Dentochronological Separation Estimates for Pacific Rim Populations

Abstract

Dental morphology of American Indians, Asians, and Pacific islanders is used with a multivariate statistic to estimate when genetic separation occurred between several populations. These estimates generally match independent estimates of separation. This method, called dentochronology, gives an American Indian fission date from Asians of about 13,000 +/- 3,000 years ago, which agrees with archeological data and rules out a European origin because of temporal priority. Polynesians split from Southeast Asians 5,000 +/- 2,200 years ago and are not derived from Melanesians. Ainu-Jomon originated in Sundaland 14,000 +/- 3,300 years ago. Africans have been separated from Asian-Americans 60,000 +/- 6,100 years.