A Racial Study of the Fijians Part 10

_Nasal-Tip Inclination_

Absent Subm. + ++ Total No. % No. % No. % No. %

Fiji I 731 90 57 7 24 3 0 0 812 Interior 147 96 6 4 0 0 0 0 153 East 109 91 6 5 5 4 0 0 120 Coast 186 89 16 8 7 3 0 0 209 N.W. 71 90 6 8 2 3 0 0 79

_Nasal Wings_

Compressed Medium Flaring Total No. % No. % No. %

Fiji I 0 0 198 24 615 76 813 Interior 0 0 25 16 128 84 153 East 0 0 70 58 50 42 120 Coast 0 0 42 20 167 80 209 N.W. 0 0 16 20 63 80 79

The nasal tip is p.r.o.nounced more often than not, 58 per cent showing this condition. The remaining 42 per cent have tips of medium thickness.

Thicker tips occur more often in the interior (64 per cent) and in the northwest (66 per cent), least often in the east (33 per cent).

Usually the nasal tip is not inclined downward. Slight and moderate inclination has a combined incidence of only 10 per cent.

Flaring nasal wings are a common condition (76 per cent). This incidence rises to 84 per cent in the interior and drops to 42 per cent in the east.

MOUTH

_Lip Thickness: Membranous_

Subm. + ++ +++ Total No. % No. % No. % No. %

Fiji I 19 2 428 53 364 45 2 0 813 Interior 10 7 43 28 100 65 0 0 153 East 1 1 83 69 36 30 0 0 120 Coast 1 1/2 88 42 119 57 1 1/2 209 N.W. 4 5 39 49 36 46 0 0 79 Tonga 12 10 97 84 7 6 0 0 116

_Lip Thickness: Integumental_

Subm. + ++ +++ Total No. % No. % No. % No. %

Fiji I 4 1/2 608 75 201 25 0 0 813 Interior 1 1/2 114 75 38 25 0 0 153 East 1 1 100 83 19 16 0 0 120 Coast 2 1 164 78 43 21 0 0 209 N.W. 0 0 55 70 24 30 0 0 79 Fiji II 0 0 1 1/2 26 20 106 80 133 Solomons 0 0 0 0 12 14 73 86 85

_Lip Eversion_

Absent Subm. + ++ Total No. % No. % No. % No. %

Fiji I 12 1 333 41 444 55 24 3 813 Interior 0 0 63 41 88 58 2 1 153 East 8 7 77 64 35 29 0 0 120 Coast 0 0 63 30 138 66 8 4 209 N.W. 1 1 26 33 51 65 1 1 79

_Lip Seam_

Absent Subm. + ++ Total No. % No. % No. % No. %

Fiji I 33 4 429 53 343 42 8 1 813 Interior 1 1 79 52 73 48 0 0 153 East 14 12 77 64 29 24 0 0 120 Coast 6 3 105 50 94 45 4 2 209 N.W. 3 4 44 56 32 41 0 0 79

Fijian lips are Negroid in thickness in many instances. Membranous lips are thick in 45 per cent of the series, medium in 53 per cent, and submedium in 25 per cent. Thickest lips occur in the interior and coastal areas where the p.r.o.nounced type registers 65 per cent and 57 per cent, respectively. In the east, lips are more moderate in thickness, and the p.r.o.nounced category drops to 30 per cent.

Integumental lips also tend to be heavy but not so much as the mucous parts. Twenty-five per cent of the total Fijians have thick integumental lips and the remainder are moderate. Howells' Fiji II series cla.s.ses 80 per cent as very p.r.o.nounced and the remainder as p.r.o.nounced. The Solomon Islanders, with an 86 per cent incidence of very p.r.o.nounced, have the heaviest lips of all.

Lip eversion varies largely between moderate and submedium, 55 percent and 41 per cent, respectively. The interior and coastal Fijians show this trait a little more often than the others, whereas the eastern people have least lip eversion. The lip seam is present in nearly all cases, but not to a p.r.o.nounced degree. Fifty-three per cent are submedium and 42 per cent are moderate. The eastern groups are definitely less endowed with this trait. The other provinces vary but little from the total distribution.

TEETH

_Bite_

Under E-E Subm. over + over Total No. % No. % No. % No. %

Fiji I 2 0 518 64 274 34 13 2 807 Interior 0 0 94 61 59 39 0 0 153 East 0 0 73 61 45 38 2 2 120 Coast 1 0 130 62 76 36 0 0 207 N.W. 1 1 49 62 23 29 3 4 76 Fiji II 4 3 50 38 77 59 0 0 131 Solomons 1 1 37 45 45 54 0 0 83

_Caries_

Absent Subm.(1-4) + (5-8) ++ (9-16) +++ (17-x) Total No. % No. % No. % No. % No. %

Fiji I 645 78 80 10 58 7 22 3 8 1 813 Interior 130 84 16 10 3 2 1 1 3 2 153 East 100 83 10 12 4 3 2 1 4 3 120 Coast 153 73 29 14 16 8 8 4 3 1 209 N.W. 62 80 9 11 6 8 1 1 0 0 78

_Crowding_

Absent Subm. + ++ Total No. % No. % No. % No. %

Fiji I 685 84 115 14 13 2 0 0 813 Interior 134 88 19 12 0 0 0 0 153 East 100 83 17 14 3 3 0 0 120 Coast 180 86 25 12 4 2 0 0 209 N.W. 64 81 14 18 0 0 0 0 78

_Tooth Eruption_

Complete Incomplete Total No. % No. %

Fiji I 796 98 15 2 811 Interior 153 100 0 0 153 East 119 99 1 1 120 Coast 199 95 8 4 207 N.W. 74 94 2 3 76

_Wear_

Absent Subm. + ++ Total No. % No. % No. % No. %

Fiji I 184 23 443 54 144 18 42 5 813 Interior 27 {18} 58 {38} 37 {24} 31 {20} 153 East 26 {22} 69 {57} 24 {20} 1 {1} 120 Coast 60 {29} 120 {57} 28 {13} 1 {1/2} 209 N.W. 12 {15} 47 {60} 17 {22} 2 {3} 78

The jaws of Fijians have a rather distinctive frequency of edge-to-edge bite. I recorded this as 64 per cent, but Howells' series indicates a 38 per cent incidence.

The quality of Fijian teeth as reflected by frequency of caries is excellent. Nearly 80 per cent of the total show no tooth decay. The soundest teeth from this standpoint occur in the interior, the east, and the northwest. The coastal people show the highest incidence of caries, an interesting point since many of this sample come from around Suva and have more access to the Western processed foods.

Tooth crowding is quite uncommon to Fijians, a condition consistent with their generous jaw conformation. Crowding is noted in only 16 per cent of the series, and most of it is slight.

Tooth eruption is complete in nearly all the subjects. A 2 per cent incidence of incomplete eruption is entirely due to the immaturity of some of the young adults. No pathological suppression was noted.

Some wear of the teeth is recorded for more than three-quarters of the series, but lacking age incidence, the data has limited meaning. The Fijian diet is not abrasive the way, for instance, it is for the Indians of our Southwest, where the staple food is ground in stone mills.

EARS

_Ear Helix_