| Abstract: | Anthropometric data collected in native populations of British Columbia in the late 19th century by Franz Boas were analyzed by two multivariate techniques. Multivariate analysis of variance was used to test physical classificatory units devised by Boas and an ad hoc classification based on local cultural units. Both were found to have some empirical validity. Mahalanobis' D (Mahalanobis, '30) was computed between pairs of local groups, for both sexes. From these a matrix of differences was prepared and diagrams drawn to illustrate phenetic relationships among samples. By this means one cluster of groups, Interior B.C. peoples, could be distinguished and other local samples appeared distinctly different from each other. It was concluded that in the absence of genealogical data by which to identify local populations, local cultural units are preferable to more inclusive units for making empirical comparisons and classifications. |
