Chapter 5. Origins of the New York African Burial Ground Population: Biological Evidence of Geographical and Macroethnic Affiliations Using Craniometrics, Dental Morphology, and Preliminary Genetic Analysis

Author(s): F. L. Jackson, A. Mayes, M. E. Mack, A. Froment, S. O. Y. Keita, R. A. Kittles, M. George, K. Shujaa, Michael L. Blakey, Lesley M. Rankin-Hill

Year: 2004

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Summary

Origins are central to understanding the past and present identity of a people.

Origin studies provide, under optimal conditions, a context for all other assessments, such

as archaeological, biomedical, and nutritional evaluations. Characterizing the

phenotypic status and determining the origins of the eighteenth century New York

African population and those individuals interred in the New York African Burial Ground

(NYABG) were among the project’s major goals. Towards that end, our craniometric,

dental morphology, and genetic teams collaborated extensively with project historians

and archaeologists to develop a biocultural, interdisciplinary research strategy for a

historically and ethnographically informed interpretation of the ancestral origins of the

people disinterred from the NYABG. Our research strategy addressed the inquiries of the

descendant African-American community with the professional scientific rigor demanded

by our disciplines.

URL:http://www.africanburialground.gov/ABG_FinalReports.htm

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Keywords

Temporal Coverage

Calendar Date: 1640 to 1800

Spatial Coverage

Individual & Institutional Roles

Prepared By(s): National Park Serivce

Submitted To(s): General Services Administration Northeastern and Caribbean Region