Anthropology

Otoe (Jiwére): Midwestern Siouan people Otoe The Otoe (Jiwére) are a Siouan-speaking Native American people of the Central Plains. This article covers their language, traditional lifeways, historical territory, and contempora…

Out of Africa: modern human origins and global dispersal Out of Africa Overview of the Out of Africa model: evidence from genetics, fossils and archaeology, timing and routes of Homo sapiens expansions, interactions with archaic humans, and outstandin…

Outstation (Aboriginal community) An overview of Australian Aboriginal outstations—small, remote homelands established on ancestral country, covering their origins, structure, governance, cultural importance and co…

Palenquero: the Spanish–African Creole of Colombia Palenquero Palenquero is a Spanish-based creole spoken in and around San Basilio de Palenque, Colombia, with strong African linguistic influences and an important role in local cultural ident…

Paleoanthropology: the study of human origins and ancient hominins Paleoanthropology Paleoanthropology examines the biological and behavioral evolution of humans through fossil remains, comparative anatomy, archaeology, and genetic evidence to reconstruct our deep…

Palestinian people: identity, history, and contemporary overview Palestinian people A concise, neutral overview of the Palestinian people: their identity, demographics, history, political institutions, culture, diaspora and notable figures.

Pamiri people An overview of the Pamiri peoples — Eastern Iranian speakers of the Pamir Mountains, their languages, culture, history, and contemporary distribution in Badakhshan and Xinjiang.

Pan-Africanism: history, principles, and global impact Pan-Africanism Pan-Africanism promotes unity and cooperation among African peoples and the African diaspora to address the legacies of slavery and colonialism and advance political, cultural, and…

Papuan languages: overview, classification, and significance Papuan languages Papuan languages are the non-Austronesian tongues of New Guinea and nearby islands. The term groups many unrelated families by geography rather than by proven genetic relationship.

Paranthropus: the robust australopithecines of Africa Paranthropus Extinct genus of robust australopithecines from eastern and southern Africa, noted for heavy chewing adaptations, distinctive cranial features, and a debated taxonomic relationship…

Paranthropus aethiopicus — the Black Skull early robust hominin Paranthropus aethiopicus Paranthropus aethiopicus, known from the KNM-WT 17000 'Black Skull' (Lake Turkana), is an early robust australopithecine (~2.5 Ma) noted for heavy‑chewing adaptations and for illum…

Paranthropus boisei — the robust early hominin from East Africa Paranthropus boisei Paranthropus boisei was a robust australopith that lived in East Africa in the late Pliocene–early Pleistocene. Known for huge molars, a strong jaw and sagittal crest, it was adapt…

Paranthropus robustus: a robust early hominin from southern Africa Paranthropus robustus Paranthropus robustus, an extinct robust australopith from southern Africa (about 2–1.2 Ma), is notable for its heavy-chewing skull, large postcanine teeth and debated placement in…

Parent (role, types and legal aspects) Parent An overview of parents: definitions, common responsibilities, types (biological, adoptive, step, foster), legal issues such as custody and guardianship, and cultural and historical…

Parmar: Rajput Clan and Dynastic Tradition Parmar Parmar (Panwar/Pawar) are a Rajput clan traditionally linked to the Agnivanshi origin myth. Notable for the Paramara dynasty of Malwa and cultural patronage under rulers such as Ki…

Pashayi languages Pashayi (Pashai) are a set of Dardic Indo-Aryan languages of northeastern Afghanistan, spoken in several distinct varieties with low literacy and strong Pashto influence.

Pashayi people The Pashayi are an Indo-Aryan (Dardic) ethnic group of eastern Afghanistan and parts of Pakistan, speaking Pashayi languages and maintaining distinct cultural traditions amid moder…

Pashtun people Ethnic group native to Afghanistan and Pakistan, speaking Pashto and organized by tribal lines and the code Pashtunwali; influential in regional history, politics, and culture, wit…

Patriarch: historical family head and Christian ecclesiastical office Patriarch A patriarch is originally the male head of an extended family; in Christianity it denotes senior bishops who lead certain ancient churches or churches' autocephalous jurisdictions.

Pawnee people: Plains nation, culture, and history Pawnee people Overview of the Pawnee, a Central Plains Native American nation: society, subsistence, bands, contact history, religious traditions, and modern presence.

Peasant: rural agricultural laborer and member of the peasantry Peasant A peasant is a member of a rural agricultural class historically tied to land and subsistence farming; the term covers varied forms of tenancy, labor obligations, and social roles…

Pennacook (Pawtucket): Indigenous people of the Merrimack River region Pennacook Overview of the Pennacook (also called Pawtucket): territory, language, culture, colonial displacement, and their legacy among New England Indigenous communities.

People of the Dominican Republic Overview of the inhabitants of the Dominican Republic: origins, culture, languages, demographics, history and notable social and diasporic developments.

