Neves, WA, Bernardo, DV, Guidon, N. Morphological affinities of human skeletal remains from Serra da Capivara, Northeastern Brazil and their implications for the origins of the Native Americans. In: Resumenes XI Congreso de la Asociación Latinoamericana de Antropología Biológica – ALAB (CD-ROM), Bogotá, Colômbia, 2010. Apresentação oral.

1. Morphological affinities of human
skeletal remains from Serra da
Capivara, northeastern Brazil, and
their implications for the origins of
Native Americans
W. A. Neves1, D.V. Bernardo1, N. Guidon2
Laboratório de Estudos Evolutivos Humanos –
Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo,
Brasil
2 Fundação Museu do Homem Americano, Brasil
1
 danvb@ib.usp.br

2. Our current perception of the
settlement of the Americas (last decades):
 people was present in the New World prior to Clovis (Dillehay, 1997);
 a Beringean coastal route was used by the newcomers instead of an
interior corridor (Dixon, 2001);
 the lithic industry and subsistence patterns of the pioneers varied
considerably from region to region (Kipnis, 1998; Roosevelt et al., 2002;
Neves & Cornero, 1997);
the first Americans looked very different from late and nowadays
Native Americans (Neves & Pucciarelli, 1991).

3. Our current perception of the
settlement of the Americas (last decades):
 people was present in the New World prior to Clovis (Dillehay, 1997);
 a Beringean coastal route was used by the newcomers instead of an
interior corridor (Dixon, 2001);
 the lithic industry and subsistence patterns of the pioneers varied
considerably from region to region (Kipnis, 1998; Roosevelt et al., 2002;
Neves & Cornero, 1997);
the first Americans looked very different from late and nowadays
Native Americans (Neves & Pucciarelli, 1991).

4. The first Americans looked very different from late and nowadays
Native Americans (Neves & Pucciarelli, 1991).
early Americans
late/nowadays Americans

5. The first Americans looked very different from late and nowadays
Native Americans (Neves & Pucciarelli, 1991).
early Americans
late/nowadays Americans

6. The first Americans looked very different from late and nowadays
Native Americans (Neves & Pucciarelli, 1991).
P
a
l
e
o
a
m
e
r
i
c
a
n
short
neurocrania
A
m
e
r
i
n
d
i
a
n

7. The first Americans looked very different from late and nowadays
Native Americans (Neves & Pucciarelli, 1991).
P
a
l
e
o
a
m
e
r
i
c
a
n
wild
neurocrania
A
m
e
r
i
n
d
i
a
n

8. The first Americans looked very different from late and nowadays
Native Americans (Neves & Pucciarelli, 1991).
high
P
a
l
e
o
a
m
e
r
i
c
a
n
orthognatic
broad
faces
A
m
e
r
i
n
d
i
a
n

9. The first Americans looked very different from late and nowadays
Native Americans (Neves & Pucciarelli, 1991).
P
a
l
e
o
a
m
e
r
i
c
a
n
long
neurocrania
A
m
e
r
i
n
d
i
a
n

10. The first Americans looked very different from late and nowadays
Native Americans (Neves & Pucciarelli, 1991).
P
a
l
e
o
a
m
e
r
i
c
a
n
narrow
neurocrania
A
m
e
r
i
n
d
i
a
n

11. The first Americans looked very different from late and nowadays
Native Americans (Neves & Pucciarelli, 1991).
P
a
l
e
o
a
m
e
r
i
c
a
n
low
prognatic
faces
A
m
e
r
i
n
d
i
a
n

12. The first Americans looked very different from late and nowadays
Native Americans (Neves & Pucciarelli, 1991).
Contrary to this view, Hrdlíčka’s original assertion:
All Native Americans can be
accommodated within one single
cranial morphological range
DNA diversity of present Native
Americans suggests that the continent was
peopled by humans pertaining to only one
biological stock (Merriwether et al., 1995;
Bonatto and Salzano, 1997; Silva et al.,
2002; Fagundes et al., 2008; Goebel et al.,
2008)  apparently supporting Hrdlíčka’s
original assertion.

