Dermatoglyphics of the Ogoni of Nigeria and its historiographic implications.

The dermal ridges on the surfaces of the palms and the fingers form dermatoglyphic patterns which are phylogenetically stable traits useful for evaluating interpopulation affinities and distinctiveness. In this study, these traits were investigated according to traditional methods among the Ogoni people of the Niger Delta region of Southern Nigeria, considering the uncertainties surrounding the people's historiography and the paucity of morphologic studies on the tribe. The evidences of finger whorl pattern frequencies, Total Ridge Count and palmar A-B ridge count indicate the close dermatoglyphic resemblance of the Ogoni to tribal populations of southern Ghana. These findings have implications as to the likely provenance of the Ogoni people, providing support to the traditionally view among the people that their ancestors are migrants from some tribe in southern Ghana, West Africa.