Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-hc48f Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-26T19:22:34.657Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The Kota of the Nilgiri hills: a demographic study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 July 2008

Aloke Kumar Ghosh
Aloke Kumar Ghosh
Affiliation:
Human Biology Section, Anthropological Survey of India, 27, Jawaharlal Nehru Marg, Calcutta-13, India
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Extract

A population–biological study of the Kota of the Nilgiri Hills was undertaken between May 1966 and January 1968. This paper discusses the demographic structure of the tribe and its genetic implications.

The Kota is a small tribe of 1203 individuals distributed in only seven villages; it is an isolated population with a low rate of fertility and a high rate of infant mortality. The Kota is not a random mating population. The rate of consanguineous marriages is high and the coefficient of inbreeding is almost equal to the highest recorded value. Besides cousin marriages, marriage within the village is very much preferred. The admixture rate (0·29%) among the Kota is very low. The effective population size is only 28·87% of the total population. The coefficient of breeding isolation is 1·01, which indicates that genetic drift may produce important differentiation in this population. The data show that selection is acting with moderate intensity in this population.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Biosocial Science , Volume 8 , Issue 1 , January 1976 , pp. 17 - 26
Copyright
Copyright © 1976, Cambridge University Press

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Basu, A. (1969) The Pahira: a population genetical study. Am. J. phys. Anthrop. 31, 399.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Basu, A. & Ghosh, A. K. (1968) Hairy ears among the Kota. Bull. cult. Res. Inst. 7, 62.Google Scholar
Bonné, B. (1963) The Samaritans: a demographic study. Hum. Biol. 35, 61.Google ScholarPubMed
Brues, A.M. (1964) Genetic drift in the differentiation of the American indigens: evidence from the blood groups. Sobroctiro del XXXV Congress, International de Americanistas, Mexico, 1962. Actas Mems. Mexico.Google Scholar
Datta, J.M. (1972) Demographic notes on Harappa skeletons. In: Human Skeletal Remains from Harappa. Memoir No. 9, Anthropological Survey of India, Calcutta.Google Scholar
Eaton, J.W. & Mayer, A.J. (1953) The social biology of very high fertility among the Hutterites: the demography of a unique population. Hum. Biol. 25, 206.Google Scholar
Ghosh, A.K. (1970) Selection intensity in the Kota of Nilgiri Hills, Madras. Soc. Biol. 17, 224.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ghosh, A.K. (1972a) A note on nail-patella syndrome and palmaris longus muscle. East. Anthrop. 25, 183.Google Scholar
Ghosh, A.K. (1972b) Inbreeding in the Kota of Nilgiri Hills, Madras. Soc. Biol. 19, 289.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ghosh, A.K. (1973) ABO blood groups and PTC taste sensitivity among the Kota of Nilgiri Hills. Hum. Hered. 23, 78.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Johnston, F.E., Kensinger, K. M., Jantz, R. L. & Walker, G. F. (1969) The population structure of the Peruvian Cashinahua: demographic, genetic and cultural interrelationships. Hum. Biol. 41, 29.Google ScholarPubMed
Keith, A. (1950) A New Theory of Human Evolution. Watts, London.Google Scholar
Lasker, G.W. (1952) Mixture and genetic drift in ongoing human evolution. Am. Anthrop. 54, 433.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lasker, G.W. & Kaplan, B. A. (1964) The co–efficient of breeding isolation: population size, migration rates and the possibilities for random genetic drift in six human communities in Northern Peru. Hum. Biol. 36, 327.Google Scholar
Neel, J.V. (1967) The genetic structure of primitive human populations. Jap. J. hum. Genet. 12, 1.Google Scholar
Roberts, D.F. (1956) A demographic study of a Dinka village. Hum. Biol. 28, 323.Google ScholarPubMed
Salzano, F.M. (1961) Studies on the Caingang Indians I. Demography. Hum. Biol. 33, 110.Google ScholarPubMed
Salzano, F.M., Neel, J. V. & Maybury-Lewis, D. (1967) Further studies on the Xavante Indians: 1. Demographic data on two additional villages: genetic structure of the tribe. Am. J. hum. Genet. 19, 436.Google Scholar
Verghese, I. (1966) The Kota: their dreaded life of Kurumba sorcery. Bull. cult. Res. Inst. 5, 98.Google Scholar
WHO (1964) Research in population genetics of primitive groups. WHO Tech. Rep. Ser. No. 279.Google Scholar
Wright, S. (1938) Size of population and breeding structure in relation to evolution. Science, N. Y. 87, 430.Google Scholar
Wright, S. (1940) Breeding structure of populations in relation to speciation. Am. Nat. 74, 232.CrossRefGoogle Scholar