Genetic Composition and Variation in Saami Populations In
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Arctic Medical Research, Vol. 47: Suppl. 1, pp. 218-225, 1988 GENETIC COMPOSITION AND VARIATION IN SAAMI PC)PULATIONS IN NORTHERN NORWAY COMPARED WITH NORDIC POPULATIONS IN MIDDLE NORWAY A study of non-metric skull variants E. lregren (1) and P.-E. lsberg (2) Institute of Archaeology (1) and Department of Statistics (2), University of Lund, Lund, Sweden Abstract. Skulls of six Saami populations from Northern Norway as well as of two Nor dic groups from Middle Norway were studied concerning non-metric traits. All the in dividuals derive from church-yards of Post-Medieval origin. The frequencies and combinations of non-metric traits were evaluated. Several traits 122/791 showed significant differencies between the two ethnic groups at the 5 % level. 146 individuals were used to construct a model in order to discriminate be tween the Saami and the Nordic group. The ethnic origin of a total of 475 individuals was predicted. Of the individuals from the Saami church-yards 92. 7% were grouped as Saamis. Of the skeletal sample from Middle Norway 52.3% were grouped as Nordic. Arctic Medical Research, vol. 47: suppl. 1, pp. 218-225, 1988. The Saa.mis (Lapps) have for a long period of time the South-Saami research project in which archaeol been of interest to anthropologists. A research history ogists from Norway and Sweden take part as well. Fur covering the period 1808-1931 has been published by ther, odontological and palaeopathological investiga Schreiner (1). In 1971 more recent works were compiled tions have also been performed. by Lewin & Hedegard (2,3). The studies have been per formed in different disciplines: physical anthropology, MATERIAL odontology and several fields of genetic research. The skeletal collections studied are available at the Anatomi Some titles are mentioned here in which further refer cal Institute of the University of Oslo. ences can be found. Investigations of the physical anthropology of living 1. Sumi populations Saamis as well as of skeletons have been of interest Six different Saami populations from Finnmark, Northern Norway were investigated concerning non-metric traits. Ex (l-14). Odontological research has been performed as cavations from 1913 to 1935 have yielded the vast bulk of well (10,13,15-20). The blood groups and serum material. Further a few skeletons found during investigations groups of Saamis have been explored, especially dur in the 1950s (27 ,29) are also included in the present study. The ing the last decades (2,13,21,22). collections are dated to the 18th and 19th centuries. A total of 327 individuals were studied. The distribution of the burial Further genetic investigations regarding different grounds is seen at figure 1:1-6. An introduction to the biological and physiological aspects in living Saamis material can be found in two articles by Iregren (13,14). have been performed (2,21,23-25).Some articles deal These populations have been thoroughly examined by pro with the anthropology and the origin of the Saamis in fessor K.E. Schreiner, Oslo (l,4,5). Crania and skeletal general (26,27,28). Literature concerning diseases, elements were measured by him and pathological finds were described. The children's skeletons were analysed as well. The nutrition and health among Saami populations can publications of Schreiner constitute the most detailed and also be found (2,13,21). elaborate work on the physical anthropology of the Saainis The aim of the present study is to map the frequen performed in the Nordic countries. cies of non-metric traits of the cranium in populations 2. Nordic popnla_tions of different ethnic affiliation and to try to separate the To be able to evaluate the genetic composition and variation populations by using this biological information. of the Saami populations three populations of Nordic origin These anthropological studies constitute a part of were studied for comparison. One sample, possibly Nordic, Cimnnpolar Health 87 lregren & lsberg: Genetic composition in Saami Populations in Northern Norway 219 Fig. I. Map of Norway showing the position of the church-yards. Saamish; l=Kautokeino, 2=Karasjok, 3=Angsnes, 4=Kistrand, 5=Neiden, 6=Pasvik. Possibly Nordic; 7=Vard0. Nordic; 8=Prestgard, 9=Bj0lstad. 