13. The first Americans looked very different from late and nowadays
Native Americans (Neves & Pucciarelli, 1991).
Contrary to this view, Hrdlíčka’s original assertion:
“All Native Americans can be
accommodated within one single
cranial morphological range”
DNA diversity of present Native
Americans suggests that the continent
was peopled by humans pertaining to only
one biological stock (Merriwether et al.,
1995; Bonatto and Salzano, 1997; Silva et
al., 2002; Fagundes et al., 2008; Goebel et
al., 2008)  apparently supporting
Hrdlíčka’s original assertion.

17. Short and wide neurocrania; high, orthognatic and
broad faces; relatively high and narrow orbits and
noses
Narrow and long neurocrania; prognatic, low faces;
relatively low and broad orbits and noses

18. Short and wide neurocrania; high, orthognatic and
broad faces; relatively high and narrow orbits and
noses
Narrow and long neurocrania; prognatic, low faces;
relatively low and broad orbits and noses

19. Short and wide neurocrania; high, orthognatic and
broad faces; relatively high and narrow orbits and
noses
Amerindian
Paleoamerican
Narrow and long neurocrania; prognatic, low faces;
relatively low and broad orbits and noses

20. Short and wide neurocrania; high, orthognatic and
broad faces; relatively high and narrow orbits and
noses
Amerindian
Paleoamerican
Narrow and long neurocrania; prognatic, low faces;
relatively low and broad orbits and noses
Two different morphologies in the America!

23. Amerindian
Paleoamerican

26. Paleoamerican
Amerindian

27. Occurrence of Paleoamerican morphology in different regions

30. Here the cranial morphology
of five prehistoric humans skulls
from Serra da Capivara was
assessed under a comparative
perspective.

31. Serra da Capivara’s Sample

32. Serra da Capivara’s Sample
Toca do Gongo 2, ♀, ≈ 2.0 kyr
Toca do Coqueiro, ♂, ≈ 9.9 kyr
Toca dos Cablocos, ♂, ≈ 0.45 kyr
Toca do Paraguaio, # 1 ♀, ≈ 8.6 kyr
# 2 ♂, ≈ 8.7 kyr

33. Comparative Sample
12 worldwide series from Howell’s databank

34. Comparative Sample
12 worldwide series from Howell’s databank
plus
2 series from SouthAmerican Arcaic Period
(measured by Neves’s colleagues)

35. Final Sample

36. Methods
Multivariate comparisons by means of Principal Components Analysis
(PCA) & General Discriminant Analysis (GDA);
Males & Females analyzed together;
Double Z pooled standardization: all cases and variables were normalized;
Correction of sexual dimorfism and size variation.
Replacement of missing values by general means

37. Methods
61 cranial variables taken in accordance with Howells’s protocol.

38. Results - PCA
4
3
2
CP 2: 13,22%
1
0
-1
-2
-3
-4
-3
-2
-1
0
CP 1: 21,85%
1
2
3
4

39. All sampled specimens without labels
4
3
2
CP 2: 13,22%
1
0
-1
-2
-3
-4
-3
-2
-1
0
CP 1: 21,85%
1
2
3
4

40. 4
Asia M
Asia F
3
2
CP 2: 13,22%
1
0
-1
-2
-3
-4
-3
-2
-1
0
CP 1: 21,85%
1
2
3
4

41. 4
Asia M
Asia F
Africa M
Africa F
3
2
CP 2: 13,22%
1
0
-1
-2
-3
-4
-3
-2
-1
0
CP 1: 21,85%
1
2
3
4

