Prehistoric and Recent Populations of Chukotka: A Paleophenetic Analysis

Thirty nonmetric traits were studied in two cranial series from prehistoric coastal cemeteries on the Chukchi Peninsula (hereafter Chukotka) – Welen (58 crania) and Ekven (107 crania), representing the Old Bering Sea culture. Both series are close not only to modern Eskimos, Chukchi, and Aleuts but also to Tungus-speaking groups. This may be due both to ancient contacts between continental and coastal populations and to their common origin. Comparisons with the Neolithic groups of Baikal and with southern Mongoloids suggest that Eskoaleuts originated in Siberia, and that admixture between migrants from continental Siberia and those from more southern areas of the Pacific coast was one of the key factors in this process. Another factor was adaptation to the extreme Arctic environment.