A Biological Distance Analysis of 19th -20th -Century Individuals From Myanmar
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Authors
Yukyi, Nandar
Issue Date
2024
Type
Dissertation
Language
Keywords
Biodistance Study , Myanmar , Southeast Asia
Alternative Title
Abstract
Myanmar (Burma) is the largest country in mainland Southeast Asia that is an optimal region for studies in human migration patterns in the geographic area. However, owing to a regime under an isolationist military dictatorship for the last half-century, Myanmar is a relatively underrepresented country in the international sphere in many aspects, including anthropological research that explores the biological diversity of the country's human population. As such, the current dissertation study aims to: 1) examine the biological diversity in a sample of individuals belonging to a cranial collection obtained from Burma over a century ago (the Duckworth Burma cranial collection at the University of Cambridge); and 2) explore evolutionary trends in skeletal and dental morphology from this population sample. This research is a holistic and multi-faceted study that incorporates multiple data types (metric and nonmetric data) of the cranium and dentition to compare individuals from the Duckworth Burma collection to diverse global population groups. Results from the current study indicate that the Duckworth Burma crania exhibit phenotypic diversity that is reflective of their population history. Linear discriminant analysis results of metric suggest that the Duckworth Burma samples were skeletally closest to individuals from Java (Indonesia), South India, and the Philippines. Cluster analyses of craniometric data also showed distinct clusters that formed independent of sexual dimorphism, suggesting phenotypic diversity within the Burma groups analyzed. Further, samples from the Duckworth Burma collection exhibit craniofacial dimensions and traits that are consistent with traits associated with warmer climates. Both craniometric canonical variate plots and macromorphoscopic (MMS) trait frequency analyses of the Duckworth Burma samples indicate closer relationships of this group with other population groups associated with warmer climates. Moreover, raw cranial measurements and MMS trait scores of the Duckworth Burma individuals further support the findings based on climate-related craniofacial morphology. Lastly, the overall results from various data types demonstrate that samples from the Burma groups analyzed in this study are most similar to other Southeast, East, and South Asian population groups, following the isolation-by-distance model. The current dissertation is the first biological distance (biodistance) study in over 100 years to revisit the Duckworth Burma cranial collection and give it the attention it deserves. Moreover, it is also the first biological anthropological study conducted on Burmese remains by an anthropologist belonging to the Burmese diaspora who is also a descendant community member of the Duckworth Burma individuals. Knowledge produced from the current study can aid in future data collection on additional skeletal samples from Myanmar. Further, it can also serve as a referential baseline for the forensic identification of individuals in Myanmar whose remains have been fully decomposed, skeletonized, or thermally altered due to the atrocities committed by the military junta. As such, this dissertation study strives to serve as a small yet crucial step in bridging an immense gap between biological anthropology and Myanmar.