Population structure of Algonquian speakers.

Speakers of Algonquian languages are widely dispersed geographically but are homogeneous linguistically. We examine anthropometric differentiation among Algonquian-speaking populations distributed from New Brunswick to Montana. Head and face measurements and body measurements were analyzed separately in an attempt to address the effect of phenotypic plasticity on relationships. The head and face and body dimensions yield somewhat different pictures of relationships. From the head and face data an east to west geographic pattern can be discerned. The principal feature of the body measurements is the distinctiveness of the Ojibwa located northwest of Lake Superior. The formal correlation between the two sets of measurements is low and not significant. Only the head and face dimensions correlate significantly with geographic distances. Language distances do not correlate with anthropometric distances. The set of populations is also more strongly differentiated with respect to body measurements than to head and face measurements. We interpret this as reflecting phenotypic plasticity and possibly greater interobserver variation.