Book

Semai Senoi population structure and genetic microdifferentation

University Microfilms InternationalAnn Arbor, Mich.Published In 1988 • Pages:

By: Fix, Alan G..

AbstractBrief abstract written by HRAF anthropologists who have done the subject indexing for the document
This study is based on the authors fieldwork in eight Semai communities during an eight month period from October 1968 to May 1969. These settlements are referred to collectively in the text as the “Satak area”. According to a hypothesis of adaptive evolution proposed by Sewall Wright in 1931, a large population sub-divides itself through time into small, partially isolated demes (i.e., communities) which act as reservoirs of genetic variability “…and through a process of trial and error, shift the total species population to new adaptive peaks” (p.1). Prior to the invention of agriculture and the rise of nation-states, social scientists have assumed that the human population conformed approximately to this model. Few detailed studies of the population structure have been made in the past to either confirm or deny the authenticity of this hypothesis, and the purpose of this present paper is to test some of the basic tenets of Wrights theory using isolated Senoi population clusters. In this dissertation the author attempts to identify the local breeding population, then measure the amount of genetic exchange taking place between the various small population clusters involved, and finally to document the genetic effects of the pattern of inter-deme mating. In addition this work discusses the various processes taking place which structure local populations and either promote or retard mate exchange. Basically Fix evaluates the various demographic, socio-cultural and geographic factors in terms of their possible effects on the genetic structure of the populations studied.
SubjectsDocument-level OCM identifiers given by the anthropology subject indexers at HRAF
Demography
Marriage
Community structure
Inter-community relations
Conception
cultureCulture name from the Outline of World Cultures (OWC)
Semai
HRAF PubDateThe date HRAF published the document
2012
RegionThe area the document pertains to
Asia
Sub RegionThe more specific area the document pertains to, which is located within the Region
Southeast Asia
Document TypeMay include journal articles, essays, collections of essays, monographs, or chapters/parts of monographs
Book
Evaluation
Creator TypeThe type of person writing the document, e.g. Ethnographer, Missionary, Archaeologist, Folklorist, Linguist, Indigenous Person, and so on.
Physical Anthropologist
Document Rating A ranking done by HRAF anthropologists based on the strength of the source material on a scale of 1 to 5, as follows: 1 - poor; 2 - fair; 3 - good, useful data, but not uniformly excellent; 4 - excellent secondary data; 5 - excellent primary data.
5: Excellent Primary Data
AnalystThe HRAF anthropologist who subject indexed the document and prepared other materials for the eHRAF culture/tradition collection
John Beierle; 1989
Field DateThe date the researcher conducted the fieldwork or archival research that produced the document
1968-1969
Coverage DateThe date or dates that the information in the document pertains to
1900-1969
Coverage PlaceLocation of the research culture or tradition (often a smaller unit such as a band, community, or archaeological site)
Satak area, Pahang, Malaysia
NotesAdditional notes
Alan Gordon Fix
Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Michigan, 1972
UM 72029,051
Includes bibliographical references (p. 162-167)
LCSHLibrary of Congress Subject Headings
Senoi (Southeast Asian people)