Chapter XXXVIII: Munsee Crania: Molars; Cuspidary Formulæ

UPPER MOLARS

MALES
-------------------+-----------------------+------------------------
First molar | Second molar | Third molar
-----+--------+----+---------+--------+----+----------+--------+----
Cusps|Number |Per | Cusps |Number |Per | Cusps |Number |Per
| of |cent| | of |cent| | of |cent
| teeth | | | teeth | | | teeth |
|examined| | |examined| | |examined|
-----+--------+----+---------+--------+----+----------+--------+----
4 | 15 |100 | 4 | 4 | 30 | 3 2/2 | 1 | 11
| | |[46]3 1/2| 7 | 54 | 2 2/2 | 3 | 33
| | | 3 | 1 | 8 | 2 1/2 | 1 | 11
| | | 2 3/2 | 1 | 8 |[47]Pursed| 4 | 44
-----+--------+----+---------+--------+----+----------+--------+----
FEMALES
-----+--------+----+---------+--------+----+----------+--------+-----
4 | 14 | 100| 3 1/2 | 13 | 100| 3 | 2 | 15
| | | | | | 2 3/2 | 1 | 8
| | | | | | 2 2/2 | 1 | 8
| | | | | | Pursed | 9 | 69
-----+--------+----+---------+--------+----+----------+--------+---

LOWER MOLARS

MALES
-----+---------+----++-------+---------+----++--------+---------+---
5 | 4 | 100|| 5 | 1 | 33|| 5 | 2 | 50
| | || 4 1/2 | 1 | 33|| 4 2/2 | 1 | 25
| | || 4 | 1 | 33|| 4 | 1 | 25
-----+---------+----++-------+---------+----++--------+---------+---
FEMALES
-----+---------+----++-------+---------+----++--------+---------+---
5 | 1 | 100|| 4 1/2 | 2 | 67 || 4 | 4 | 67
| | || 4 | 1 | 33 || Pursed | 2 | 33
-----+---------+----++-------+---------+----++--------+---------+---

[46] 1/2 = one small cusp; 2/2 = two small (or half) cusps, etc.

[47] Appearing like the mouth of a tightly drawn tobacco-pouch or purse.

It will be observed that the 29 first upper molars have all four regular cusps, while all the first lower molars have five. The second upper molars vary in the males, but show all three ordinary and one small cusp (the posterior lingual) in the females. The wisdom teeth fluctuate considerably in both sexes, both as to size and to form.

SUMMARY OF MEASUREMENTS AND OBSERVATIONS ON THE CRANIA

A summary of the results of the examination and measurements of the Munsee skulls includes the following points of interest:

A number of the specimens show traces of intentional fronto-occipital deformation, which is completely absent among other Indian tribes of the northeastern and Middle Atlantic States; and several of the skulls are of distinctly extraneous type. Both of these conditions point to admixture, which in all probability came from the southwestward and may have been due to Shawnee influence during the last few decades of the occupancy by the Munsee of the upper Delaware.

The crania that can be safely accepted as belonging to the Munsee themselves, and which are not deformed, are characterized by moderate dolichocephaly to mesocephaly and a high vault. They are not thick-walled and show fair capacity.

The face is of moderate dimensions and lacks prognathism. The facial index ranges from mild chamœprosopy to mild leptoprosopy.

The orbits are very variable, but the majority are mesoseme.

The nose is rather short, but fairly broad; the average index is mesorhinic.

The palate is of only moderate length, but fairly broad; its index in both sexes is brachy-uranic.

The lower jaw is of moderate dimensions throughout.

The teeth are medium in size.

_Descriptive features._—The forehead is chiefly of medium development in the males, in the females frequently somewhat low.

The sagittal region shows more or less arching, in no case extreme; the temporo-parietal region and the occiput present mostly medium forms.

Serration of cranial sutures is submedium to very submedium. Wormian and other intercalated bones are scarce. The order of occlusion of sutures among the males was S-C-TO-L; among the females TO-S-C-L (see page 35).

The pterions are all of the H type, with tendency to narrow in males, medium to broad in females.

Parietal foramina are few in number and small, retromastoid foramina moderate to small.

The mastoid processes and the supraorbital ridges present ordinary development and variation; no excess.

The nasion depression is well marked in the males, mostly shallow in the females; nasal bridge is medium to submedium, nasal bones of fair breadth; lower borders of the nasal aperture are mostly fairly sharp, and with one exception there are no simian grooves or subnasal fossæ; nasal spine ranges from very low to submedium.

The orbits show exceptional variation in form, as they do in measurements; suborbital (canine) fossæ are shallow to medium; malar bones are of but moderate development, without anomalies; zygomæ average somewhat submedium as compared with those of other Indians.

The upper alveolar arch is mostly of very moderate slant and free from abnormalities. The lower jaw is of ordinary form, without anomalies. The palate in half the cases is elliptic, in two-thirds of the remainder ovoid, and in one-third parabolic; it is in no case exceptionally low or very high, and there is no torus.

_Base._—The glenoid fossæ in a majority of the crania show usual form and medium dimensions, but tend to wideness in a number of the females; dehiscences in the floor of the auditory meatus are, for Indians, scarce.

The styloid processes reach medium development in but few instances, and they are frequently rudimentary.

The middle lacerated foramina are mostly submedium to small; depression of petrous portions prevalently submedium to slight. The posterior lacerated or jugular foramina are, as usual, in a majority of the cases larger on the right side. Pterygo-basal foramina are scarce.

Anomalies observed on the skulls pertain mostly to the basal structures, particularly the condyles and the sphenoidal foramina.

_Teeth._—Dentition was remarkably regular, but decay and loss of teeth in life were relatively more frequent than in other Indians; upper incisors, especially the middle, are shovel-shaped lingually, as usual in Indians. More or less wear of the teeth in the adults is present in every instance. Dental anomalies, while few in number, comprise a case of special interest: a perfect fusion of canine and incisor.

THE BONES

By reason of the care with which the bones were collected from the Minisink cemetery, those of the different adult skeletons were kept apart as found and are thus perfectly identifiable as to individuals. Excluding those of adolescents and children, there are present the bones of 32 adult skeletons, and in the majority of cases these are almost complete. Of these 32 individuals, 17 were male and 15 female, thus affording a fair series for comparison.

The bones in general are practically normal and almost free from important anomalies. They indicate people of medium to somewhat above medium stature, and of good though not excessive muscular development. In their morphological features they approximate in many respects the bones of whites, yet differ in numerous interesting particulars.

Although a number of the subjects represented by the skeletal remains were old people, there is an absence of light bones or of other evidences of senility. The proportion of such bones in modern whites is in fact much larger than among any of the Indians, either prehistoric or modern, a fact of considerable physiological importance.

HUMERUS

GENERAL OBSERVATIONS

There are present 46 adult humeri, mostly perfect and almost all paired. The principal measurements of these are given in the following table: