Ancestry Estimation: The Importance, The History, and The Practice

Abstract

The estimation of the biological profile (sex, ancestry, age, and stature) from skeletal remains is a central pillar of forensic anthropology. Despite the many changes in the field of forensic anthropology over the past several decades (see Chapter 1), an accurate biological profile is a key component for matching unidentified individuals, with missingIntroduction 163 The importance of ancestry estimation in the biological profile 164Searching for missing individuals 164 Population-specific data 164History of race and ancestry in forensic anthropology 165 The practice of ancestry estimation 166How are forensic anthropologists able to estimate ancestry? 166 Why are craniometric data used to estimate ancestry? 166 Estimation of ancestry 167 Problems with ancestry estimation in forensic anthropology 168Summary 169 Review questions 170 Glossary 171 References 171 Further reading suggestions 174person records ultimately leading to a positive identification. Of all the components of the biological profile, ancestry estimation is the most controversial. Some critics suggest that because biological races do not exist, estimating race is not useful and is a practice that reverts back to the nineteenth century typology, thus reinforcing racial typology (Armelagos and van Gerven 2003; Armelagos and Goodman 1998; Smay and Armelagos 2000). Conversely, other practitioners in the field suggest that there is a congruency between social race categories and skeletal biology. Ancestry estimation increases the likelihood of personal identification of unidentified individuals. In order to address this controversy, this chapter will focus on three key concepts:1. The importance of ancestry estimation in the biological profile 2. History of race and ancestry in forensic anthropology 3. The practice of ancestry estimationSearching for missing individuals Early practitioners of forensic anthropology drew from their general knowledge of human skeletal variation in past and present populations to provide law enforcement with information about the biological profile. This practice continues today, when unidentified human remains are found. The forensic anthropologist creates a biological profile that includes information on ancestry, sex, age and stature-the same categories that are presented in a missing person’s report. This information is used to search through missing person’s databases to find potential matches. The biological profile is important because it helps narrow the search of an unidentified individual. For example, when a forensic anthropologist examines a case for law enforcement, a biological profile, along with any individualizing characteristics (e.g., description of dental restorations, healed antemortem trauma, and surgical appliances), is provided to begin a search through missing persons’ records. When an individual goes missing, a family files a missing person’s report that includes information regarding age, sex, weight, height, and race. The more accurate the biological profile, the more likely a match will be found in a timely manner, which may ultimately lead to a positive identification. Moreover, the individual components of the biological profile also inform the appropriate reference samples to be used for other components of the biological profile. As an example, the relationship between ancestry and sex estimation is discussed below.