest nasal heights occur in the eastern and in the coastal series. The interior and northwestern groups have shorter noses. The Fijians of Howells' series fall near the short end of my averages. Natives of the Solomons are definitely lower in nasal height, whereas the Tongan's average is so much higher that one suspects a difference in the location of the nasion.
_Nasal Breadth_
No. Range Mean S.D. C.V.
Total sample 815 31-62 46.7 3.4 7.3 Interior 154 40-61 47.6 3.4 7.1 East 120 38-53 45.5 3.0 6.6 Coast 210 38-62 46.4 3.3 7.1 N.W. 79 31-57 47.4 3.6 7.6 Fiji (Howells) 133 37-54 46.19 3.0 6.0 Solomons (Howells) 85 34-51 44.6 2.8 6.3 Tonga (Sullivan) 117 38-55 44.4 3.0 6.8
Broad noses are common to most Fijians. The greatest contrast is between the narrower-nosed eastern people and the interior people, among whom the widest noses occur. The nose of the Solomon Islanders is somewhat narrower, according to Howells' data, and the Tongan average is also lower.
_Nasal Index_
No. Range Mean S.D. C.V.
Total sample 815 61-112 87.1 8.2 9.4 Interior 154 69-109 89.7 8.1 9.0 East 120 61-100 83.2 7.6 9.1 Coast 210 63-111 86.0 7.1 8.7 N.W. 79 63-110 89.9 8.6 9.6 Fiji (Howells) 133 68-123 88.8 8.3 9.3 Solomons (Howells) 85 68-119 87.1 8.9 10.2 Tonga (Sullivan) 117 61-98 77.6 7.6 9.8
Platyrrhini is the rule in Fiji, but individual and regional variations are great. There are some leptorrine subjects in every province, and there are some whose noses are broader than long. The interior people and the northwestern groups have the relatively broadest noses, whereas the eastern index is more moderate. The noses of Sullivan's Tongans are relatively longer than the Lauans. The Solomon Island average is identical with the Fijian.
_Nasal Depth_
No. Range Mean S.D. C.V.
Total sample 815 16-32 22.0 2.9 3.2 Interior 154 17-32 22.5 2.1 9.3 East 120 17-28 21.9 1.8 8.2 Coast 210 17-32 21.8 3.6 6.5 N.W. 79 16-29 22.3 1.9 8.5
Nasal depth averages 22 mm.; the regional variation is very small.
_Nasal-Depth Index_
No. Range Mean S.D. C.V.
Total sample 815 32-60 47.2 6.8 6.8 Interior 154 34-59 47.4 5.1 6.6 East 120 35-60 48.4 4.6 9.5 Coast 210 32-58 47.0 8.1 7.2 N.W. 79 34-58 47.2 5.5 6.7
_Mouth Breadth_
No. Range Mean S.D. C.V.
Total sample 815 29-72 57.6 4.7 8.2 Interior 154 34-72 59.6 4.4 7.4 East 120 33-66 56.5 3.9 6.9 Coast 210 29-67 57.3 4.0 7.0 N.W. 79 36-65 57.3 4.4 7.8
Mouth breadth averages show the interior groups to have widest mouths, the eastern people least wide, and the coastal and northwestern people intermediate.
_Lip Thickness_
No. Range Mean S.D. C.V.
Total sample 815 9-45 22.4 3.8 6.9 Interior 154 12-31 23.4 3.6 5.4 East 120 12-29 21.7 3.4 5.7 Coast 210 16-45 20.8 3.6 5.3 N.W. 79 10-29 22.0 3.9 5.7
Thick lips are characteristic of most Fijians. The interior average is highest for this diameter, whereas the northwestern Fijians have least-thick lips.
_Ear Length_
No. Range Mean S.D. C.V.
Total sample 815 55-83 66.6 4.5 6.8 Interior 154 53-83 66.0 4.8 7.3 East 120 55-80 67.2 5.0 7.4 Coast 210 55-77 66.7 4.9 7.3 N.W. 79 57-75 66.5 3.7 5.6 Tonga (Sullivan) 117 56-81 66.0 4.6 6.9
Fijian ears on the whole tend to be long, as the average 66.6 mm. indicates. Regional differences are slight. Tongans closely resemble Fijians.
_Ear Breadth_
No. Range Mean S.D. C.V.
Total sample 815 24-55 34.3 3.2 9.3 Interior 154 27-41 33.7 2.5 7.4 East 120 29-40 34.1 4.0 11.7 Coast 210 29-55 34.7 3.9 11.2 N.W. 79 25-42 33.8 2.9 8.6 Tonga (Sullivan) 116 25-42 34.5 2.6 7.6
Ear breadth is also generous, and regional differences hardly exceed 1.5 mm., including the Tongans.
_Ear Index_
No. Range Mean S.D. C.V.
