Anthropology

Mongols: peoples, history, and cultural legacy Mongols An overview of the Mongol peoples: origins, language groups, historical expansion under Genghis Khan, social and cultural traits, modern distribution, and notable distinctions.

Mopan people: Maya community of Belize and Guatemala Mopan people The Mopan are an indigenous Maya people of Belize and northern Guatemala. They speak the Mopan Maya language; the community has a distinct cultural identity shaped by colonial disp…

Mossi people Mossi The Mossi are the largest ethnic group of Burkina Faso, also living in Ivory Coast and Ghana. They speak Mòoré, maintain historic kingdoms, practice mixed religions, and have a str…

Mulatto: term, history, usage and contemporary perspectives Mulatto Overview of the term 'mulatto': origins, historical use in colonial caste systems, regional variations, contemporary preferences and why the term is considered problematic by many.

Mundari language Mundari is an Austroasiatic language of the Munda branch, spoken by the Munda people in eastern India. It has oral traditions, several regional varieties, and efforts exist to main…

Mutsun language Mutsun Mutsun is one of the Ohlone (Costanoan) languages of central California. It was disrupted by missionization and later documented in archives; contemporary efforts aim to reclaim an…

Naga people The Naga are a collection of related tribes in northeast India and adjacent Myanmar, linked by Tibeto‑Burman languages, shared cultural traits, village‑centred social systems and d…

Nahuatl — the Uto‑Aztecan language of central Mexico Nahuatl Nahuatl is a group of related Uto‑Aztecan languages once used by the Aztec state and still spoken by around 1.5 million people in Mexico. It has complex morphology and many loanwor…

Nanny: role, duties, and employment in child care Nanny A nanny is a childcare professional employed by a household to provide daily care, supervision, education and support for children. This article explains roles, arrangements, histo…

Nation: Definition, Characteristics, History, and Forms of Political Community Nation An overview of what a nation is: shared identity and culture, etymology, civic and ethnic types, governance models, multinational and stateless cases, and contemporary issues like…

Indigenous Peoples of the Americas: History, Cultures, and Contemporary Issues Native American Overview of the Indigenous Peoples of the Americas: their diverse origins, cultures, effects of European contact, and contemporary issues including rights, languages, and cultural…

Native Americans in the United States: peoples, history, and contemporary issues Native Americans in the United States Overview of Native American peoples in the United States: diversity, history of contact and displacement, legal status and sovereignty, contemporary challenges, cultural survival a…

Native Esperanto speakers People who acquire Esperanto in early childhood as one of their first languages; typically bilingual or multilingual and part of small transnational families and communities.

Navajo (Diné): People, culture, history, and the Navajo Nation Navajo An overview of the Navajo (Diné): identity, language, history, culture, governance and contemporary life on the Navajo Nation reservation in the American Southwest.

Neanderthal (Homo neanderthalensis): overview, anatomy, behaviour and legacy Neanderthal Neanderthals were a close human relative that lived across Europe and parts of western Asia until about 40,000 years ago. This article summarizes their anatomy, culture, discovery,…

Neanderthal 1 (Feldhofer 1): the type specimen of Homo neanderthalensis Neanderthal 1 Neanderthal 1, also called Feldhofer 1, is the 1856 fossil discovery that first led scientists to recognize Neanderthals as a distinct, extinct human form. This article summarizes…

Negro (term): origin, historical use, and contemporary status Negro Overview of the word "Negro": its linguistic origin, historical application in English, shifting acceptability, modern alternatives, and contexts where it still appears today.

Negroid — historical racial classification and its modern reassessment Negroid An overview of the term 'Negroid': its historical use as a racial category, typical physical traits once ascribed to it, why modern science rejects it, and recommended contemporary…

Newar language (Nepal Bhasa) Newar language Nepal Bhasa, or Newar, is the indigenous language of the Newa people of Nepal. A Tibeto-Burman language with a long literary tradition, distinct scripts, regional varieties, and ac…

Newar people: Indigenous urban society of the Kathmandu Valley Newar people The Newar are the historic inhabitants of the Kathmandu Valley (Nepal Mandala). They preserve Nepal Bhasa language, a syncretic Hindu–Buddhist culture, rich urban crafts, festivals…

Nguni languages A concise overview of the Nguni languages: their place in the Bantu family, main varieties (Zulu, Xhosa, Swati, Ndebele, Phuthi, Hlubi), phonology, grammar, distribution, history a…

Nguni people Nguni peoples are Southern African Bantu-speaking communities whose related languages and cultures include Zulu, Xhosa, Swazi and Ndebele traditions across South Africa, Eswatini a…

Nicholas (given name) Nicholas Nicholas is a masculine given name of Greek origin meaning 'victory of the people'. It has many forms across languages and a long cultural history associated with saints, rulers, a…

Nigga A variant of a historically racist slur used within and outside African American communities; discussed here in terms of origin, use, linguistic form, cultural context, and controv…

N-word (racial slur 'nigger') Nigger An encyclopedic overview of the racial slur often called the N-word: origins, historical use, modern controversies, linguistic variants, cultural impact, and legal or policy respon…

Nilotic peoples Ethnolinguistic designation for groups in East Africa who speak Nilotic languages; diverse pastoralist and farming communities with shared linguistic roots and varied histories.

