Dermatoglyphic Relationships among South Amerindian Populations

Document Type

Article

Authors

Dario A. Demarchi, National University of Córdoba
Alberto J. Marcellino, National University of Córdoba; Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET)

Abstract

The biological affinities among 17 South American aboriginal populations are examined by means of a multivariate analysis of their dermatoglyphic finger patterns. Different analytical methods [cluster analysis, nonmetric multidimensional scaling, and multiresponse permutation procedure (based on distances derived from principal components analysis)] reveal interpopulation relationships consistent with Loukotka’s language classification. The paleo-American tribes from the Gran Chaco and Brazil share a high incidence of whorls as a distinctive feature. The Andean and tropical forest groups, which present a greater prevalence of arches and ulnar loops, appear to be closely related to each other, suggesting a more recent common origin and/or substantial gene flow between them.

Recommended Citation

Demarchi, Dario A. and Marcellino, Alberto J. (1998) "Dermatoglyphic Relationships among South Amerindian Populations," Human Biology: Vol. 70: Iss. 3, Article 9.
Available at: https://digitalcommons.wayne.edu/humbiol/vol70/iss3/9