Local Variety
Distinctive East African type of the Tanzanian savannahs, especially the Dodoma region. A relict of Khoisanid populations that were more widespread prior to the Bantu expansion. Also linked to Maasai. Most common in the Sandawe, who still speak a click language. More mixed in Datooga, Turu, Mbugu, Burunge, Gogo, Bon, and Akie.
Usually medium brown skin and kinky or peppercorn hair. Medium height, brachyskelic, ectomorph to endomorph, occasionally steatopygic. Often dolichocephalic, sometimes mesocephalic with a rather wide face and mesorrhine nose. Body hair very scant. Eyes appear narrow, sometimes pseudo-Mongoloid. Mild prognathy possible.
Early anthropologists rarely studied or classified the type like e.g. Dempwolff (1916). Modern studies find them to be a distinct, genetic outlier (Tishkoff et al., 2009; Schlebusch et al., 2012). Was often considered a Northeastern Khoisanid (Eickstedt, 1934; Cole, 1965). Detailed physical descriptions were given by Trevor (1947).
