Dermatoglyphic Data on the Problem of Origins of Modern Population of the North-East of European Part of Russia

Abstract

Drawing on multivariate statistical methods, dermatoglyphic data representing the main ethnic groups of the population of Russias North-East (Russians, Karelians, Veps, Saami) are examined and subjected to comparative analysis against the broader background of European populations. The results of the two-stage project carried out let the author pinpoint three principal dermatoglyphic complexes in the region. The first is characteristic of the Russian population of the larger part of northern areas. The second is representative of the population of Karelia and Eastern Finland (Russians, Finns, and Karelians). The third appears in representative samples of the Veps and Kola Peninsula Saami.