The next table gives the measurements of the long bones in both sexes
in the Yukon Indian (for comparison), in the Yukon Eskimo, and in the
western Eskimo, the latter coming mainly from the coast south of the
Yukon and from the Nunivak and St. Lawrence Islands. The Yukon Eskimo
material, collected from intact burials by the writer, is unfortunately
limited to the northern mouth of the river. The skeletons from St.
Lawrence Island were collected on the Smithsonian expedition to the
place in 1912 by Riley D. Moore, 1927 expedition by H. B. Collins, jr.,
and T. D. Stewart, all of the National Museum.
The Yukon Eskimo show perceptibly longer bones than do either the
Indians or the southeastern and midwestern Eskimo, indicating a
somewhat taller stature.
The humerus in the males is less broad than either in the Indians or
the midwestern and southwestern Eskimo and has as a consequence high
shaft index; but in the females the index in the Yukon and western
Eskimo series is identical. The radius is relatively even shorter in
the Yukon that it is in the other Eskimo, giving low radio-humeral
index.
The femur is notably less platymeric in the male and slightly less so
in the female Yukon Eskimo than it is in both the Indians and the rest
of the southwestern and midwestern Eskimo, giving a higher index at the
upper flattening. The meaning of these facts is not obvious and they
may undergo some modification with more material.
As to strength, measured by the mean diameter of the shafts, the Yukon
Eskimo in comparison to the southwestern and midwestern show a slightly
weaker humerus, and in the males a slightly weaker femur at middle,
but in the males again, a slightly stronger tibia. If, however, the
mean diameters of the bones are taken in relation to the length of the
bones, then in both sexes and in all the parts the southwestern and
midwestern Eskimo are slightly stronger. This would seem to indicate
more exertion, with harder life, among the coastal and insular than
among the river Eskimo. As a matter of fact Kotlik and the near-by
Pastolik, from which our skeletons came, were favorably situated at the
northern mouth of the river.
The Yukon Eskimo females, as compared with the males, have a somewhat
weaker and especially somewhat flatter humerus, with a consequently
lower shaft index; they have relatively even a shorter radius, giving
a lower radio-humeral index; their humerus itself is relatively short,
giving a lower humero-femoral index; their femur is relatively somewhat
flatter at the upper flattening, giving a lower index of platymery;
while their tibia is relatively less strong antero-posteriorly,
resulting in an index that is more than four points higher than that of
the males.
YUKON INDIAN, YUKON ESKIMO, AND WESTERN ESKIMO LONG
BONES[45]
--------------+--------------------------+--------------------------
| Male | Female
--------------+------+------+------------+------+------+------------
Paired bones | Yukon| Yukon|Southwestern| Yukon| Yukon|Southwestern
of the two |Indian|Eskimo| and|Indian|Eskimo| and
sides | | | midwestern| | | midwestern
| | | Eskimo| | | Eskimo
| | | | | |
Humerus: | (10)| (16)| (143)| (4)| (16)| (136)
| | | | | |
Mean length | 31.17| 32.10| 30.69| 28.12| 28.31| 28.40
(right | | | | | |
and left) | | | | | |
| | | | | |
At middle-- | | | | | |
| | | | | |
Diameter, | 2.38| 2.83| 2.40| 1.90| 2.07| 2.10
major | | | | | |
| | | | | |
Diameter, | 1.67| 1.80| 1.80| 1.40| 1.51| 1.54
minor | | | | | |
| | | | | |
Index | _70_|_78.2_| _75.1_|_73.7_|_73.2_| _73.2_
| | | | | |
Radius: | (10)| (16)| (98)| (4)| (16)| (109)
| | | | | |
Mean length | 23.61| 23.44| 22.90| 21.10| 20.18| 20.50
| | | | | |
Radio-humeral |_75.7_| _73_| _74.5_| _75_|_71.3_| _72.2_
index | | | | | |
| | | | | |
Femur: | (14)| (22)| (195)| (8)| (27)| (132)
| | | | | |
Mean length | 41.92| 43.78| 42.50| 40.15| 41.11| 39.36
(bicond.) | | | | | |
| | | | | |
Humero-femoral|_74.5_| _n.| _72.2_| _73_| _n.| _72.2_
index | | 73_| | | 69_|
| | | | | |
At middle-- | | | | | |
| | | | | |
Diameter | 2.96| 3.05| 3.08| 2.59| 2.74| 2.69
antero- | | | | | |
posterior | | | | | |
maximum | | | | | |
| | | | | |
Diameter | 2.58| 2.67| 2.70| 2.45| 2.44| 2.46
lateral | | | | | |
| | | | | |
Index |_87.1_|_87.6_| _87.6_|_94.7_|_88.8_| _91.5_
| | | | | |
At upper | | | | | |
flattening-- | | | | | |
| | | | | |
Diameter, | 3.25| 3.31| 3.35| 2.84| 3.02| 3.02
maximum | | | | | |
| | | | | |
Diameter, | 2.30| 2.57| 2.51| 2.16| 2.27| 2.26
minimum | | | | | |
| | | | | |
Index |_70.7_|_77.4_| _75_|_75.8_|_75.4_| _74.5_
| | | | | |
Tibia: | (14)| (22)| (141)| (8)| (27)| (147)
| | | | | |
Mean length | 34.19| 35.14| 33.86| 31.97| 32.01| 31.32
(I. A.) | | | | | |
| | | | | |
Tibio-femoral |_81.5_|_80.3_| _79.7_|_79.6_|_79.8_| _79.6_
index | | | | | |
| | | | | |
At middle-- | | | | | |
| | | | | |
Diameter | 3.04| 3.16| 3.12| 2.72| 2.61| 2.71
antero- | | | | | |
posterior | | | | | |
maximum | | | | | |
| | | | | |
Diameter, | 2| 2.15| 2.12| 1.82| 1.90| 1.89
lateral | | | | | |
| | | | | |
Index | _66_|_68.3_| _67.9_|_66.9_|_72.8_| _69.9_
--------------+------+------+------------+------+------+------------