Racial groups in the region around chott El Djerid, Southern Tunisia

Abstract

In Southern Tunisia, in the oases situated to the north and south-east of Chott El Djerid, the population considers itself as divided into “Arab”, “Berber”, “Chouchen” (dark-skinned) and “Oussif” (negro). On the basis of this self classification, 87 men and 65 women were identified as belonging to one or other of the four groups. Anthropometric and anthroposcopic observations were made on these subjects. Discriminant analysis on these data showed differences between groups on some variables. Following these results the enquiry was extended to almost the total population comprised between 20 and 50 years of age of 10 oases in the two areas: 5580 men and 5601 women were examined with the same techniques as those used for the initial groups. The original data, whenever they were skewed or obtained from ordinal scales, were transformed into standard scales. A factor analysis was then carried out; this showed, united in a single factor, the same variables which had been evidenced in the discriminant analysis. These variables: color of the skin, type of hair, nasal and prognatism index were used to prepare a taxonomic model designed to separate the subjects into three “ethnic” groups plus a “mixed” group. This model does not show evidence of differences between “Arab” and “Berber”. Other analyses were conducted in order to make a more complete investigation of the characteristics of the “mixed” group and to make evident, if these existed, differences between the areas situated respectively north and south-east of the Chott. From these results it appears that the local self division of the population into “ethnic” groups causes anthropometric differences.