Biological, Linguistic, and Cultural Variation among 19^th Century Plains Indians

In this study I have examined relationships between biological, linguistic and cultural patterns of variability among 19^th Century Indian groups of the American Great Plains. Through this research I have sought to address Cavalli-Sforza et al.’s (1994) call for studies regarding cultural and biological correlation and also to partially assess their methodology of equating linguistic relationships with biologically influential, ethnic boundaries. I have constructed biological, linguistic, and cultural distance matrices, based on the Boas database of anthropometric measurements, Ruhlen’s (1976) and Campbell’s (1997) linguistic taxonomies, and Murdock’s (1967) Ethnographic Atlas, respectively. Furthermore, I constructed a geographic distance matrix and a social distance matrix, based on ethnohistorical accounts of intergroup relations among the Plains groups. I subjected all matrices to the Mantel test of matrix comparison.

There were no significant correlations between biological and linguistic, linguistic and cultural, or cultural and biological matrices. Biological relationships correlated with geographic distances in one out of four cases. Social distances correlated variously with biological, linguistic, and cultural distances, with correlations ranging from weak to moderately strong.

These results indicate a considerable break with the assumptions of Cavalli-Sforza et al.’s (1994) model of clinical diversification. Furthermore, they indicate that linguistic boundaries are not always reliable indicators of ethnicity, inasmuch as ethnicity implies an inherent tendency toward Mendelian delineation.