Local Sundid Craniotype: Its Geographical Center and Relations with Neighboring Populations

DOI: 10.33876/2311-0546/2023-1/351-364

Abstract

A part of the southern Mongoloids is characterized by a cranial shape which we classify as the Sundid cranial type. This type is most common among the western part of southern Mongoloids (the territory of Indochina and Indonesia) and is sharply different from the cranial types of neighboring territories: the Pacifids (the eastern territory of Indochina and Indonesia) and the Tropids (most of the territory of India and the islands to the east and southeast of Indonesia and Philippines). The Sundids’ cranial samples have smaller, brachycranic in shape, and much more spherical crania, than the samples from the neighboring territories. Thus, the Sundid cranial type was surrounded by populations having significantly different cranial characteristics. Only the cranial samples of tropical Pacifids (small populations of Negritos) are similar to the Sundids in the shape of the skull. Six samples of southern Mongoloids were divided into clusters that differ from each other in 7 traits that describe the shape of the skull. The Sundids and the Pacifids were presented almost equally in the studied group, while there were significantly fewer Tropids.