Dermatoglyphic and anthropometric relationships within the Iñupiat (Eskimo) hand.

On the basis of earlier findings with Easter Islanders suggesting a positive correlation between dermatoglyphic variables and hand anthropometric measurements, the present study was designed to determine if such a relationship could be generalized to another population, namely, Iñupiat (Eskimo). Since some dermatoglyphic and anthropometric variables were available for both sides of the body, the extension of this study to explore the question of asymmetry was also possible. The Iñupiat sample numbered 142 male and 176 female adult inhabitants of five Alaskan North Slope communities. The major findings of this study included, for males, significant negative correlations between left arm length and digital ridge counts and positive relationships between the palmar variable of axial index and hand length on both hands. For females, the hand breadth/length index was negatively related to most of the digital variables. Very little definitive information regarding the relationship of the asymmetry variables between the two types of measures was ascertained.