Mongoloid race
The term
Mongoloid race or
Mongoloid sometimes referred to as "
Sinoid" or "
Mongolid", is most used in discussions of human prehistory,
historical definitions of race and in the
forensic analysis of human remains.
The suffix "
-oid" indicates a similarity, not necessarily exact, to something else. Mongoloid, therefore, does not necessarily equate to earlier terms such as "Mongolian" or "
Asiatic" — whatever the parameters for their definitions may be — and much less does it equate to the
Mongolian nationality.
Racial classification, and even the existence of
race, is controversial. The
-oid racial terms are now often controversial in both technical and non-technical contexts and are likely to give offense no matter how they are used. [
1]
"Mongoloid" applies to physical traits and not to contemporary or historic definitions of racial or social groups. Some current terms for the latter are Asian, East Asian, Southeast Asian, and
Oriental; however the range of
Mongoloid does not correspond exactly to any one of these. In regards to "Asian", it can be said that North Asians, East Asians, and Southeast Asians are physically Mongoloid, however most
South Asians are not, Central Europeans, Eastern Europeans, Central Asians tend to intermediate between Mongoloids and Caucasoids, and West Asians (Middle Easterners) are classified as Caucasoids.
Since people with
Down syndrome have some superficially Mongoloid physical characteristics, the term "Mongol" was once also used as a synonym for
retardation. It was also employed by some, primarily in
John Langdon Down's Observations on the Ethnic Classification of Idiots (1866), as an alleged evolutionary
degeneration when applied to Europeans. For these reasons, the usage of the term Mongoloid for racial purposes has acquired offensive connotations for some people. Due to this offensive use, the term Eastern
Eurasian has been proposed as a
euphemism for the term Mongoloid.
The Mongoloid classification has long been debated as to whom it includes, even today. There has been much debate over what constitutes a race.
As a form of classification by
Carleton S. Coon (1904-1981), "Mongoloid" includes the indigenous peoples of
North Asia,
East Asia,
Southeast Asia, and some parts of
Central Asia and
South Asia. Most people from South Asia are usually classified as
Caucasoid, while most of those from Central Asia as intermediate.
By extension, Mongoloid arguably includes
Polynesians from the
mid-Pacific Oceania, the
indigenous peoples of the Americas, those of
Greenland, some indigenous populations of
Northern Europe (eg. the
Sami of
Finland) and some
Eastern Europeans who are said to have Mongoloid admixture and whose cranial morphology (
brachycephalicy, high
zygomas, etc.) but not pigmentation (
blondism,
eye color, etc) more closely resemble those of Mongoloids than Caucasoids.
According to the
Greek language Wikipedia,
South Asians, specifically
Indians and
Sri Lankans are classified as a darker-skinned Mongoloids than the lighter skinned
Northern Mongoloids.
Mongoloid peoples may be the most spread out among all human populations, according to
Carleton S. Coon's defintion. They have stretched almost completely around the earth's surface as either aboriginals (the first to arrive in a given region) or as conquering migrants. They can be found as far "east" as Greenland, and yet also as far to the "west" as
Kalmykia, the
Crimea, and even
Scandinavia, giving Asiatic peoples or their descendants a historical presence across the vast expanse of four continents. Their majority only increases if the Greek Wikipedia's definition is used.
North Asians
The
Northern Mongoloid peoples of North Asia. They have somewhat hairier bodies than other Mongoloid type, and their facial features are quite sharp.
Farther to the south and east of interior Asia, the northern and interior the
Japanese,
Koreans, northern
Han Chinese, and
Manchus also continue to inherit these other prototypical physical features. Other Northern Mongoloids include many smaller groups in Central Asia and the Arctic regions such as the
Buryats,
Chukchis,
Tuvans,
Nivkhs,
Evenki,
Yakuts, Siberian
Inuit,
Tibetans, and
Mongolians.
The indigenous
Ainu people of
Japan are also grouped into the northern Mongoloids, however, they are an archaic type. Some of their characteristics are considered Caucasoid. In the early 20th century
anthropologists debated on what
typological classification the Ainu belonged to. The typological models of
racial classification in use at that time have since undergone significant revision, in the light of developments in fields such as
genetics.
Han Chinese
The
Han Chinese are by far the most populous and heterogeneous Mongoloid "group". Indeed, the Han are often said to be the largest single group of any race, however, they are really not a truly coherent single ethnicity. The concept of a unified group of Han Chinese is more so a cultural anthropological concept rather than a biological anthropological one.
Studies have shown that the
North Chinese are closer to Northern Mongoloids such as
Koreans and
Japanese, while the
South Chinese are closer to their immediate Southern counterparts like the
Tai and
Vietnamese. These two classifications are only examples of the considerable diversity within the Han Chinese ethnic group; further examples include population samples from the
Shanghai and
Jiangsu areas which share both Northern Mongoloid and Southern Mongoloid characteristics in addition to having genetically unique characteristics not found in other Han populations, suggesting integration of indigenous peoples unique to its location.
