A Racial Study of the Fijians

by Norman E. Gabel

Eye Opening

	Absent	Subm.	+	++	Total
	No. %	No. %	No. %	No. %
Fiji I	0 0	75 9-1/2	737 91	1 1/2	813
Interior	0 0	24 16	128 84	1 1	153
East	0 0	13 11	107 89	0 0	120
Coast	0 0	9 4	200 96	0 0	209
N.W.	0 0	7 9	72 91	0 0	79

Some degree of eye obliquity is present in the majority of cases; 43 per cent show a submedium condition; 25 per cent are medium and three individuals have pronouncedly oblique eyes. The remainder, or 31 per cent, have no obliquity. In the east, the natives depart from this total distribution in opposite directions. The interior groups have much less eye obliquity; the eastern people, a great deal more. The other provinces are quite close to the total frequencies.

Eye opening height is preponderately moderate (91 per cent). The remaining 10 per cent with one exception show submedium eye opening. Regional variation is not great. The eastern and interior groups have a little higher frequency in the submedium class.

FOREHEAD

Brow Ridges

	Absent	Subm.	+	++	+++	Total
	No. %	No. %	No. %	No. %	No. %
Fiji I	0 0	148 19	364 44	295 36	6 1	813
Interior	0 0	16 10	69 45	64 42	4 3	153
East	0 0	28 23	42 35	50 42	0 0	120
Coast	0 0	42 20	99 47	67 32	1 0	209
N.W.	0 0	19 24	40 51	19 24	1 1	79

Brow ridges are a marked feature of Fijians in general. None of them lack some supraorbital development. Forty-four per cent have medium brow ridges, 36 per cent are pronounced, and 1 per cent are very pronounced. The other 19 per cent are small. The interior and eastern groups share a little higher incidence of pronounced brow ridges; the other regions are nearer the total distribution of variations.

Forehead Height

	Absent	Subm.	+	++	Total
	No. %	No. %	No. %	No. %
Fiji I	0 0	444 55	369 45	0 0	813
Interior	0 0	90 59	63 41	0 0	153
East	0 0	68 57	52 43	0 0	120
Coast	0 0	110 53	99 47	0 0	209
N.W.	0 0	46 58	33 42	0 0	79