An Odontometric Investigation of Canary Islander Origins

Joel D Irish,Brian E Hemphill

doi:10.26575/daj.v17i1.139

Abstract

Attempts by anthropologists to account for the peopling of the Canary Islands have led to theories that call for one, two, and even four immigration events. However, most agree the Canary Island Guanche are biologically closest to Berbers from Morocco and Algeria. Genetic contributions from Arabs, Romans, and Carthaginians have also been proposed. An earlier study by Irish using Penrose analysis of odontometric data in samples of Guanche, Shawia and Kabyle Berbers, and Bedouin Arabs supports many of these proposed genetic relationships.The present investigation expands upon this earlier work by adding samples of Carthaginians, Egyptians, and Nubians, and by using tooth size apportionment analysis, a more robust statistical approach for assessing inter-sample differences in the distribution, or allocation, of tooth size in the maxillary and mandibular dental arcades. The analysis yielded three components that account for >80% of the total variance. Cluster analysis and three-dimensional ordination of group component scores provide additional insight into Canary Island/North African relationships. Except for one early Nubian sample, the Guanche exhibit some measure of affinity to all others. However, they are most like Berbers and Carthaginians. These results suggest that Canary Islanders belong to a greater North African gene pool, yet show the closest affinities to Northwest Africans—which corroborates earlier dental and non-dental findings.

Highlights

The present investigation expands upon this earlier work by adding samples of Carthaginians, Egyptians, and Nubians, and by using tooth size apportionment analysis, a more robust statistical approach for assessing inter-sample differences in the distribution, or allocation, of tooth size in the maxillary and mandibular dental arcades
Except for one early Nubian sample, the Guanche exhibit some measure of affinity to all others. They are most like Berbers and Carthaginians. These results suggest that Canary Islanders belong to a greater North African gene pool, yet show the closest affinities to Northwest Africans—which corroborates earlier dental and nondental findings
The dental crown measurements themselves will be presented in a separate publication on African odontometric variation, and are not listed

Summary

Introduction

The present investigation expands upon this earlier work by adding samples of Carthaginians, Egyptians, and Nubians, and by using tooth size apportionment analysis, a more robust statistical approach for assessing inter-sample differences in the distribution, or allocation, of tooth size in the maxillary and mandibular dental arcades. Hooton (1916, 1925) was one of several early anthropological researchers to investigate the origins and population history of Canary Islanders (see Verneau 1887, 1891, and among others, Quatrefages and Hamy 1874, Shrubsall 1896, von Luschan 1896, von Behr 1908 (as presented in Vallois 1969)) He hypothesized that four migrations to the islands from North Africa took place during the Neolithic and Bronze Age. Based on the analyses of craniometric and ethnographic data, Hooton maintained that the Guanche were comprised of different stocks of people largely exhibiting Mediterranean and Alpine Caucasoid components, supplemented perhaps, by sub-Saharan and other elements. Subsequent intermixture among these four groups, along with later Arab, Berber, and Carthaginian gene flow, was thought to have resulted in the pre-European Contact peoples of the Canary Islands

Methods

Results

Conclusion