Total sample 815 38-62 51.6 5.0 9.7 Interior 154 40-61 51.1 3.6 7.0 East 120 41-59 50.6 5.8 11.5 Coast 210 42-62 52.1 6.7 12.9 N.W. 79 38-59 50.9 4.0 7.9 Tonga (Sullivan) 116 41-62 52.4 3.9 7.5
Length-breadth ear ratios indicate that coastal groups have somewhat broader, and the northwestern people the relative longest, ears.
_Bicanine Breadth_
No. Range Mean S.D. C.V.
Total sample 815 24-72 39.8 11.7 19.4 Interior 154 37-49 39.9 10.7 16.8 East 120 36-68 41.8 7.4 7.7 Coast 210 24-72 39.0 13.4 14.3 N.W. 79 38-49 38.6 14.0 16.3
Bicanine breadth is characteristically great among Fijians, reflecting the ample jaws and teeth. Widest diameters are seen in the east, followed by the hill people of the interior. The northwestern groups have the least bicanine diameter.
MORPHOLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS
PIGMENTATION
_Skin Color: Exposed_
Brunet Swarthy Lt. Brn Med. Brn Dk. Brn Black Total
No. % No. % No. % No. % No. % No. %
Total sample 1 .01 5 .6 30 4 400 48 377 46 0 0 813 Interior 0 0 0 0 1 1 55 36 97 63 0 0 153 East 0 0 3 2 12 10 99 83 6 6 0 0 120 Coast 0 0 1 0 7 3 85 41 116 56 0 0 209 N.W. 0 0 0 0 1 1 42 53 36 46 0 0 79 Fiji II 0 0 0 0 0 0 128 96 5 4 0 0 133 Solomons 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 5 79 93 2 3 85 Tonga (Range from Lt. Brown to Dk. Brown.)
Color of skin includes exposed and unexposed areas. The former was observed on the face, since the Fijians do not use any kind of face or head covering. This condition in the total series divides itself quite evenly between medium brown and dark brown. A few have light-brown skin; only six individuals are classified as swarthy and brunet. None was judged to be completely black. The Fijians of Howells' series are described as 96 per cent medium brown[15] and 5 per cent dark brown, a discrepancy I would attribute to personal judgment difference. The Solomon Islanders are markedly darker than the Fijians, the majority have dark-brown skin and 3 per cent are black, whereas 5 per cent have medium-brown complexions.
Tongan data on skin color cannot be directly adjusted to my statistics. Sullivan's comment on their skin color states that it is "a medium yellowish-brown where it is unexposed to the sun. Exposed parts of the skin of a few of the persons were a very dark chocolate" (Sullivan, 1922, p. 248).
Among the Fijians themselves, the greatest contrasts occur between the eastern and the interior groups of Viti Levu. Where 63 per cent of the latter have dark-brown skin, only 5 per cent of eastern fall into this category. The bulk of eastern (83 per cent) have medium-brown skin as against 36 per cent of hill people. The coastal and northwestern provinces are, like the total series, more evenly divided between medium and dark brown.
_Skin Color: Unexposed_
Brunet Swarthy Lt. Brn Med. Brn Dk. Brn Black Total No. % No. % No. % No. % No. % No. %
Total sample 6 1 9 1 242 30 545 66 11 1 0 0 813 Interior 0 0 0 0 20 13 133 87 0 0 0 0 153 East 3 3 4 3 77 64 36 30 0 0 0 0 120 Coast 1 1 2 1 56 27 148 71 2 1 0 0 209 N.W. 0 0 1 1 20 25 57 72 1 1 0 0 79 Fiji II 0 0 0 0 0 0 127 96 5 4 0 0 132 Solomons 0 0 0 0 0 0 9 11 74 87 2 2 85
Unexposed skin color was observed on the under surface of the upper arm near the armpit. The anticipated shift in color range results in a reduction of dark-skin incidence to a mere 1 per cent, and an increase in medium brown to 60 per cent and of light brown to 30 per cent.
Howells' describes 96 per cent of his Fijians as medium brown, 4 per cent dark brown, and none light brown. The Solomon Islanders seem definitely darker than the Fijians whether they are compared with Howells' or my series.
The eastern groups continues to contrast with the interior people. The former show a majority of 64 per cent in the light-brown category as compared with 13 per cent among the interior groups; the latter have a medium-brown incidence of 87 per cent against 30 per cent among Lauans.
_Hair Color_
Black Dk. Brn Med. Brn Lt. Brn Red-Brown Total No. % No. % No. % No. % No. %
Total sample 757 93 31 5 1 0 0 0 18 2 807 Interior 145 95 8 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 153 East 114 95 6 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 120 Coast 193 92 11 5 0 0 0 0 5 2 204 N.W. 70 89 5 6 0 0 0 0 4 5 75 Fiji II 118 91 9 7 0 0 0 0 3 2 130 Solomons 55 65 26 31 0 0 3 4 0 0 84 Tonga 0 94 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Black hair is the usual color, although 5 per cent are described as dark brown and a few red-brown. This latter variation is a rufous color (reddish-brown) and it may be a little more frequent than the data indicate because the Fijians frequently dye their hair with a substance extracted from mangrove bark. This intensifies the usual blackness of the hair and adds a satisfying gloss. More sophisticated natives have access to modern hair dye and lacking this, some have been known to resort to black shoe polish.