[2] [3]Southeast Asians
The peoples of the majority of continental
Southeast Asia, specifically those who are located west of the Annamite Mountain range, including
Malaysia,
Indonesia, and the
Philippines. They are considered Mongoloid according to the four-race theory , however, they are genetically distinct from their neighbors to the north and may be considered a Southern Mongoloid race .
The
Southern Mongoloid is typically shorter-nosed, with quite hairless bodies, and tend to be slender. Starting with the southern
Han Chinese of the southeastern coast, they are believed to be adapted to damper climates and allegedly mixed with
Austronesian prototypes migrating to the Pacific Ocean.
In Southeast Asia, these Southern Mongoloids have assimilated, mixed in with, or replaced Australoids in some areas. Some
Pacific Islanders or
Polynesians may also be considered Mongoloids, although in this area of the world, Australoids and Mongoloids have hybridised considerably and the lines between the two "races" are blurred.
Although the
Vietnamese, whom are located and originate to the northeast of the Annamite Mountain Range, are geographically labelled as "Southeast Asians", their ethnic and cultural heritage ties them to their immediate northern neighbours, the Southern Chinese and other tribes within the proximity of
South China.
New World Mongoloids
The
Indigenous Peoples of the Americas are believed to have entered the
American continent from Asia between 35 to 25 thousand years ago. See
Models of migration to the New World. The earlier known inhabitants of the continent are the Amerindians, and they are distinct from the subsequent migrations who would become the indigenous populations of
Arctic North America (the various
Alaskan and indigenous Arctic
Canadian groups such as the
Inuit,
Innu, and
Aleuts).
The indigenous groups of Arctic North America — including the
Haida people of
British Columbia on the northwest coast — can often resemble Central Asians and even Northern Asians (such as
Koreans or
Japanese), making them much closer to the Northern Mongoloid type than even Southeast Asians.
The
Amerindians, however, are often considered a separate population pool to, or at most a distant division of, Mongoloids. The Amerindians branched off of archaic or proto-Mongoloids from
Siberia and other parts of
Northeast Asia, including the
Ainu or such groups related to them (See
Kennewick man). From that point in time, when they crossed over to
North America and dispersed into
Central and
South America, they evolved independently for tens of thousands of years ago, not coming into contact with any Old World populations until the arrival of Europeans just over 500 years ago. This large time gap of separate isolated evolution resulted in certain distinct genetic and physical characteristics not found in Old World Mongoloids or the indigenous groups of Arctic North America.
The indigenous groups of Arctic North America are always clustered with Old World Mongoloids due to their recent arrival and their shared evolution.
Transitional Mongoloids:Central Asians
Although recent genetic studies suggest that humans ancestral in part to both today's Mongoloids and
Caucasoids migrated to Central Asia from
South Asia or the
Middle East 40-50 thousand years ago, much of modern Central Asians' ancestry is thought to stem from later migrations from the west (such as the
Tocharians and
Indo-Iranians) and from the east (such as various
Turkic peoples and the
Mongols); migration from South Asia had less of an impact in this later period. See also
History of Central Asia.
Excluding the effects of 19th and 20th century
Russian and
Han Chinese colonization, Mongoloid elements are strongest among the northern traditionally nomadic peoples such as the
Kyrgyz,
Kazakhs, and
Mongols. The farming populations further south like the
Uzbeks and
Uyghurs show both northern Mongoloid and
Mediterranean Caucasoid traits. There is no sharp distinction in appearance between the Uzbeks who speak a
Turkic language and their close neighbors the
Tajiks who speak an
Iranian language; traditionally, mixture and
bilingualism were very common, until boundaries based on
linguistic nationalism were drawn in the 20th century. In general, Caucasoid traits increase away from the steppes and in mountains such as the
Pamirs. However, the
Hazara are a southern outlier of part-Mongoloids in the
Hindu Kush mountains of central
Afghanistan.
Transitional Mongoloids:Osteuropids
The
19th century German physical anthropologist Egon Freiherr von Eickstedt considered the Central and Eastern European to be transitional Mongoloids called Osteuropids. He determined that the blonde hair of Eastern and Central Europeans prevented them from being a mix of Nordics and Mongoloids, but he also considered them to be physically mongoloid. He concluded they represented a new racial type of transitional Mongoloids which was the common ancestor of Nordics and Mongoloids. He named these transitional Mongoloids Osteuropids. Osteuropids posses Mongoloid physical characteristics such as brachycephalization but have the blondism of Nordics. Eickstedt considered their racial type to be a primitive one that has stopped evolving.
Main article: Forensic classification of race
The
Khoisan of southwestern
Africa share some characteristics typical of Mongoloids, such as epicanthic folds but more importantly craniology. On the other hand, features such as skin and hair texture are markedly different and resemble other sub-Saharan African populations. They have been proven to be not any more genetically related to Mongoloids than they are to other non-Africans.
The
Chleuh of southern Morocco are another African population who have been said to have some features reminiscent of Asians.
In
forensic anthropology, however, remains are often classified into one of the three populations: Black, White, or Asian. In U.S. legal practice, these are respectively termed "Negroid," "Caucasoid," and "Mongoloid". Based on these parameters, populations genetically unrelated to Mongoloids, such as the Khoisan, are found to be "Mongoloid".
