The skeletal parts of the western Eskimo, outside of the skull, are but little known. The only records are those on two skeletons (one male, one female) from Point Barrow by Hawkes,[188] and those on a few bones from Port Clarence by Cameron.[189] The data on the skeletal parts of the northern and eastern Eskimo are only slightly richer, being for the most part fragmentary and scattered.[190] Nor has the time arrived yet for a comprehensive study of such material, for notwithstanding the relative abundance in crania and the more resistant individual skeletal parts, the securing of anywhere near complete skeletons is very difficult. Nevertheless there is now a good number of the long bones of the western Eskimo in the possession of the National Museum and the main data on these, all secured personally by the writer, will be given. They must for the present remain essentially as so many figures without adequate discussion and comparisons. Nevertheless a few facts appear so plainly that they may well be pointed out before concluding this section.
FOOTNOTES:
[188] Amer. Anthrop., 1916, LVIII, 240-243.
[189] Rep. Canad. Arct. Exp., 1913-1918, Pt. C, 1923, 56-57.
[190] Mainly by Turner (London, 1886); Duckworth (Cambridge, 1904); Hrdlička (New York, 1910); Cameron (Ottawa, 1913-1918); also a series of incidental references and comparisons.
Western Eskimo: the Long Bones
| Bones of both sides taken together | Males | Females | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southwestern and midwestern groups[191] | Seward Peninsula[192] | Point Hope | Seward Peninsula and northwestern Eskimo in general[193] | Southwestern and midwestern groups | Seward Peninsula | Point Hope | Seward Peninsula and northwestern Eskimo in general | |
| Humeri: | (143) | (261) | (67) | (100) | (136) | (26) | (55) | (83) |
| Length maximum | 30.69 | 31.42 | 31.07 | 31.17 | 28.40 | 28.75 | 28.83 | 28.83 |
| At middle— | ||||||||
| Diameter maximum | 2.40 | 2.46 | 2.46 | 2.46 | 2.10 | 2.14 | 2.16 | 2.15 |
| Diameter minimum | 1.80 | 1.81 | 1.86 | 1.85 | 1.54 | 1.59 | 1.63 | 1.62 |
| Index at middle | 75.1 | 73.8 | 75.8 | 75.1 | 73.2 | 74.4 | 75.4 | 75.1 |
| Radii: | (98) | (20) | (15) | (37) | (109) | (16) | (8) | (24) |
| Length maximum | 22.90 | 23.63 | 23.44 | 23.50 | 20.50 | 21.26 | [194](21.58) | 21.25 |
| Radio-humeral index (approximate) | 74.5 | 75.2 | 75.4 | 75.4 | 72.2 | 74 | (74.8) | 74 |
| Femora: | (195) | (44) | (10) | (60) | (132) | (26) | (31) | |
| Length, bicond. | 42.50 | 43.20 | (44.06) | 43.46 | 39.36 | 40.12 | 40.44 | |
| Humero-femoral index (approximate) | 72.2 | 72.7 | [195](70.5) | 71.7 | 72.2 | 71.7 | 71.3 | |
| At middle— | ||||||||
| Diameter antero-posterior | 3.08 | 3.17 | (3.33) | 3.21 | 2.69 | 2.85 | 2.88 | |
| Diameter lateral | 2.70 | 2.72 | (2.68) | 2.72 | 2.46 | 2.55 | 2.56 | |
| Index at middle | 87.6 | 85.8 | (80.4) | 84.8 | 91.5 | 89.6 | 88.9 | |
| At upper flattening— | ||||||||
| Diameter maximum | 3.35 | 3.34 | (3.27) | 3.32 | 3.02 | 3.04 | 3.06 | |
| Diameter minimum | 2.51 | 2.57 | (2.58) | 2.59 | 2.26 | 2.37 | 2.40 | |
| Index at upper flattening | 75 | 77 | (79) | 78.1 | 74.5 | 78 | 78.4 | |
| Tibiae: | (141) | (35) | (41) | (79) | (147) | (18) | (17) | (36) |
| Length (in position) | 33.86 | 34.52 | 36.40 | 35.52 | 31.32 | 31.90 | 32.90 | 32.50 |
| Tibio-femoral index (approximate) | 79.7 | 79.9 | [194](82.6) | 81.7 | 79.6 | 79.5 | 80.4 | |
| At middle— | ||||||||
| Diameter antero-posterior | 3.12 | 3.13 | 3.26 | 3.19 | 2.71 | 2.71 | 2.80 | 2.75 |
| Diameter lateral | 2.12 | 2.12 | 2.20 | 2.16 | 1.89 | 1.93 | 1.92 | 1.92 |
| Index at middle | 67.9 | 67.7 | 67.4 | 67.8 | 69.9 | 71.3 | 68.8 | 70 |
The first fact shown by the preceding figures is the slightly greater length of all the long bones in the midwestern and northwestern groups as compared with those of the Bering Sea (midwestern and southwestern). This means naturally that the people of the Seward Peninsula and northward average somewhat taller in stature.