Hair bleaching is no longer practiced in Fiji.
The hair of the Solomons Islands is not so uniformly black, nearly a third have dark-brown hair and a few are light brown.
_Eye Color_
Black Dk. Brown Med. Brown Lt. Brown Total No. % No. % No. % No. %
Fiji I 2 0 550 68 257 31 4 1 813 Interior 0 0 131 86 22 14 0 0 153 East 0 0 71 59 48 40 1 1 120 Coast 0 0 127 61 81 39 1 0 209 N.W. 1 1 53 67 25 32 0 0 79 Fiji II 0 0 130 98 0 0 2 2 132 Solomons 0 0 85 100 0 0 0 0 85 Tonga 0 3 0 94 0 0 0 3
A little more than two-thirds of Fijians' eyes are described as dark brown. The remaining third have medium-brown eyes. There were four individuals who were light brown. Howells, with his Fijian series, is more generous with the darker designation; he designated 98 per cent as dark brown and 2 per cent light brown. His Solomons sample is described as dark brown without exception. The Tongan data also is recorded as more uniformly dark brown than my Fijians.
The Fijians of the interior of Viti Levu have more deeply pigmented eyes than the others; 86 per cent are classed as dark brown and only 14 per cent medium brown.
HAIR
_Hair Form_
Straight Low Wave Deep Wave Curl Frizz Wool Total No. % No. % No. % No. % No. % No. %
Total sample 0 0 7 0.1 13 0.2 91 11.0 702 862 0 0 813 Interior 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 3 149 97 0 0 153 East 0 0 1 1 10 8 37 31 72 60 0 0 120 Coast 0 0 0 1 3 0 18 9 188 90 0 0 209 N.W. 0 0 2 3 0 0 7 9 70 89 0 0 79 Fiji II 0 0 0 0 0 0 19 16 38 33 59 51 116 Solomons 2 3.3 1 1.6 0 0 16 26 17 28 25 41 61
Frizzly hair is the condition of over 85 per cent of Fijians; 11 per cent are curly-haired, whereas over twenty individuals have wavy hair. Straight hair is absent. The Fiji II series of Howell distinguishes between frizzly and wooly hair, which I do not. Their combined incidence is 83 per cent, quite close to my frequency of frizzly. Whether one does or does not distinguish between frizzly and wooly hair, there is no doubt that most Fijians have Negroid hair form. The Solomon Islanders are surprising with somewhat less Negroid hair form than the Fijians. Their combined percentage of frizzly and wooly is 69, which is nearly 20 per cent less than that of the Fijians. Twenty per cent have curly hair against 11 per cent among Fijians. Also, the only instances of straight hair occur in the Solomons.
In the Fijian breakdown, the interior groups have the most Negroid hair; 97 per cent have frizzly hair and 3 per cent have curly hair. The eastern people are the least Negroid in this respect; frizzly hair drops to 60 per cent, whereas curly hair advances to 30 per cent and wavy hair to 9 per cent. The coastal and northwestern series are closer to the interior groups with about 90 per cent frizzly hair.
_Hair Texture_
Course Medium Fine Total No. % No. % No. %
Total sample 804 99 9 1 0 0 813 Interior 153 100 0 0 0 0 153 East 116 97 4 3 0 0 120 Coast 208 100 1 0 0 0 209 N.W. 78 99 1 1 0 0 79
Hair texture is prevailingly coarse; only 1 per cent of the total series shows medium coarseness and none have fine hair. This preponderance of coarse hair is much the same in all the provinces, although the eastern people do depart slightly with a 3 per cent incidence of medium-coarse hair.
It might be added that Fijian hair is quite stiff or wiry. For example, when the hair is unshorn, it stands out like a mop. A Fijian can insert a long stemmed flower in his hair and it will stay in place with no additional fastening.
_Head Hair Quantity_
Absent Subm. +[16] ++ +++ Total No. % No. % No. % No. % No. %
Total sample 0 0 61 7 219 27 533 65 0 0 813 Interior 0 0 26 17 27 18 100 65 0 0 153 East 0 0 5 4 24 20 91 76 0 0 120 Coast 0 0 11 5 63 30 135 65 0 0 209 N.W. 0 0 7 9 21 27 51 65 0 0 79 Fiji II 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 132 92 133 Solomons 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 6 80 94 85
Head hair quantity is pronounced in the majority of Fijians (65 per cent); it is moderate in 27 per cent and submedium in 7 per cent. Howells describes nearly all the Fijians as having very pronounced head hair--99 per cent, which would appear to be a personal difference in appraisal. In any case, the two series agree that Fijians have hair of more than moderate quantity. The Melanesians of the Solomons are also characterized by much head hair.
Regionally, the only significant variation in this trait is shown in the east, where more individuals have a submedium designation. In the absence of age data, this contrast cannot be fairly interpreted.
_Hair Length_