A Racial Study of the Fijians Part 7

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

Total sample 0 0 243 30 328 40 162 20 80 10 813 Interior 0 0 31 20 56 37 41 27 25 16 153 East 0 0 55 46 45 38 14 12 6 5 120 Coast 0 0 57 27 82 39 46 22 24 11 209 N.W. 0 0 16 20 36 46 19 24 8 8 79 Tonga 0 0 23 29 0 26 0 22 0 0 0

The body hair endowment is also not unimpressive. Forty per cent show a moderate condition, 20 per cent are p.r.o.nounced, and 10 per cent very p.r.o.nounced; none are totally devoid of body hair; 30 per cent are submedium. Chest hair among the Tongans is somewhat less in evidence; although the majority range from submedium to p.r.o.nounced, 23 per cent are described as hairless.

The provincial distribution in Fiji follows that of face hair: the interior groups are hairiest and the eastern people least so.

The anatomical distribution of body hair deserves some comment, even though specific observations were made on the chest. Not infrequently the hair is heavier on the upper legs than on the chest. Occasionally, too, the back of the shoulders is quite hairy as well as the belly.

_Grayness: Head_

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

Total sample 621 76 82 10 82 10 28 3 3 3 813 Interior 80 52 37 24 19 12 17 11 0 0 153 East 91 76 13 11 16 13 0 0 0 0 120 Coast 176 84 14 7 17 8 2 1 0 0 209 N.W. 60 76 8 10 9 11 2 3 0 0 79

_Grayness: Beard_

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

Total sample 610 75 61 8 90 11 52 6 0 0 813 Interior 72 47 30 20 20 13 31 20 0 0 153 East 89 74 9 8 18 15 4 3 0 0 120 Coast 178 85 8 4 21 10 2 1 0 0 209 N.W. 60 76 6 8 11 14 2 3 0 0 79

Grayness of the hair data without corresponding age incidence is not particularly significant. It is clear, nevertheless, that premature grayness is not common. I would hazard the judgment that on the whole the Fijians show less tendency to grayness than do Caucasians.

The higher incidence of grayness of the interior sample of Fijians is likely due to a larger number of older men in that series.

THE FACE

_Prognathism: Total_

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

Fiji I 206 25 306 38 288 35 13 2 813 Interior 40 26 59 39 52 34 2 1 153 East 54 45 55 46 11 9 0 0 120 Coast 47 22 84 40 73 35 5 2 209 N.W. 18 23 29 37 32 41 0 0 79 Tonga 63 53 26 22 29 25 0 0 118

_Prognathism: Mid-Facial_

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

Fiji I 517 64 184 23 109 13 3 1/2 813 Interior 133 87 15 10 5 3 0 0 153 East 100 83 17 14 3 3 0 0 120 Coast 122 58 49 23 37 18 1 1 209 N.W. 48 61 20 25 11 14 0 0 79

_Prognathism: Alveolar_

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

Fiji I 798 98 9 1 4 1/2 2 0 813 Interior 153 100 0 0 0 0 0 0 153 East 120 100 0 0 0 0 0 0 120 Coast 207 99 0 0 1 1/2 1 1/2 209 N.W. 76 {96} 2 3 0 0 1 1 79

Slight and moderate total prognathism characterizes most Fijians but it is p.r.o.nounced in only 13 of the 813 subjects. A quarter of the series show no prognathism. The eastern people are least prognathic with a zero incidence of 45 per cent. The other regional sample are close to the general condition.

Mid-facial prognathism has a submedium incidence of 23 per cent and a medium of 13 per cent; the remainder lack the condition, except three individuals who are p.r.o.nounced.

The coastal and northwestern groups have more frequent medium designations. Alveolar prognathism is almost entirely lacking in all groups.

_Malar Projection: Lateral_

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

Fiji I 1 0 2 0 264 32 543 67 3 0 813 Interior 0 0 0 0 62 41 91 59 0 0 153 East 0 0 0 0 25 21 95 79 0 0 120 Coast 0 0 0 0 68 33 141 67 0 0 209 N.W. 0 0 0 0 28 35 50 63 1 1 79

_Malar Projection: Frontal_

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

Fiji I 4 1/2 0 0 709 87 100 12 809 Interior 0 0 0 0 139 91 14 9 153 East 0 0 0 0 103 86 17 14 120 Coast 1 0 0 0 181 87 27 13 209 N.W. 0 0 0 0 67 85 12 15 79

The facial contours generally include lateral malar projection; two-thirds show a p.r.o.nounced condition and the balance are medium. The eastern people have high cheek bones oftener than do the others.

Frontal malar projection is also common but more often moderately so; 87 per cent show medium projection and 12 per cent are p.r.o.nounced.

_Gonial Angles_

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

Fiji I 24 3 459 56 325 40 5 1 813 Interior 0 0 97 63 55 36 1 1 153 East 1 1 65 54 54 45 0 0 120 Coast 7 3 110 53 90 43 2 1 209 N.W. 3 4 49 62 27 34 0 0 79

_Palate Shape_

Parabolic Sm. U Lg. U Square Total No. % No. % No. % No. %

Fiji I 493 61 2 0 303 37 15 2 813 Interior 94 61 0 0 59 39 0 0 153 East 81 68 0 0 38 32 1 1 120 Coast 131 63 0 0 71 34 7 3 209 N.W. 50 63 1 1 27 34 1 1 79

A fairly strong tendency to well-developed gonial angles is indicated; 40 per cent show p.r.o.nounced angles and nearly all the rest are medium.

These proportions hold pretty much for all groups.

Palate shape also attests to the well-developed jaws of Fijians; it is a large U in 37 per cent of the subjects; 2 per cent are square and the remainder parabolic.

_Chin Prominence_

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

Fiji I 2 0 164 20 593 73 54 7 813 Interior 0 0 36 24 110 72 7 5 153 East 0 0 25 21 89 74 6 5 120 Coast 0 0 41 20 153 73 13 6 207 N.W. 1 1 11 14 55 70 9 11 76

_Chin Type_

Median Bilateral Total No. % No. %

Fiji I 673 83 140 17 813 Interior 130 85 23 15 153 East 112 93 8 7 120 Coast 162 78 45 22 207 N.W. 62 82 14 18 76

A well-developed chin further typifies most Fijian faces; nearly three-quarters have a moderate chin prominence, 7 per cent are p.r.o.nounced, and the remainder are submedium. This range is much the same in the subgroups.