1. Antllropological metllods Since the late 1950s and the 1960s (33,34) minor mor phological variants have been studied in the human cranium. From animal studies (35-38) and a few investigations on man (39-43) it is known that these morphological traits are inherited. The exact heredity pattern is seldom known, how ever. It is ;lSsumed that the presence or absence of a cenain non-metric trait does not influence tile survival of the in dividual. In consequence they are uot subject to selective forces. Thus, it is probable that the traits are passed on from parents to children without changes and it is assumed that the frequencies of the traits remain the same in a certain popula tion. By studying the traits it should be possible to explore the genetic relationship between populations and to detect changes due to e.g. immigration or genetic drift. Non-metric traits can been studied at skulls as well as 8,9 skeletal elements (44). In this study only crania have been sub NORWAY ject to investigation. The tr.lits are unilateral as well as bilateral and a number of 44 different traits have been registered for skulls and mandibles (Definitions see (14)). A total of 79 observations were made on each individual. 2. Statistical metllods The data were analysed using a lo(listic regression model (45). This model can be used to analyze how a probability, in this case the probability of being a Saami, depends on different variables. The model states: ebo+b1x1+ ... + bkxk P=Prob. of being a Saami=--------- l+ebo+b1x1 + ... +~xk 0 2ookm where x1... x-. are background variables and b0 ••• bk are coefficients that are to be estimated from data. If the back ground variables are continuous this function is an S-shaped curve (in one dimension). emanates from Vard0 in Nonhern Norway (Figure l :7) found Another way of writing this relation is: in 1925. The date is somewhat uncenain, but the find is not LOG (P/(l-P))=bo+b1X1 ... +bkxk older than from the 14th century (30). This population has been investigated by other scientists (31,32). The other skele This may give a clearer interpretation of the model, in which tal materials were uneanhened in Middle Norway, where two one sees the natural logarithm of the odds of an event as a church-yards were excavated by Schreiner in 1925. One of the linear function of a number of variables. churches was built in 1531 and the other during the 1630s (30). After the model bas been fit it can be used to predict the A total of 148 individuals were examined in the present study. probability of being a Saami, when in our case a non-metric In figure 1:8-9 the position of the church-yards is shown. trait is present or non-present. 220 Anthropology and demography Table I. Frequencies of non-metric skull variants in Saami populations, Nordic populations and Varde respectively Population Saami Varde Nordic Used in Traits no. % no. % no. % log.reg. V2 371290 12.8 6/35 17.1 11/88 12.5 V3 1231272 45.2 17/35 48.6 43/79 54.4 H3 1401275 50.9 20135 57.1 46/75 61.3 V4 171/317 53.9 23137 62.2 58/111 52.3 H4 173/317 54.6 19/37 51.4 61/110 55.5 V5 4/301 13.3 1/32 3.1 11108 0.9 V6 10/322 3.1 5/37 13.5 13/111 11.7 + V7 2/192 1.0 6/35 17.1 5/73 6.8 + H7 5/188 2.7 4/35 11.4 10/75 13.3 + vs 27/198 13.6 8/33 2.4 9/91 9.9 HS 36/202 17.8 7/35 20.0 8/82 9.8 V9 10/203 4.9 2/35 5.7 1/93 1.1 H9 6/213 2.8 1/35 2.9 2/84 2.4 V10 8/314 5.7 1/37 2.7 8/104 7.7 H10 26/312 8.3 6/37 16.2 13/99 13.1 V11 45/307 14.7 3137 8.1 6/105 5.7 + H11 62/306 20.3 6137 16.2 6/98 6.1 + V13 43/313 13.7 1/33 3.0 13195 13.2 H13 37/310 11.9 1/35 2.9 7/94 7.4 V14 105/294 35.7 15/36 41.7 33/92 35.9 H14 96/292 32.9 20/37 54.1 41/88 46.6 + V16 103/309 33.3 14/35 40.0 16/77 20.8 + H16 111/312 35.6 14/34 41.2 23/74 31.1 V17 14/319 4.4 2/34 5.9 0/73 0 H17 19/318 6.0 3/34 8.S 1/73 1.4 V19 168/322 52.2 20/36 55.6 45/93 48.4 H19 1331322 41.3 9136 25.0 43/92 46.7 V20 9/303 3.0 0/35 0 0189 0 H20 12/299 4.0 0/34 0 O/S5 0 V2i 33/295 11.2 3134 8.8 7/82 8.5 H21 33/303 10.9 5/34 14.7 5/81 6.2 V22 224/301 74.4 27/35 77.1 43/70 61.4 + H22 215/293 73.4 27/35 77.1 45/73 61.6 V23 215/313 68.7 6/36 16.7 5/89 5.6 + V24 105/257 40.9 2/35 5.7 1/70 1.4 + H24 106/257 41.2 2/36 5.6 2 el 3/74 2.7/4.1 + V25A 258/292 88.3 26/34 76.5 65/82 79.3 H25A 256/285 89.8 25/35 71.4 71/86 82.6 V258 104/285 36.5 10/34 29.4 35/81 43.2 H25B 104/277 37.5 10/35 28.6 28/86 32.6 V26 116/307 37.8 11/37 29.7 31/106 29.2 H26 125/310 40.3 13/36 36.1 26/102 25.5 + V27 9/307 2.9 3137 8.1 5/105 4.8 H27 14/308 4.5 0136 0 2/102 2.0 V30 12/266 4.5 9/34 26.5 18/76 23.7 + H30 4/259 1.5 4/35 11.4 12/80 15.0 + V31 0/316 0 0/36 0 0/83 0 V34 12/275 4.4 3/31 9.7 2/67 3.0 H34 11/263 4.2 3/27 9.0 1/73 1.4 V35 111/283 39.2 5/36 13.9 10/87 11.5 + V36 21/312 6.7 2/37 5.4 13/107 12.1 V37 8/191 4.2 4/29 13.8 2/47 4.3 V38 83/273 30.4 10/36 27.8 34/109 31.2 H38 68/276 24.6 6/36 16.7 39/105 37.1 + V39 24/309 7.8 1/35 2.9 4/89 4.5 H39 25/307 8.1 1/35 2.9 3/88 3.4 V40 3S/300 12.7 0/35 0 3/88 3.4 + H40 41/305 13.4 2136 5.6 4/81 4.9 V41 1781310 57.4 34/36 94.4 59/88 67.0 V42 1/314 0.3 0/36 0 0/85 0 V43 77/308 25.0 9/37 2.4 18/109 16.5 Cin:lunpolar Health 87 /regren & /sberg: Genetic composition in Saami Populations in Northern Norway 221 Population Saami Varde Nordic Used in Traits no.