New Guinea Populations Research Articles

Southeast Asian mitochondrial DNA analysis reveals genetic continuity of ancient mongoloid migrations.

Human mitochondrial DNAs (mtDNAs) from 153 independent samples encompassing seven Asian populations were surveyed for sequence variation using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), restriction endonuclease analysis and oligonucleotide hybridization. All Asian populations were found to share two ancient AluI/DdeI polymorphisms at nps 10394 and 10397 and to be genetically similar indicating that they share a common ancestry. The greatest mtDNA diversity and the highest frequency of mtDNAs with HpaI/HincII morph 1 were observed in the Vietnamese suggesting a Southern Mongoloid origin of Asians. Remnants of the founding populations of Papua New Guinea (PNG) were found in Malaysia, and a marked frequency cline for the COII/tRNA(Lys) intergenic deletion was observed along coastal Asia. Phylogenetic analysis indicates that both insertion and deletion mutations in the COII/tRNA(Lys) region have occurred more than once.

Red cell enzyme and serum protein types in the Watut Anga of Papua New Guinea.

Historically, the Angan populations of Papua New Guinea have maintained a strong isolation and absorbed limited genes from their neighbours. This lack of intermixing is reflected in their relatively homogeneous cultural, linguistic and genetic profiles. We have determined the electrophoretic variation at 26 red cell enzyme, serum protein and haemoglobin loci in the Watut Anga, a splinter group occupying the Upper Watut Valley of Morobe Province. Their genetic profile reveals the lack of a number-of variants, such as PGM2*10 and MDH*3, known to exhibit high frequencies in other highland populations. The average heterozygosity in the Watut is also much lower when compared with other Papua New Guinean populations. Their present numerical strength notwithstanding, it appears that the Angan populations have experienced population bottlenecks in their evolutionary history which may have accentuated their genetic divergence from other Papua New Guinean populations.

High prevalence of human T-lymphotropic virus type I infection in isolated populations of the Western Pacific region confirmed by Western immunoblot.

High prevalences of antibodies against human T-lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I), as confirmed by Western immunoblot, were found in several remote indigenous populations of the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu and in some isolated populations of New Guinea that had no contact with Japanese or Africans and little contact with Caucasians prior to our bleedings. By contrast, zero or very low prevalences of HTLV-I infection were found in Guamanians and Carolinians, despite more than 30 years of intense contact with the Japanese. A total of 1,601 sera, collected between 1963 and 1981 from 21 population groups in the Western Pacific, was tested by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for IgG antibodies to HTLV-I. By ELISA, prevalences of antibodies against HTLV-I ranged from zero to 50%. Seropositivity could be confirmed in only 12.5% of 48 ELISA-positive sera selected for testing by Western immunoblot. However, the confirmed HTLV-I seroprevalences in some Melanesian populations were still as high as those found in HTLV-I-endemic regions, such as southwestern Japan and the Caribbean basin. HTLV-I prevalences were similar among males and females, and acquisition of antibodies increased with age. Our data indicate that infections with HTLV-I or a related retrovirus have been widespread in the southwestern Pacific for over 25 year in populations with minimal outside contact, while some populations which had extensive Japanese contact have no evidence of infection. Furthermore, based on the high frequency of indeterminate Western immunoblots, we conclude that in Melanesia this may represent either incomplete specific reactivity to HTLV-I or the existence of an antigenic variant of HTLV-I, distinct from prototype Japanese, American, and European HTLV-I strains.

