Inequality Amidst Nutritional Abundance: Native Americans on the Great Plains

Richard Steckel

The Journal of Economic History, 2010, vol. 70, issue 2, 265-286

Abstract: The heights of Plains nomads collected by Franz Boas varied by 9 centimeters, following an inverted U-shape by latitude, a pattern also found among Union Army soldiers born east of the Plains. To understand tribal differences, I bring new explanatory variables to the table in the study of historical heights: proxies for effort prices in hunting and gathering food, including biomass, rainfall estimated from tree rings, and tribal area, as well as proximity to trails used by western settlers and movement to reservations. Collectively, these variables explain a substantial share of the systematic variation in average height across tribes.

Date: 2010
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