DERMATOGLYPHIC RELATIONSHIPS AMONG SOUTH AMERINDIAN POPULATIONS

The biological affinities among 17 South American aboriginal populatio ns are examined by means of a multivariate analysis of their dermatogl yphic finger patterns. Different analytical methods [cluster analysis, nonmetric multidimensional scaling, and multiresponse permutation pro cedure (based on distances derived from principal components analysis) ] reveal interpopulation relationships consistent with Loukotka's lang uage classification. The paleo-American tribes from the Gran Chaco and Brazil share a high incidence of whorls as a distinctive feature. The Andean and tropical forest groups, which present a greater prevalence of arches and ulnar loops, appear to be closely related to each other , suggesting a more recent common origin and/or substantial gene flow between them.