Chapter LXIX: Munsee: Pelvis as a Whole

LEGEND:
A = Pelvic index[85]
B = Diameter[86] antero-posterior (_b_)

MALE
-------+------+----------+-------+-----+---------------------------
| | | | | Superior Strait
| | Mean |Breath | +-------+-------+-----------
|Number| height |maximum| |Breath | ||Brim index
| | of ossa | of | (A) |maximum| (B) | (b×100)
| |innominata|pelvis | | (_a_) | | ———————
| | | | | | | a
-------+------+----------+-------+-----+-------+-------+-----------
| | _cm._ | |_cm._| | _cm._ | _cm._
Average| (6) | 21.2 | 26.7 |78.9 | 12.1 | 10.6 | 87.8
Minimum| (6) | 20.8 | 24.4 |76.6 | 11.6 | 9.6 | 78.7
Maximum| (6) | 21.5 | 28.2 |85.9 | 12.8 | 11.2 | 98.3
-------+------+----------+-------+-----+-------+-------+-----------
FEMALE
-------+------+----------+-------+-----+-------+-------+-----------
Average| (10) | 19.95 | 25.9 |77.0 | 13.0 | 11.0 | 84.5
Minimum| (10) | 18.5 | 24.1 |73.3 | 12.3 | 9.4 | 70.7
Maximum| (10) | 20.7 | 27.8 |80.4 | 13.8 | 12.5 | 94.4
-------+------+----------+-------+-----+-------+-------+-----------

[85] Mean height of innominate bones×100/maximum breadth of pelvis

[86] Promontory of sacrum to nearest point on the inner lip of pubic bones.

The pelvic cavity at the superior strait or brim is more spacious, both antero-posteriorly and laterally, in the Munsee female than in the male, and it is also somewhat broader relatively to its depth, as a result of which it gives a somewhat lower depth-breadth index.

On comparison with the pelves of the mound-building Indians of the Arkansas and Louisiana mounds, those of the Southwest and Mexico, and those of United States whites, it is seen that the Munsee pelvis, as a whole, is of moderate dimensions, especially in its breadth, which is slightly smaller than that in any of the other groups in the males and in most of the females. Because of this fact, the height-breadth index of the pelvis in the Munsee is relatively high—higher than that of any of the other Indians. It is exceeded in this respect only by the pelvis of the white males.

An even more marked peculiarity of the Munsee pelvis applies to its inlet or brim. As will be seen by a glance at the figures, this is relatively narrow and deep in both sexes; the lateral diameter, with a single minor exception, is the lowest, and the diameter antero-posterior the highest of all the groups. As a result of this condition, the brim index of the Munsee in both males and females is exceptionally high.