Franz Boas and Native American biological variability

Human Biology, Jun 1995 by Jantz, R L

Tribes speaking different languages and having different customs may have the same type and on the other hand, tribes, the same in language and the same in customs may be composed of different types....It is clear therefore that classification based on type, language and customs, cannot possibly be expected to coincide. (Boas, n.d., pp. 2-3)

The rediscovery of Boas's data comes at a propitious time. We now have the data storage and processing capability that Boas lacked and a renewed interest in quantitative genetics. The papers in this special issue of Human Biology illustrate some of what can be accomplished with Boas's data, but there is much more that might be done. That many of the studies reported here develop themes that Boas anticipated points more clearly than ever to his large but neglected significance as a founder of modern human biology.

Acknowledgments All the papers in this special issue of Human Biology were based in whole or in part on the data collected under the direction of Franz Boas. I thank the following organizations, all of which supported various phases of acquiring, editing, and computerizing the database: the American Philosophical Society (grant B01998635), the Wenner Gren Foundation (grant 4670), the National Science Foundation (grant BNS 8821724), and the University of Tennessee Faculty Research Program. I thank Stephen Ousley for setting up and organizing the databases we are currently using.

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