A Racial Study of the Fijians Part 2

The relative sitting height ratio for all Fijians is 50.4 per cent. The eastern average of 51 per cent indicates a little more legginess, whereas the interior groups tend somewhat to longer trunks.

_Biacromial_

No. Range Mean S.D. C.V.

Total sample 815 28-47 39.7 8.2 6.2 Interior 154 29-43 39.0 6.2 4.7 East 120 35-45 39.9 6.1 4.0 Coast 210 28-45 39.7 7.6 4.9 N.W. 79 35-47 40.5 6.6 3.9

The Fijians are generally a broad-shouldered people. The inhabitants of Ra and Ba have the highest average and the interior people are least broad-shouldered.

_Relative Shoulder Breadth_

No. Range Mean S.D. C.V.

Total sample 815 18-27 22.3 1.3 5.8 Interior 154 19-25 22.9 1.0 3.9 East 120 20-26 23.0 1.0 3.9 Coast 210 18-26 22.9 1.0 4.4 N.W. 79 20-27 23.4 3.1 13.2

Relative to total stature, shoulder breadth averages 22.3 per cent. No significant regional differences are indicated.

_Bi-Iliac_

No. Range Mean S.D. C.V.

Total sample 815 23-40 29.2 5.6 5.3 Interior 154 25-38 29.0 5.1 5.2 East 120 27-34 29.5 4.1 4.8 Coast 210 23-37 29.2 5.9 5.5 N.W. 79 26-32 29.3 4.6 5.0

The Fijians, as a whole, are fairly broad-hipped; this condition holds with little variation in all the provinces.

_Shoulder-Hip_

No. Range Mean S.D. C.V.

Total sample 815 58-101 73.7 4.3 5.8 Interior 154 65-100 74.6 4.2 5.6 East 120 67-82 73.8 3.2 4.3 Coast 210 58-99 73.5 4.3 5.9 N.W. 79 62-86 72.8 5.9 8.1

The total shoulder-hip ratio describes the shoulders as 73.7 per cent as wide as the hips. These ratios do not vary greatly in different parts of Fiji. The somewhat higher index of the hill groups is owing largely to their narrower shoulders, whereas the superior shoulder breadth of the northwest provinces contributes mostly to the lower hip-shoulder index.

_Chest Breadth_

No. Range Mean S.D. C.V.

Total sample 815 24-39 28.6 6.4 5.7 Interior 154 25-33 28.6 3.3 4.7 East 120 26-39 29.4 7.2 5.8 Coast 210 25-37 28.7 7.8 6.2 N.W. 79 25-32 28.9 4.3 4.9

Broad chests are also characteristic in Fiji. The eastern men surpa.s.s the Viti Levu males, and the interior groups have the narrowest chests, but the regional variations are small.

_Chest Depth_

No. Range Mean S.D. C.V.

Total sample 815 184-308 22.9 5.5 7.0 Interior 154 195-263 22.4 3.2 5.8 East 120 189-295 22.5 4.9 6.6 Coast 210 184-300 21.7 5.7 7.2 N.W. 79 192-250 21.8 3.3 6.0

The chests of the Fijians are also fairly deep. The close similarity in chest depth of the interior group and the eastern sample is rather striking inasmuch as the former are nearly 4 cm. shorter in stature.

This would indicate that the interior group, for their size, are relatively deep-chested.

_Thoracic_

No. Range Mean S.D. C.V.

Total sample 815 59-96 76.4 4.6 6.0 Interior 154 69-88 78.5 3.9 5.0 East 120 65-85 76.3 4.3 5.6 Coast 210 56-89 75.5 4.7 6.2 N.W. 79 65-85 75.7 4.4 5.8

The thoracic index shows that the Fijians are deep-chested relative to thoracic breadth as well as in absolute values. Again the interior people stand out for their deeper chests.

ARMS AND LEGS

_Arm Length_

No. Range Mean S.D. C.V.

Total sample 815 45-87 75.2 5.0 6.6 Interior 154 45-83 73.6 4.8 6.1 East 120 52-84 75.1 3.9 5.2 Coast 210 57-87 76.0 4.9 6.4 N.W. 79 55-86 75.3 6.6 8.8

The over-all arm length is 75.2 cm. Shorter arms seem to be characteristic of the interior population where the average is nearly 2 cm. less than the over-all average. The eastern group has the longest arms; the other samples are intermediate.

_Humeral Length_

No. Range Mean S.D. C.V.

Total sample 815 26-39 32.8 8.6 5.7 Interior 154 28-38 32.8 7.1 5.2 East 120 28-39 32.9 8.3 5.6 Coast 210 26-38 32.9 9.1 5.8 N.W. 79 28-38 33.0 7.9 5.4

Length of the upper arm averages 33 cm. for all Fijians; the several provinces are closely similar in this trait.

_Radial Length_

No. Range Mean S.D. C.V.

Total sample 815 23-35 27.6 4.1 5.1 Interior 154 24-33 27.3 2.4 4.5 East 120 23-34 27.5 6.9 6.1 Coast 210 24-35 27.9 3.5 4.8 N.W. 79 25-32 27.9 3.4 4.8

Lower arm length is 27.6 cm. and also varies but little among the regional samples.

_Radial-Humeral_

No. Range Mean S.D. C.V.

Total sample 815 65-113 84.0 4.2 5.0 Interior 154 77-104 83.0 3.8 4.6 East 120 65-95 83.5 4.7 5.6 Coast 210 75-113 84.7 4.2 4.9 N.W. 79 77-94 82.2 3.6 4.3

The radial-humeral ratio indicates that the lower arm of Fijians is 84 per cent as long as the upper arm. None of the subgroups deviates markedly from this average.

_Leg Length_[13]

No. Range Mean S.D. C.V.

Total sample 815 61-98 84.3 10.5 12.5 Interior 154 74-96 81.1 8.6 12.9 East 120 73-96 84.1 8.6 10.3 Coast 210 68-97 85.3 7.2 8.5 N.W. 79 75-95 85.7 4.4 5.2