See also: Craniofacial AnthropometryPhysical characteristics typical of Mongoloids include oblique palpebral fissures that create almond-shaped eyes, also known as
epicanthal folds. The presence of epicanthic folds is most prevalent in people of East Asian and Southeast Asian descent.
The overwhelming majority also exhibit the
Mongolian spot, which is a natural smooth brown or blue-gray birthmark usually on the lower back and buttocks area of infants and is visible up to about age four. This feature, however, is not unique to Mongoloids, and may be found among European and African populations although at a much reduced frequency.
The vast majority of Mongoloids have straight black hair and dark brown eyes. Dark brown hair and lighter brown do occur, but less so. The occurrence of grey eyes and even blue eyes has been observed among a few Central Asians and
Mongolians, however, this could be from a Caucasoid continuum. Curly hair is not uncommon in
North China and
Korea; and wavy hair occurs in any Mongoloid population. Skin pigmentation varies significantly. The skin's undertone is usually yellowish, but the actual pigmentation may go from very pale, to pale and light brown, medium brown, to dark brown and extremely dark.
Cranial morphology is typically
brachycephalic (round-headed) with high-set
zygoma (cheekbones). Faces are relatively broad and flat, while noses are typically small with low nasal bridges and minimal nasal projection. Body hair is scarce and sweat glands are also fewer. Nevertheless,
mesocephalic craniology (intermediate between round and oval), somewhat higher nasal bridges, and greater facial and body hair may sometimes also occur.
Note that among the
Indigenous peoples of the Americas, or more specifically, among Amerindians (ie. to the exclusion of the indigenous populations of
Arctic North America), the occurrence of epicanthal folds is almost absent; skin pigmentations may also go from pale to light, medium, and dark brown, but the undertone is reddish; and larger often "hooked" noses, with high nasal bridges and great nasal projection are most common.
The "prototypic" Mongoloid features seem to have originated among those who originate from drier, arid, or colder inland or northern regions. Whereas tropical and damper weather along the
Pacific coast or in the proximity of the
Equator seems to have contributed to "softer" or smoother physical features, and significantly less body and facial hair. The same might also be argued for Africans.
According to a modern anthropological textbook
The Human Species (2003), there only exists "continuous variation" of races and not "discrete units", but historically Mongoloid populations are considered to be a division of the Eurasian Supercluster, which comprises both Caucasoids (Western Eurasians) and Mongoloids (Eastern Eurasians). Historically it had been believed that the Mongoloids split from the Caucasoids, the Mongoloids themselves divided into the Northern (
Northeast Asians) and Southern (Southeast Asians and
Pacific Islanders) Mongoloid groups. Historically it was believed the Amerindians are a group that branched off the Northern Mongoloid population before crossing into the
New World.
Modern biological evidence from the anthropological textbook
Human Species (2003) contradicts earlier theories of which groups were more genetically related to other groups. The
Human Species(2003) and
Physical Anthropology used the genetic clustering of Cavalli-Sforza (2000) in their publication. Humans are all related. Humanity divided itself into the African and the Eurasian/Oceanic branch. The Eurasian and Oceanic branches are the products of this common origin. The Eurasian branch split into the Amerindian and major East Asian branch. The major East Asian branch divided itself into eastern Russian and the East Asian. The Oceanic branch divided itself into the Southeast Asians and Pacific Islanders. According to the
Human Species (2003),
East Asians generally are more genetically similar to the
South Asians than to
Southeast Asians, because the Far East and the Indian Subcontinent are members of the Eurasian branch while Southeast Asians (including south Chinese) are members or the Oceanic branch. More interestingly, Asians have very local genetic clusters inside these regions, implying different Asian ethnic groups have not historically intermarried with each other. Examples of localized genetic clusters include Japan, Korea, Mongolia and China which form separate genetic clusters from each other.
[John Relethford, The Human Species: An introduction to Biological Anthropology, 5th ed. (New York: McGraw-Hill, 2003). ][Philip L. Stein and Bruce M. Rowe, Physical Anthropology, 8th ed. (McGraw-Hill, 1996)] These various divisions of humanity have interbred throughout
history and
pre-history, making racial classification a more generalised form of taxonomy than an absolute one. According to the above reference: "There has never been a clear consensus on the actual number (of races), though".
The concept that
East Asians,
Southeast Asians,
Pacific Islanders,
Indigenous Americans and others identified as Mongoloids are the same race is accepted more in some parts of the world than in others. In East and Southeast Asia, it is more common to think of each nation as its own race or unique people, because of the relative homogeneity in most of these states. In fact, China and Indonesia are the only two states in the region to have blatantly heterogenous populations. Generally in less developed parts of the globe, racial definitions such as the Mongoloid race are more widely accepted, because of the low availability of contemporary scientific research.
See
Asian people for discussion in more depth, as this issue is outside the scope of this article.
*
Asian Skulls This website discusses the variation in Asian skulls.
*
The first modern East Asians? Another look at Upper Cave 101, Liujiang and Minatogawa*
Asian Genes This website discusses the genetic distance of different Asian groups.