The Genetic Demography of the Gainj of Papua New Guinea. 2. Determinants of Effective Population Size

The Hill-Emigh-Pollak model of effective population size for dioecious species with overlapping generations is subjected to a sensitivity analysis designed to measure the relative importance of the model's parameters. According to this analysis, effective size appears to be most sensitive to changes in the parameters related to reproductive heterogeneity (the variances and covariances in the net lifetime production of male and female offspring) and less sensitive to changes in parameters related to demographic recruitment (the mean generation length and the number of males and females reaching reproductive age each year). The recruitment parameters, however, are more likely to vary among populations and, on balance, are probably more important as causes of interpopulation variation in effective size. Since the model's covariance terms are new to population genetics, analytical expressions are derived for them under the Poisson and negative binomial birth processes. The model is applied to demographic data on the Gainj, a tribal population of highland New Guinea. The reproductive output of Gainj females follows a Poisson distribution, whereas that of males follows a negative binomial distribution with a variance three times that of females. This increased reproductive heterogeneity in males is attributable to polygyny. Demographic recruitment is slow, largely because of slow sexual maturation and late marriage. In consequence, the mean generation time is long and the number of individuals initiating reproduction each year is small. The net effect of these factors is to reduce the effective size of the Gainj population to about one-half of the total population size.

Comparison of the septal areas in New Guinean and European brains

In 1966, septal nuclei of unusual size in brains of kuru-diseased Fore people from the Eastern Highlands of New Guinea were reported (Beck and Gajdusek, 1966). Microscopic investigation which did not reveal any pathological changes in these nuclei led to the question of whether their large size could be a characteristic feature of the Fore (and perhaps also of other ethnic groups of New Guinea), rather than a consequence of the disease. We had at our disposal brains from patients of coastal areas of New Guinea who did not suffer from kuru. The septal areas of eight cases were investigated by serial sections and compared to those of nine European brains. No difference in size comparable to that reported in the earlier study could be detected. We conclude that a possible pecularity in the size of the septal nuclei of Fore people cannot be generalized to the entire population of New Guinea.

Sex-Specific Dispersal Patterns in Two Human Populations of Highland New Guinea

We present a model of the factors underlying male-female differences in natal dispersal, along with maximum-likelihood procedures for estimation and testing. Special attention is given the effects of geographic distance, population density, and endemicity (philopatry) on dispersal, although the model can be extended to include any number of additional predictor variables. The model is applied to data collected among the Gainj and Kalam, two tribal populations of highland Papua New Guinea. The analyses suggest that males in these populations are less likely to disperse than females, but more likely to move to more-distant locations when they do disperse. The dispersal of both sexes, however, is negatively density dependent (i.e., individuals move away from areas of higher density before they reproduce), with density affecting both sexes to about the same degree. Extension of the model to include linguistic differences among locations shows that male dispersal is more constrained by language than is female dispersal.

Acetylator phenotypes in Papua New Guinea

Acetylator phenotypes have been determined in 139 unrelated subjects from the hitherto untested populations of Papua New Guinea, and their relevance to current antituberculous isoniazid chemotherapy is discussed.

Serogenetic studies on the Daga of the interior of the mainland of Milne Bay Province, Papua New Guinea

The Daga people of Milne Bay, the easternmost Province of Papua New Guinea, occupy an upland area but do extend to the coast. Linguistically they are Papuan and, unlike their Austronesian-speaking neighbours, they appear originally to have been an exclusively inland people. They have been in contact with missionaries and miners since the turn of the century, and genetic evidence of Caucasoid gene flow may be present in the finding of several lactose absorbers (reported elsewhere). They are the first non-Australian population in whom the second carbonic locus allele CA4II has been detected, which may indicate either recent gene flow from Australian aborigine or lend additional support to the suggestion that there was Australian contact with Papua before the coming of the Europeans. For the rest, their gene-marker profile is fairly typical of a non-highland population of New Guinea, though the low frequency of hereditary ovalocytosis tends to confirm their inland origins.

