A Racial Study of the Fijians Part 6

_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 antic.i.p.ated 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 cla.s.sed 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 coa.r.s.e; only 1 per cent of the total series shows medium coa.r.s.eness and none have fine hair. This preponderance of coa.r.s.e hair is much the same in all the provinces, although the eastern people do depart slightly with a 3 per cent incidence of medium-coa.r.s.e 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 Quant.i.ty_

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 quant.i.ty is p.r.o.nounced 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 p.r.o.nounced 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 quant.i.ty. 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_

It might be observed here that although hair length was not included in this survey, on the basis of personal but unrecorded observation, the Fijians conform to the Melanesian pattern. Most Fijian men now cut their hair short in the Western style, but some still do not. Women generally trim their hair but not short. The natural length of head hair is intermediate between the short-haired African Negroes and the long-haired Caucasians and Mongolians.

_Baldness_

Subm. + ++ +++ Total No. % No. % No. % No. % No. %

Total sample 731 90 40 3 30 4 12 1 0 0 813 Interior 122 80 12 8 12 8 7 5 0 0 153 East 112 93 3 3 4 3 1 1 0 0 120 Coast 194 93 10 5 4 2 1 0 0 0 209 N.W. 72 91 1 1 3 4 3 4 0 0 79

The lack of age correlations also limits the value of data on baldness, but some meaning can nevertheless be extracted. Regardless of age, with an incidence of p.r.o.nounced baldness of 1 per cent among all adult males and of 4 per cent for a moderate condition, it is a clear indication that Fijians are not p.r.o.ne to loss of head hair.

_Beard Quant.i.ty_

Absent Subm. + ++ +++ Total No. % No. % No. % No. % No. %

Total sample 0 0 234 29 370 44 208 26 1 .01 813 Interior 0 0 22 14 67 44 64 42 0 0 153 East 0 0 45 38 59 49 16 13 0 0 120 Coast 0 0 60 29 94 45 54 26 1 0 209 N.W. 0 0 22 28 30 38 27 34 0 0 79 Fiji II cheeks 27 21 2 2 44 34 46 35 12 9 131 skin 9 7 0 0 52 40 56 43 14 10 131 Solomons cheeks 21 25 0 0 42 49 22 26 0 0 85 chin 7 8 0 0 53 62 25 29 0 0 85 Tonga chin 0 0 0 19 0 31 50 0 0 0 0 lower chk. 0 4 0 37 0 18 40 0 0 0 0

Moderate beard quant.i.ty is shown by 44 per cent of Fijians; the remainder are fairly evenly divided between the submedium and p.r.o.nounced categories. Howells' series, which records beard quant.i.ty for the cheeks and chin separately, shows a higher frequency of p.r.o.nounced and very p.r.o.nounced designations. However, his data includes many individuals who have no beards at all. Both series are doubtless influenced by the fact that they contain a preponderance of young adult; a greater proportion of older men would have greatly raised the incidence of the p.r.o.nounced categories.

Nearly all modern Fijians have adopted the Western practice of shaving.

Examination of earlier pictures and written description of Fijians leaves no doubt that the majority of mature men possess luxurious beards when nature is unrestrained.

The natives of the Solomon Islands, according to Howells, are a little less bearded than the Fijians.

The Tongans are a little more heavily bearded than the Fijians.

Some geographical variation is indicated by my data. The interior people of Fiji have the highest incidence of face hair; 42 per cent are recorded as p.r.o.nounced. Least endowed are the eastern Fijians, where 13 per cent have p.r.o.nounced beards and 38 per cent are submedium. The coastal and northwestern series conform more closely to the overall distribution.

_Body Hair_[17]