Peoria people (Peouaroua) Peoria people The Peoria are an Indigenous people originally of the Illinois country, now federally recognized as the Peoria Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma; historically part of the Illinois Confe…

Persian people Ethnic group originating in the Iranian plateau who share the Persian language, many cultural practices, and a long historical tradition spanning ancient empires to a modern diaspo…

Personal name A personal name is the proper name assigned to an individual, typically including a given name and a family name; it varies by culture, law, and social practice and serves identifi…

Physical Anthropology (Biological Anthropology): Study of Human Biology and Evolution Physical anthropology Physical anthropology examines human biological variation, anatomy, evolution and adaptation through fossils, genetics, primate studies and skeletal analysis to understand human or…

Piankeshaw (Peeyankihšiaki) — subgroup of the Miami people Piankeshaw The Piankeshaw are a historic Indigenous subgroup of the Miami people from the Ohio Valley. Known as Peeyankihšiaki, they lived in parts of Indiana, Ohio and Illinois and maintaine…

Piltdown Man (Eoanthropus dawsoni): discovery, hoax, and scientific legacy Piltdown Man Piltdown Man was a famous paleoanthropological forgery—fragments presented in 1912 as a human-ape intermediate and exposed as a deliberate hoax in 1953. Its story shaped modern met…

Pintupi: Western Desert Aboriginal people of central Australia Pintupi Overview of the Pintupi people: territory, language, social organisation, contact history, displacement and return to country, art and contemporary communities and issues.

Pintupi Nine: Last Nomadic Pintupi Family's Contact with Modern Australia Pintupi Nine A summary of the Pintupi Nine, a Pintupi family who maintained a traditional nomadic life in the Great Sandy Desert until contact and resettlement near Kiwirrkurra in 1984, and the…

Pitjantjatjara: people, language and land of the central Australian desert Pitjantjatjara An overview of the Pitjantjatjara (Aṉangu): their language, territory across central Australia, cultural life, history of settlement, sacred places and contemporary issues.

Pitjantjatjara language Pitjantjatjara is a Western Desert Aboriginal language of central Australia. This article summarizes its distribution, linguistic features, historical relations, cultural role, and…

Plains Indians: Indigenous Peoples of the Great Plains and Canadian Prairies Plains Indians Overview of the Plains Indians: cultural traits, environment, history of contact, major tribes, material culture, and modern legacy of Indigenous peoples of the Interior Plains.

Poles: People, Language, Culture and Global Community Poles Overview of the Poles: an ethnic West Slavic people native to Poland, their language, cultural traits, history, diaspora and notable figures.

Polish Americans People in the United States with ancestry from Poland; their history, communities, religion, language, culture, and contributions to American life.

Polygamy: forms, history, cultural practice, and legal approaches Polygamy Polygamy is the practice of having more than one spouse. This article explains its forms, historical and cultural contexts, and how different societies and legal systems treat it.

Polynesian peoples: origins, culture, and distribution Polynesian people An overview of the Polynesian peoples: their origins in the Pacific, language family, navigational traditions, cultural traits, and modern communities across islands like Hawaii, T…

Pomo peoples — Native groups and languages of Northern California Pomo The Pomo are Indigenous peoples of Northern California known for distinct languages, complex basketry, village-based lifeways, and long-standing cultural traditions tied to the Rus…

Popular culture (pop culture) Popular culture Popular culture comprises the ideas, practices, images and objects widely shared among large groups, spread by media and commerce, shaping everyday tastes, identities and beliefs.

Potawatomi (Neshnabé): people of the Great Lakes and Midwest Potawatomi The Potawatomi (Neshnabé) are an Anishinaabe-speaking Indigenous people of the Great Lakes, upper Mississippi and Plains regions, known historically for the Council of Three Fires…

Primatology — science of primates, behavior, evolution, and conservation Primatology Primatology is the scientific study of primates — monkeys, apes, lemurs and humans — integrating behavior, anatomy, genetics, ecology and conservation across field and laboratory r…

Prognathism: facial projection of the jaws and its clinical and evolutionary context Prognathism Prognathism is a condition in which the jaws or parts of the face project forward beyond the normal alignment. It has clinical, developmental, and evolutionary significance across…

Promoucaes (Promaucaes, Purumaucas): pre-Columbian people of central Chile Promoucaes Promoucaes were a Mapuche-speaking indigenous people of central Chile, historically occupying territory between the Maipo and Itata rivers; known from colonial accounts and importa…

Proto-Indo-Europeans Speakers of the reconstructed Proto-Indo-European language who lived after the last Ice Age; their language, society and migrations gave rise to the Indo-European family.

Proto-language: reconstructed ancestral language of a family Proto-language A proto-language is a reconstructed ancestral language inferred from related daughter languages using the comparative method, internal reconstruction, and other techniques; reconst…

Pubic hair: biology, development, grooming and cultural aspects Pubic hair An overview of pubic hair: its biology and development, typical patterns, grooming methods, health considerations, and cultural practices across history and societies.

Puebloans — Indigenous peoples of the U.S. Southwest Puebloans Puebloans are Indigenous peoples of the American Southwest known for multiroom adobe towns (pueblos), complex communal societies, diverse languages and enduring cultural traditions…