Oceanic Tooth-Size Variation as a Reflection of Biological and Cultural Mixing [and Comments and Reply

Tooth size in Oceania varies from a minimum equivalent to the figure for the pre-Chinese inhabitants of Taiwan to a maximum equivalent to the figure for large-toothed Australian Aborigines. The minimum figure is found among the easternmost and weternmost inhabitants, and the maximum figure occurs in the highlands of New Guinea. Elsewhere, intermediate figures are evident, and it is apparent that the populations in which they can be observed display phenotypes that are intermediate in pigmentation and hair form between those on the Asian mainland and those whose identification with an equatorial habitat can be traced back into the Pleistocene. In addition, it is evident that the small-toothed populations speak languages that are most closely related to hypothetical Proto-Austronesian While the largest-toothed populations speak languages that are not related to Austronesian at all. To the extent that tooth size rises above the level of that found in the most typical Autronesian-speakers, the language deviates from hypothetical Proto-Austronesian. This suggests that the original population of New Guinea and some adjacent islands continued in situ from well back into the Pleistocene. Within the last 4,000 years, populations which had been shaped by long-term residence on the Asian mainland moved out into the Pacific via Taiwan and the Philippines. Superior navigation and resource utilization capabilities allowed them to colonize previously uninhabited islands maintaining much of their original phenotype, but where they encountered the earlier inhabitants on the larger Melanesian landmasses they display the effects of cultural and phenotypic mixing in proportion to the contribution of the two main parent populations.

A multivariate approach to fingerprint variation in Papua New Guinea: Implications for prehistory

AbstractFingerprint data from three Markham Valley populations of Papua New Guinea are presented. Initial comparisons with data from elsewhere in New Guinea by conventional bivariate methods suggest hypotheses regarding prehistory, but these methods are inconclusive. Because of this shortcoming, the application of discriminant analysis to dermatoglyphic data is justified and cautiously demonstrated. Discriminant analysis is a valid approach to the parsimonious study of fingerprint relationships among human populations. Significant discriminating variables are then used with the limited published data to display historical relationships. These marker traits include the separate frequencies of thumb, middle fingers, and little finger patterning, and the complexity of the thenar eminence.With regard to prehistory, it is concluded that fingerprint data support the hypothesis of separate origins and migrations for Papuan‐ and Melanesian‐speaking peoples. Furthermore, it is suggested that these data support the linguistic hypothesis of a second Papuan migration of Trans New Guinea Phylum speakers, up the Markham Valley into the New Guinea Highlands. Finally, gene flow is indicated from Melanesian speakers of the north coast into the interior through the Sepik and Ramu River valleys, affecting both the Trans New Guinea Phylum and other unrelated Papuan groups. Moreover, there are numerous suggestions of recent reciprocal genetic exchange between neighboring Melanesians and Papuans, without obliterating the older, separate origins of these peoples. These results suggest that fingerprints have greater phylogenetic stability than other biological parameters used in the past.

Epidemiological studies in a highland population of new guinea: Environment, culture, and health status

In assessing the impact of European influence on sociocultural characteristics of the Murapin tribal community of the Western Highlands of Australian New Guinea, the authors have gathered and, where possible, quantified information on family size, polygamy, marital status, religious beliefs, education, linguistic ability, economic development, occupation, housing, clothing, alcohol intake, and dietary patterns. Our findings suggest that the results of contact have not been uniform but that various social characteristics have been influenced at differing rates. European influence has been greatest in religion, less significant in matters of occupation, education, economic development, and housing, and negligible as regards diet. This differential effect of contact affords hope that it will prove possible to discriminate between various social and nutritional factors in their influence on the health status and biological characteristics of the population as the process of acculturation proceeds.

The distribution of HL-A antigens in the coastal populations of Papua New Guinea.

The frequencies of 21 HL‐A antigens were studied in an indigenous population of 247 people from the coastal regions of Papua New Guinea and the surrounding islands. The antigens HL‐A9,10,11 (first series) and HL‐A13, W10, W22 (second series) occurred with high frequencies. Twelve of the 21 antigens were either not found or occurred with a frequency of less than 10%. The population studied was classified into 12 Administrative Districts according to birthplace. Variations in antigen frequencies were noted between the different Districts. This variation can be attributed to random genetic drift, gene flow from other ethnic groups, or a combination of both. The genetic distance between three of the Districts (Milne Bay, Central, and Gulf) were calculated. These results were consistent with the geographic relationship of the three Districts.

