The Tallest in the World: Native Americans of the Great Plains in the Nineteenth Century

Historians often portray Native Americans as merely unfortunate victims of European disease and aggression, with lives in disarray that followed the arrival of Columbus and other explorers or conquerors. The data we analyze on human stature show, in contrast, that some Native Americans such as the equestrian Plains nomads, were remarkably ingenious and adaptive in the face of exceptional demographic stress. Using anthropometric data originally collected by Franz Boas, we show that the Plains nomads were tallest in the world during the mid-nineteenth century. We link this extraordinary achievement to a rich and varied diet, modest disease loads other than epidemics, a remarkable facility at reorganization following demographic disasters, and egalitarian principles of operation. The analysis provides a useful mirror for understanding the health of Euro-Americans.

Physical stature in nineteenth-century new zealand: A preliminary interpretation

During the late nineteenth century, the physical stature of New Zealand-born men stagnated, despite an apparently beneficial public health environment and growth in per-capita incomes. We examine trends and differentials in male stature through World War I enlistment and casualty records. Stature varied by social class, with professionals and men in rural occupations substantially taller than their peers. There is not enough evidence to show that the indigenous Maori population differed in height from men of European descent. Stagnation in stature in late nineteenth-century New Zealand is consistent with patterns observed in Australia, North America, and Western Europe. © 2010 The Authors. Australian Economic History Review© Blackwell Publishing Asia Pty Ltd and the Economic History Society of Australia and New Zealand 2010