Wa People 's Physical Anthropology And Human Population Genetics

Wa, a Chinese south minority, which has about 396,600 people, reside in Cang-yuan, Geng-ma,Xi-meng of Yunnan province. There have been quite a number of reports of Chinese minorities already, but none so far on Wa adults. To fill the gap, we led an investigation of Wa adults in Yunnan province in October 2005. We conducted an investigation on items of anthropometry of 442 adults (258 males and 184 females) of Wa and on 24 population genetic items of 252(135 males and 117 females) high school students.The results are as follows :(1) The percentage of mongoloid fold is lower. The percentage of eye fold of the upper eyelid is higher. The nasal root height of males is medium, but that of females is low. Most of Wa are medium size in the alae nasi height. The lobe type is round frequently in males and females. The upper lip height of Wa is medium. Hair color is black and eye color is brown frequently. Most of males and females have yellow skin color. (2) Types of physical characteristics of Wa are frequently identifies as brachycephaly, hypsicephalic, leptorrhiny, mesatiskelic type and medium chest circumference. Males are mesocephaly, leptoprosopy, long length of trunk, the wide breadth of shoulder and medium distance between iliac crests. Females are tapeinocephalic type, mesoprosopy, medium length of trunk, medium breadth of shoulder and narrow distance between iliac crests. The average stature is 1604.0mm for males and 1507.0mm for females, which indicate classification to the sub-middle type. (3) The results of multianalysis of facial and soma items show: Wa has physical characteristics of the South Asian type of Mongoloid. (4)The curve of head circumference of Wa adults doesn’t vary much, but growth curve of circumference of trunk (except abdominal of females) and limbs go up first, then go down. (5)Growth curve of skinfold thickness of Wa males go up first, then go down. But growth curve of face skinfold of females go down first, then go up. Calf skinfold thickness changed ruleless. The others first ascend, then descend. At the same age the thickness of skinfold of females are thicker than males. Body density of females lower than that of males(except over 50 age groups).Body fat percentages of females are higer than that of males. (6) The mean somatotypes were Balanced Mesomorph category in males and Endomorph-Mesomorph category in females. (7) Nine traits of head-face have little correlation, but Front tooth type-Lobe type, Nasal profile, Chin type-Hair form have distinct correlation (P<0.01). (8) Four Morphological traits of hand-foot have little correlation and no diversity was shown between males and females. (9)The anlysis of six behavioral traits of lateral functional of Wa show: The three groups of traits including Hand clasping-Foot preference, Hand clasping-Leg folding, Foot preference-Leg folding have distinct correlation. Arm folding and Foot preference have differnces between males and females. (10)The correlation of five types of tongue’s movement shows: The four pairs of traits, Tongue rolling-Pointed tongue, Tongue rolling-Clover-leaf tongue, Tongue twisting-Tongue folding, and Tongue twisting-Clover-leaf tongue have distinct correlation . There are no sexual differences of the five tongue movement types.