_Head Circumference_
No. Range Mean S.D. C.V.
Total sample 815 410-630 562.4 7.8 6.7
Interior 154 537-613 565.3 4.1 2.5
East 120 528-630 566.3 4.9 2.9
Coast 210 410-630 563.5 4.6 3.5
N.W. 79 537-597 557.7 14.3 11.5
The head circumference average of 562.4 mm. Probably is a little on the
large size because of the thick wiry hair of most Fijians; the eastern
groups appear to have the largest heads and the northwestern groups show
a rather abrupt drop.
_Head Length_[14]
No. Range Mean S.D. C.V.
Total sample 815 162-215 187.9 9.4 5.0
Interior 154 170-210 190.1 7.6 4.0
East 120 172-209 188.6 6.6 3.5
Coast 210 162-215 187.4 13.5 7.2
N.W. 79 165-214 187.2 7.9 4.2
Fiji (Howells) 133 164-208 188.8 7.29 3.86
Solomons (Howells) 85 170-208 188.5 6.5 3.5
Tonga (Sullivan) 117 173-213 191.0 6.6 3.5
Total head length for all Fijians is 187.9 mm; longest heads occur in
the interior. Both Howells' Fijian average and the Solomon Islands
series are close to the above value. Gifford's Tongan head length of 191
mm. Somewhat exceeds the Fijian.
_Head Breadth_
No. Range Mean S.D. C.V.
Total sample 815 122-186 155.9 6.8 7.7
Interior 154 135-170 152.1 6.6 4.3
East 120 144-172 157.2 5.2 3.3
Coast 210 141-186 158.3 9.3 8.5
N.W. 79 122-185 152.9 8.6 8.2
Fiji (Howells) 133 135-170 153.7 6.1 3.9
Solomons (Howells) 85 126-158 144.7 5.2 3.6
Tonga (Sullivan) 117 145-167 154.8 4.3 2.8
General head breadth is 155.9 mm., and considerable regional variation
is shown. Fijians of the interior have the narrowest heads, whereas the
coastal and eastern people have appreciably wider heads. Howells' series
of Fijians are closest to my highland groups.
The Solomon Islanders are markedly narrower headed than the Fijians,
whereas Sullivan's Tongan series is nearer the Fijian average.
_Cephalic Index_
No. Range Mean S.D. C.V.
Total sample 815 68-99 83.0 6.4 7.7
Interior 154 68-96 80.0 6.0 7.3
East 120 72-92 83.9 3.8 4.5
Coast 210 72-99 84.2 7.2 8.6
N.W. 79 71-95 81.6 10.3 12.6
Fiji (Howells) 133 68-94 81.54 4.7 5.7
Solomons (Howells) 85 65-88 76.8 3.9 5.1
Tonga (Sullivan) 117 73-89 81.1 3.1 3.9
Most Fijians tend to brachycephaly. The eastern natives and those of the
coastal series have the broadest heads. The interior people show
definitely lesser values in this ratio than do the other groups.
Howells' Fijian series is close to the northwestern Fijians in their
mesocephaly, and so is the Tongan mean. The Solomon series borders on
dolicocephaly.
_Head Height_
No. Range Mean S.D. C.V.
Total sample 815 110-154 129.5 6.8 7.9
Interior 154 114-140 127.7 4.8 3.8
East 120 114-148 129.6 5.0 3.9
Coast 210 112-154 120.0 7.0 5.4
N.W. 79 117-142 127.6 9.2 8.9
Head height averages do not differ greatly among the provinces. The
interior and northwestern people have somewhat lower heads; the coastal
and eastern people show slight superiority.
_Length-Height_
No. Range Mean S.D. C.V.
Total sample 815 55-84 69.0 3.4 3.6
Interior 154 59-77 67.2 3.9 5.8
East 120 61-78 68.7 3.2 4.7
Coast 210 55-84 69.4 3.7 4.3
N.W. 79 58-84 68.1 4.5 3.5
Relative to head length, the cranial vault of Fijians is high. The
mountain people show the lowest relative head height, whereas the other
provinces are nearer to the over-all average.
_Breadth-Height_
No. Range Mean S.D. C.V.
Total sample 815 66-102 83.0 3.0 3.3
Interior 154 75-96 84.0 3.9 4.6
East 120 75-91 82.4 3.4 4.1
Coast 210 66-97 82.8 5.3 8.4
N.W. 79 73-92 81.2 8.6 9.7
Head height relative to total breadth is 83 per cent. In this ratio the
interior groups have the highest index, a condition owing more to
deficiency in cranial breadth than to superior head height.
_Cranial Module_
No. Range Mean S.D. C.V.
Total sample 815 141-176 157.7 10.5 6.7
Interior 154 147-166 156.6 11.5 7.3
East 120 148-172 158.4 4.4 2.7
Coast 210 143-176 158.5 15.5 9.7
N.W. 79 141-171 155.9 10.7 6.7
Head size as expressed by the cranial module averages 157.7 mm. for all
Fijians. Regional fluctuation is unimportant.
_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.