Nomad: nomadic peoples, lifestyles, and historical roles Nomad An overview of nomads: their defining traits, types (pastoralists, itinerant traders), historical significance, regional examples, and contemporary distinctions in mobility and set…

Nordic and Scandinavian Canadians Canadians with ancestry from the Nordic and Scandinavian countries: overview, community groups, history of migration, cultural contributions, and distinctions between Nordic and Sc…

Norman Norman: an ethnonym and personal name from Old Norse meaning 'north man', associated with the medieval people of Normandy, their language, architecture, legal and political influen…

Normans: Viking settlers who formed Normandy and shaped medieval Europe Normans The Normans were Norse-descended settlers in northern France who formed the Duchy of Normandy, conquered England in 1066, and influenced medieval politics, law, architecture and cu…

Northern Indo-Aryan languages (Pahari or Himalayan Indic languages) Northern Indo-Aryan languages A group of Indo‑Aryan languages spoken across the Himalayan belt — often called Pahari — including Nepali, Kumaoni, Garhwali and Dogri; shaped by geography, history and contact.

Norwegian Canadians Canadian citizens of full or partial Norwegian ancestry: migration history, settlement patterns, cultural traditions, institutions, religion and contemporary community life in Cana…

Nostratic hypothesis: a proposed macro-family of Eurasia and North Africa Nostratic Nostratic is a controversial long-range linguistic proposal that groups several Eurasian and North African families under a single ancestor, Proto‑Nostratic, reconstructed by compa…

Nuclear family A nuclear family is a household unit typically made up of parents and their children, distinguished from extended family arrangements.

Nuristani languages A concise overview of the Nuristani (Nurestani) languages: their classification within Indo-Iranian, geographic range, characteristics, history, current status and linguistic impor…

Nuristani people: history, language, and culture of the Hindu Kush community Nuristani people The Nuristanis are an ethnic group of the Hindu Kush, mainly in Afghanistan's Nuristan. They speak Nuristani languages, form a distinct Indo‑Iranian branch, and have a unique histo…

Odawa (Ottawa): Anishinaabeg people of the Great Lakes region Odawa The Odawa (Ottawa) are an Anishinaabeg Indigenous people of the Great Lakes, historically known as traders; they speak an Algonquian language and live across parts of the northern…

Ohlone: Indigenous Peoples of the San Francisco and Central California Coast Ohlone Overview of the Ohlone peoples: culture, territory, lifeways, historical changes, shellmounds, and contemporary revitalization of language and heritage.

Ojibwe (Anishinaabe people of Canada and the United States) Ojibwe The Ojibwe—also called Ojibwa, Chippewa, Saulteaux or Mississauga—are a major Anishinaabe people of Canada and the United States with a shared language, culture, and history across…

Okinawan language (Uchināguchi) Okinawan language A Ryukyuan language native to the Okinawa Islands, Uchināguchi is distinct from standard Japanese; overview of its features, history, status, and revitalization.

Old World (Europe, Asia and Africa): historical and geographic overview Old World The Old World denotes the interconnected continents of Europe, Asia and Africa: their deep historical connections, major trade networks, role in pre-modern exchange, and the term's…

On Human Nature 1979 book by E. O. Wilson that applies evolutionary biology to human behavior. Pulitzer Prize winner that explores altruism, religion, sexuality and helped launch debates in sociob…

Onomastics — the study of names, naming systems, and name history Onomastics Onomastics is the interdisciplinary field that examines names—personal, geographic, and other labels—focusing on their origins, forms, meanings, social roles, and the historical an…

Oral tradition: transmission of stories, law, and knowledge by voice Oral tradition Oral tradition is the transmission of history, literature, law and cultural knowledge by word of mouth across generations, using memory, performance and communal practice rather th…

Orphan: children without parental care Orphan Overview of the term orphan, its definitions, common causes, care arrangements such as orphanages, foster care and adoption, and social and legal issues affecting orphaned children…

Orrorin tugenensis: an early hominin from the Tugen Hills Orrorin tugenensis Extinct early hominin species from Kenya (≈6.1–5.8 Ma). Known from fragmentary bones, Orrorin tugenensis informs debates about the origins of bipedalism and human ancestry.

Osage Nation: history, culture, and modern government Osage Nation The Osage Nation (Wazhazhe) is a Dhegiha Siouan people historically centered in the central Plains. This article covers origins, language, social life, 19th–20th century changes, a…

Otaku: definition, history, culture, and social perceptions Otaku Otaku is a Japanese term for people with intense, specialized interests—often in anime and manga—whose social meaning varies by context from pejorative to a reclaimed subcultural i…