The
concept of ‘race’ connotes different meanings in the human society.
Anthropologists depend much on the ‘physical markings’ which comprised of some
common physical traits like pigmentation or skin-colour, head-shape, stature,
eye-colour, lip-form, prognalthism and hair form.
RACIAL CLASSIFICATION
i.
Mongoloid. This race is
mostly found in Asia particularly in Central Asia. Its physical characteristics
are gray-eyes, yellow complexion, black hair on the body, flat rose broad face
and medium height. The Mongoloid can be further divided into four main
subdivisions on the basis of their geographical distribution such as –
a. Classical or
Central Mongoloid
b. The Arctic or
Eskimoid
c. Indonesian-Malay
Mongoloid and
d. The American
Indians
The Mongoloid features are predominantly found
in the peoples of Asia, Indonesia and Americas. The inhabitants of China
Mongolia, Tibet, North America, Siberia, Greenland, Burma, Thailand, Malay
Peninsula, Philippines, Japan and North-East India showed presence of Mongoloid
racial elements. Indians of North and South America also exhibit some Mongoloid
characteristics.
ii. Caucasoid. This is known as white race, but in
fact it is of light colour. It has hair ranging from brown to black, thin lips,
eyes light blue, hair upon chest, arms and legs. Some are medium to high
structure. The Caucasoid racial group includes a large number of sub-races or
groups such as –
a. Mediterranean
b. Nordic
c. Alpine
d. East Baltic
e. Dinaric (Adriatic
or Illyrian)
f.
Armenoid
g. Keltic
h. Lapp
i.
Indo-Dravidian (Dravidian)
j.
Polynesian and
k. Ainu
The Caucasoid features are mainly distributed
among the Europeans and their descendants. They are also observed in North
Africa and the Middle East to North India.
iii. Australoid. These are found in Australia. Their
racial characteristics are high head, low forehead, big and broad nose, medium
lips, grey eyes, wavy hair and generally with short stature. The Australoids
are classified into two main groups such as –
a. Australian
aborigines and
b. Pre-Dravidian
(Australoid or Veddoid)
The Australoid are predominantly found in
Australia and Oceania. Some of the population group of India particularly South
and Central India showed Australoid racial elements.
iv. Negroid. The Negroids are found in Africa. Some
scholars call it the first human race. Their important characteristics are
black skin, woolly hair, broad nose, thick lips, high head and varying stature.
The Negroids are divided into two sub-groups such as –
a. African Negro
and
b. Oceanic Negro
Some anthropologists include another group the
American Negro into the Negroid racial element.
The Negroid features are restricted among the
populations of Africa and Melanesia. A few people in America are also found to
exhibit some Negroid physical features because they are the descendants of
African people who were once taken to America as workers. To the Negroid race
belong the peoples of Africa, the Pygmy groups of Indonesia, and the
inhabitants of New Guinea and Melanesia.
Thus, race can be
classified on geographical isolation subdivision of a species. The main purpose
of classifying is to study and understanding the population and has nothing to
do with superiority or inferiority of one group to another. We human beings belong
to only one human species.
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