The preceding data may be summarized from three points of view. The
first will emphasize the physical features that are common to most
Fijians. At the outset it should be pointed out that a "typical" Fijian
does not exist, except as a statistical abstraction. The racial
composition of the Fijian is complex and far from being homogeneous.
There is no doubt, from the physical and cultural evidence, as well as
the geographical location, that Fijians are related to both Melanesians
and Polynesians. The second point is to give a precise indication of
these affinities with Melanesia and Polynesia. A third concern of this
analysis is the geographical variability within Fiji. This consists of a
regional breakdown of the Fijian data into interior, eastern, coastal,
and northwestern divisions, in order to demonstrate some of the local
variation of the Melanesian-Polynesian ingredients and their possible
meaning.
_Body (pl. 1)._--In general size and appearance, the Fijian is tall and
well proportioned. His body is fairly tall and well muscled, that is,
predominately athletic in build. Obesity is relatively uncommon except
in moderate degrees. This rather tall stature allies the Fijians more
closely with the Polynesians. Shoulder, chest, and hip diameters also
indicate that Fijians are generously endowed.
The Fijians who occupy the mountainous interior of the main island are
less tall than the coastal and eastern people; they also have narrower
shoulders, relatively deeper and narrower chests, whereas their arms and
legs are somewhat shorter. The eastern Fijians are tallest of all
subgroups.
_Skin Color._--Most Fijians have either medium- or dark-brown skin on the
exposed facial surfaces. The more protected body areas show higher
frequencies of medium brown and light brown. The Fijians are definitely
less dark than the Melanesians but are darker, on the whole, than the
Polynesians.
The interior hill tribes are darker than the eastern and coastal groups.
The lightest average skin shade occurs in the east.
_Hair (pls. 6 and 7)._--In several respects the hair is the most
consistent endowment of the Fijians. In nearly all instances it is
black, frizzly, and coarse. The only departure from this condition is an
occasional instance of dark brown and a few instances of rufous shade.
Curly hair is a more common exception in the east. The coastal and
northwestern people are nearer to the interior condition of frizzly
hair. All in all, the hair form is definitely Melanesian. Hair length
conforms to the general Melanesian condition, that is, intermediate
between short Negroid and long Caucasiod or Mongoloid.
Considerable beard and body hair is common to Fijians (pls. 8 and 9).
Moderate to pronounced beard is shown by nearly three-quarters of the
total series, and body hair is even more prevelant. General hairiness is
also exhibited by the Solomon Islanders and the Tongans in the
comparative data. The interior tribes of Fiji are more hairy than the
other groups. This prevelence of body and face hair seems to conform to
parts of Melanesia where it may be regarded as an Australoid element.
Its presence in the Tongan data does not seem to be representative of
other Polynesians, who are generally described as more glabrous.
_Head (pl. 2)._--Moderate brachycephaly is the commonest head form of
Fijians, although the total range is great. In this respect the Fijians
resemble the broad-headed Tongans, and are quite distinct from the
longer-headed Melanesians. The Fijian head, despite its general
brachycephaly, is rather compressed in the temporal area and submedium
in parietal elevation. The back of the cranium is characteristically
flattened, a natural conformation as no deformation is practiced.
The interior mountain tribes of Fiji have narrower heads and lower
cranial indices than do the coastal and eastern groups. The interior
people also have lesser head heights and a higher breadth-height index.
_Forehead (pl. 10)._--Moderate to strongly developed supraorbital ridges
are a common Fijian endowment. Similarly are low and sloping foreheads.
These features have been observed in western Melanesia, where, like
hairiness, they suggest Australoid of archaic Caucasoid elements.
_Face._--Broadness characterizes the Fijian face. Bizygomatic breadth
locates them nearer to the Polynesians than to the narrower-faced
Melanesians. Strongly developed malars are common, and they tend to
project laterally more than frontally. Widest faces appear among the
eastern people.
Bigonial and bicanine widths show that generous breadth includes the
lower parts of the face, a condition born out by strong gonial angles.
Face length falls between the long-faced Tongans and the definitely
shorter-faced Melanesians (pls. 3 and 4).
Some prognathism is common among Fijians, both total and mid-facial, but
the condition is not universal nor pronounced. The eastern Fijians are
the least prognathic (pl. 10).
_Eyes._--Dark brown is the prevailing eye color, although many subjects
have medium-brown eyes. Eye folds are only occasional and eye-opening
height is usually moderate. Slight eye obliquity is common, more so in
the eastern sample.
_Nose (pl. 4)._--Great variability marks the nasal area. The commonest
condition is a broad and moderately long nose. Medium nasion depression
is frequent; the root is wide and moderately elevated. Bridge breadth is
often pronounced and the nasal profile is straight to convex. The nasal
tip is characteristically thickened and nasal wings are usually flaring.
On the whole, there is a great deal of Melanesian in the Fijian nose; it
is Negroid, but not pronouncedly. Those aspects of the nose which may be
termed Negroid are commoner in the interior hill people and the
northwest and least evident in the east.
_Lips (pl. 5)._--Thick and moderately everted lips occur in nearly half
the series. This Negroid combination is more manifest in the interior
and least in the east. Integumental lips tend to be heavy.
_Teeth._--The condition of the teeth is generally excellent. Most Fijians
have broad, roomy jaws that permit complete and uncrowded tooth
development. Dental caries are very infrequent. A rather high incidence
of edge-to-edge bite is interesting.
_Ears (pl. 5)._--The ears are usually moderate in length and tend to
protrude. Ear lobes are commonly large and are more often attached or
soldered than free.