42. 4
Asia M
Asia F
Africa M
Africa F
AustraloM M
AustraloM F
3
2
CP 2: 13,22%
1
0
-1
-2
-3
-4
-3
-2
-1
0
CP 1: 21,85%
1
2
3
4

43. 4
Asia M
Asia F
Africa M
Africa F
AustraloM M
AustraloM F
América M
América F
3
2
CP 2: 13,22%
1
0
-1
-2
-3
-4
-3
-2
-1
0
CP 1: 21,85%
1
2
3
4

44. 4
Asia M
Asia F
Africa M
Africa F
AustraloM M
AustraloM F
América M
América F
Sudam.Arc. M
Sudam.Arc. F
3
2
CP 2: 13,22%
1
0
-1
-2
-3
-4
-3
-2
-1
0
CP 1: 21,85%
1
2
3
4

45. 4
Asia M
Asia F
Africa M
Africa F
AustraloM M
AustraloM F
América M
América F
Sudam.Arc. M
Sudam.Arc. F
L.Santa M
L.Santa F
3
2
CP 2: 13,22%
1
0
-1
-2
-3
-4
-3
-2
-1
0
CP 1: 21,85%
1
2
3
4

46. 4
Asia M
Asia F
Africa M
Africa F
AustraloM M
AustraloM F
América M
América F
Sudam.Arc. M
Sudam.Arc. F
L.Santa M
L.Santa F
S.Capivara M
S.Capivara F
3
2
CP 2: 13,22%
1
0
-1
-2
-3
-4
-3
-2
-1
0
CP 1: 21,85%
1
2
3
4

47. 4
3
2
CP 2: 13,22%
1
0
-1
-2
-3
-4
-3
-2
-1
0
CP 1: 21,85%
1
2
3
4

48. 4
3
2
CP 2: 13,22%
1
0
-1
-2
-3
-4
-3
-2
-1
0
CP 1: 21,85%
1
2
3
4

49. 4
Asia
Africa
América
3
2
Paraguaio 1
Coqueiros
CP 2: 13,22%
1
Paraguaio 2
0
Gongo 1
Paleoamericano
Sudamerica Arc.
-1
Caboclos
-2
-3
Australo-Melan.
-4
-3
-2
-1
0
CP 1: 21,85%
1
2
3
4

50. 4
Asia
Africa
América
3
2
Paraguaio 1
Coqueiros
CP 2: 13,22%
1
Paraguaio 2
0
Gongo 1
Paleoamericano
Sudamerica Arc.
-1
Caboclos
-2
-3
Australo-Melan.
-4
-3
-2
-1
0
1
2
3
4
CP 1: 21,85%
The same morphological duality in New World’s samples;
Serra da Capivara’s sample occupying both extremes.

51. Results - GDA
Classification Matrix – 81,84% of correct classification

52. Conclusions
Dual differentiation of Serra da Capivara’s sample can not be attributed
to sexual dimorfism;
One group (in the right side of the PCA) represented by specimens from
the early Holocene and other group (in the left side of the PCA) by
specimens from middle and late Holocene*;
Absence of intermediary morphologies: same scenario observed in
others regions of South America;
Compability with the idea that New World was occupied by two
morphologically distinct populations. Sample from Toca do Paraguaio
show that both morphologies were present in the America between
8.0 – 9.0 kyr BP.

53. Acknowledgements
Fapesp – grant 2008/58729-8
CNPq – grant 301126-04.6
Christina Torres-Rouff
Maria Mercedes Martinez Okumura
Mariana Inglez
Mark Hubbe
Simone Silva Santana
Tatiana Ferreira de Almeida

54. Morphological affinities of human
skeletal remains from Serra da
Capivara, northeastern Brazil, and
their implications for the origins of
Native Americans
W. A. Neves1, D.V. Bernardo1, N. Guidon2
Laboratório de Estudos Evolutivos Humanos –
Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo,
Brasil
2 Fundação Museu do Homem Americano, Brasil
1
 danvb@ib.usp.br