Studies of chronic nontuberculous lung disease in New Guinea Populations. The prevalence of Hemophilus influenzae precipitins.

Studies of chronic nontuberculous lung disease in New Guinea Populations. The prevalence of Hemophilus influenzae precipitins.

Studies of chronic (nontuberculous) lung disease in New Guinea populations. The nature of the disease.

Studies of chronic (nontuberculous) lung disease in New Guinea populations. The nature of the disease.

DETERMINATION OF THE GROWTH CURVE OF THE KUKUKUKU PEOPLE OF NEW GUINEA FROM DENTAL ERUPTION IN CHILDREN AND ADULT HEIGHT

T^HE study of growth and development of children in several areas of New Guinea 1 has led to the finding that the rate of growth of children in a society is proportional to the adult height of that society (Malcolm 1968). The growth of the New Guinea child, especially in the shorter statured highland people, is slower and development and maturity reached later than in any population previously reported in any part of the world. Menarche in the Bundi people occurs at 18 -o years and in one group of Bundi people with only limited marriage ties to Chimbus at 18 -6 years (Malcolm 1968). Malcolm (1968) has also shown that while morphological development is slow, dental eruption times in highlands children are only slightly and predictably later than other New Guinea populations. These findings have been used to determine the curve of growth in height and weight for a very short statured New Guinea population, the Vallala people in the Western Census Divison of the Menyamya Sub-district, part of a larger group commonly known as Kukukukus.

PREVALENCE OF HALLUX VALGUS IN A NEOLITHIC NEW GUINEA POPULATION

PREVALENCE OF HALLUX VALGUS IN A NEOLITHIC NEW GUINEA POPULATION

Measles in Australasian indigenes.

Measles antibody has been determined by the hemagglutination inhibition test (HAI) of Rosen 1 in 494 serum specimens from members of 12 relatively isolated indigenous populations in New Guinea and Australia. Specimens for this survey were selected from those populations which we considered might be measles-free, or so-called areas, or because of well-documented information of their unusual interest because of recent virgin soil epidemics of measles. No report of any measles-free area existing today could be found in the literature, so that the current demonstration of measles-free populations of susceptibles is unique. Obviously, such fully susceptible populations are ever at great risk of a virgin soil epidemic of measles, and the use of an effective measles vaccine in these communities may be a more urgent matter than in most other populations. The 12 populations studied include 9 primitive populations of New Guinea, all of which have been without

Scientific Serials

Internationales Archiv für Ethnographie, Band viii. Heft iv.—This well-illustrated journal is steadily increasing in value and interest, as it is wider in its scope than it was at the commencement. Baron van Hoëvell, of Amboina, has a paper on a few notes on the kinds of the worship of gods in the south-western and south-eastern islands of the Malay Archipelago. Amongst other interesting information is a legend of the origin of two fetiches which are said to have fallen from heaven; one, which is called a sword, is probably a piece of old hoop-iron, and the other, a supposed spear-point, appears to be a piece of meteoric iron. There are also traces of a virginal conception through divine influence.—“Dogs and Primitive Folk” is the title of a comprehensive essay by Dr. B. Langkavel, in which he deals with dogs in folk custom and belief, the name as a term of reproach, ornaments derived from dogs, &c.—Dr. O. Frankfurter writes on dreams and their significance according to a Siamese dream-book.—J. D. E. Schmeltz has three communications on Papuan ethnography, of which the first, on objects from the Tugeri, is the most interesting. We are now beginning, to learn something definite about these ruthless pirates that harass the western coast population of British New Guinea. A bow, tobacco-pipe, drum, and two remarkable dance ornaments are figured; the latter are slabs of wood carved to represent a flying bird (?), and several lizards or crocodiles. He also describes a wood-carving of what appears to be an echidna and some ceremonial objects. The rest of the journal is occupied with the usual notes and notices.