Racial Groups


Figure 1.-- This is a Chine Young Pioneer children's choir. Mongoloids dominted Asia north of the Himalyas and include the Chinese, Southeast Asians, Inuit or Eskimo, and Native Americans. Mongolids are the largest racial group, both in numbers and in geographic expanse. Central Asia was once populated by Caucasoid people, but were displced by Mongoloids. They are destinguishable by skin color, an eye fold, and black hair. Unlike Caucasoids there are no light, skinned, blond, blue-eyed Mongolids in the northern steaches of Asia.

Anthropologists generally classify people into three or four major racial groups. Caucasoids often called Europens or whites dominate Europe, western Asia, and North Africa. Mongoloids dominted Asia north of the Himalyas and include the Chinese, Southeast Asians, Inuit or Eskimo, and Native Americans. Mongolids are the largest racial group, both in numbers and in geographic expanse. Unlike Caucasoids there are no light, skinned, blond, blue-eyed Mongolids in the northern steaches of Asia. Central Asia was once populated by Caucasoid people, but were displced by Mongoloids. The Negroids (Africans) doiminated sub-Saharan Africa and are variously divide into subgroups such as Capoids, pygmies, and Congoids. Capoids are the lighter-skinned people in southern Africa referring to the Cape of Good Hope. Congoid refers to the black-skined people of the tropical Congo Basin. Recent research in population genetics refers to Capoids and Congoids populations as 'Khoisanid' and 'Black African'. The Australoid (the Australian/New Guinea Aborigines as well as some South Asians) were the first wave of human migration out of Africa. They are someimes seen as a subgroup of Negroids. These three or four basic divisions are largely geographiclly based, although Asia is an exception. While Central and East Asia is primarily Mongoloid, South Asians are not Mongoloid and include many Cacasoids as well as dark skinned people with some Australoid admixture. Of course humnity is much more complicated than three/four races. Within each major classification, there are many different sub-groups. Many scholars object to the term race because of the damage racism has done. Some try to ban the term in PC speak. Race is, however, something that people notice and continues to be a factor in society. Because of this, anthropolgists will often use the terms 'sub-groups' or 'sub-species' rather than race.

Racial Groups


Mongoloids

Mongoloids dominted Asia north of the Himalyas and include the Chinese, Southeast Asians, Inuit or Eskimo, and Native Americans. Mongolids are the largest racial group, both in numbers and in geographic expanse. Unlike Caucasoids there are no light, skinned, blond, blue-eyed Mongolids in the northern steaches of Asia. Central Asia was once populated by Caucasoid people, but were displced by Mongoloids in the peopling of Central.

Negroids

The Negroids (Africans) doiminated sub-Saharan Africa and are variously divide into subgroups such as Capoids, pygmies, and Congoids. Capoids are the lighter-skinned people in southern Africa referring to the Cape of Good Hope. Congoid refers to the black-skined people of the tropical Congo Basin. Recent research in population genetics refers to Capoids and Congoids populations as 'Khoisanid' and 'Black African'. The Australoid (the Australian/New Guinea Aborigines as well as some South Asians) were the first wave of human migration out of Africa. They are someimes seen as a subgroup of Negroids.

Caucausoids

Caucasoids often called (Caucasians, Europens and whites) dominate Europe, western Asia, and North Africa. The term Caucasian/Caucasoid was originated by the German philosopher Christoph Meiners in his The Outline of History of Mankind (1785). This term was given wider circulation by Johann Friedrich Blumenbach, a German professor of medicine and member of the British Royal Society (1790s). He is considered one of the founders of the anthropology as acientific discipline. The term was not based on any understanding of DNA or human migrations, but the term has stuck. While commonly associated with Europeans, Cacausoid people are also found in North Africa, the Horn of Africa, Western Asia, Central Asia, and South Asia. While these areas may seem a mixed patch work, actually they provide a kind of road may for the spread of mankind out of Africa.

Australoid

Australoids were the first wave if mankind to migrae out of Europe. Their is no archeological evidence of this migration, but the modern location of these peopl provide eroad map across South asia to Papua and Australia. Anthropolgists debate as to whether they are a fourth human race or a subgroup of the Negroid race.

Amerindians

Some early attenpts at racial classifications identified amerindians as aeparate racial group. There is now no doubt that Ameriindians are a Mongoloid sub-group, having crossed over the Bearin Sea ice bridge (about 11,000-13,000 years ago). Siberian hunter-gather tribes migrated over the ice bridge to what is now alaska. Then with rising temperatures became isolated in the Americas. (Interestingly, horses made the reverse journey.) Some of these proto-Indians stayed in the Arctic (the modern Inuits and Eskimoes), but others moved south into milder more productive areas. Here there is considerable debate as to just how because the Ice Age shelf blocked their passage south for some time. The original proto-Indians left no archeological evidence of this crossing. There were hunter-gather people ad the ice-bridge is now under water. DNA evidence, however, confirms the Asian origins of the vast majority of Native American people. The issue, however, is more complicated. And the formerly widely accepted assessment of the peopleing of ameruc has been called into question with findings of very early Amerindian sites, uncluding site in southern Argentina and Chile. Some DNA studies have also complicated the story of the peopling of the Americas. Researchers have detected some Caucasoid elements. This is largely unexplained, but presumably relates to the Caucasoid populations which at the time of the Bearing Sea crossing dominated Central Asia, although there are other possibilities. We have also notice claims that Polynesian elements have been detcted. Both of these non-East Asian elements are still being assessed, but they do not alter the fact that Native Americans are fundmentally a Mongoloid people. Th DNA evidence, however, can offer valuable insights into the process of peopleing the Americas a process for hich there is little or no arheological evidence. Another interesting aspect of Native american people. We note tribes with different physical characteristics and features. This may related to the various levels of Caucasoid and Polynesian admixtures as well as the characteristics of the tribal peoples who made the crossings. One author writes, "The common argument is that When I look at the various pictures of Native Americans, however, most of them do not look like neo-mongoloids found in Honshu Japan, Korea, northern China, Mongolia, and Siberia. Their faces look like archaic mongoloids who have still significantly retained old caucasoid-like features (especially North American natives)." Enviromental adaptions may be even more important. The Native american people of the andes like Peuvian/Bolivian Quechua and Aymara look like Tibetans, with obvious adaptation to living at high aditudes. Some go on to say that that they have "more Central Asian features (Turkmen, Uzbek, and others). While the Amazonian Indians resemble Southeast Asian paleo-mongoloid tribal populations." We are less sure about that, but DNA work may eventual provide insights that can identify just how the America were peopled.

Geography

These three or four basic divisions are largely geographiclly based, although Asia is an exception. While Central and East Asia is primarily Mongoloid, South Asians are not Mongoloid and include many Cacasoids as well as dark skinned people with some Australoid admixture. Of course humnity is much more complicated than three/four races. Within each major classification, there are many different sub-groups.

Terminology

Many scholars object to the term race because of the damage racism has done. Some try to ban the term in PC speak. Race is, however, something that people notice and continues to be a factor in society. Because of this, anthropolgists will often use the terms 'sub-groups' or 'sub-species' rather than race.






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Created: 8:53 PM 12/3/2015
Last updated: 5:20 PM 12/12/2015