Anthropology

Bosniaks: people, language, history and modern identity Bosniaks Bosniaks are a South Slavic ethnic group historically associated with Bosnia and Herzegovina. This article summarizes their language, religion, history, culture, diaspora and conte…

Boy A boy is a young male human, typically a child or adolescent. This article explains biological development, social roles, cultural variations, etymology, and distinctions between s…

Brahui people: a Dravidian-speaking community of Balochistan Brahui people The Brahui are a Dravidian-speaking ethnic group concentrated in Balochistan and adjoining areas. This article summarizes their language, origins, culture, history, and contemporar…

Bretons: people, language and cultural identity of Brittany Bretons The Bretons are an ethnic Celtic people of the Brittany region in north‑west France, known for their language Brezhoneg, distinct traditions, and origins linked to migrations from…

Brigantes — Celtic tribe of northern Roman Britain Brigantes The Brigantes were a major Celtic people of northern Britain whose territory covered much of later Yorkshire and surrounding regions. They interacted with Rome as allies, rivals an…

British African-Caribbean people Residents of the United Kingdom whose families came from the British West Indies and whose ancestors trace to Africa; an overview of history, culture, distribution and contemporary…

British Museum Comprehensive overview of the British Museum in London: collections, history, visiting, research role, and notable objects such as the Rosetta Stone and Parthenon sculptures.

British people (Britons): identity, history, and distinctions British people An overview of British people—commonly called Britons—including origins, constituent nations, historical development, cultural influence, and how British identity differs from Engl…

Brokpa — highland communities of the western Himalaya and Karakoram Brokpa Brokpa denotes several small, culturally distinct highland communities chiefly in Gilgit‑Baltistan (Pakistan) and parts of Ladakh. They are noted for distinctive languages, traditi…

Calo — meanings, languages, people, and other uses Calo Calo (Caló, Calò) refers to Iberian Romani language and groups, a Chicano slang, a Roman fort near Xanten, and several surnames and stage names across Iberia and Italy.

Canaanites: people, land, culture and archaeological legacy Canaanite An overview of the Canaanites — their land, society, religion, historical mentions in the Hebrew Bible, and what archaeology reveals about their decline and legacy.

Canadians: People, Identity, Language and Society Canadians Overview of Canadians: legal and cultural identity, languages, Indigenous peoples, immigration history, citizenship, and defining social characteristics of Canada.

Cannibalism: definition, history, cultural forms and consequences Cannibalism An overview of cannibalism (anthropophagy): definitions, animal and human occurrences, cultural roles, historical reports, health risks and modern perspectives.

Castizo: historical Spanish-American mixed‑ancestry classification Castizo Castizo is a term from the colonial Spanish casta system historically used to label people of predominantly European and partially Indigenous ancestry; meanings and use have varied…

Caucasian Term with several meanings: relating to the Caucasus region and its peoples or languages, and historically used in anthropology and everyday speech to denote people of European or…

Caucasian race Historical concept grouping peoples of Europe, parts of Asia and Africa; now obsolete as a biological category but still used in law and everyday speech.

Celtic Celtic: a broad term for ancient and modern peoples, their languages, arts, myths, and cultural traditions originating in Iron Age and prehistory Europe and surviving in Atlantic r…

Celtic languages: overview, classification, history and modern revival Celtic languages An encyclopedic overview of the Celtic language family: classification, history, distinctive features, geographic distribution, revitalization efforts and cultural significance.

Central Atlas Tamazight Central Atlas Tamazight is a Berber (Amazigh) language of the Afro‑Asiatic family, spoken by roughly 3–5 million people in central Morocco and by communities abroad. It has officia…

Chagossians: people, language, displacement and diaspora Chagossians An overview of the Chagossian (Îlois) people: origins, culture and language, forced removal from the Chagos Archipelago, legal and political developments, and the contemporary dias…

Cherokee people Cherokee The Cherokee are an Indigenous people of the southeastern United States with a distinct language, social structures, history of forced removal, and three federally recognized natio…

Cheyenne people: history, culture, and modern nations Cheyenne people An overview of the Cheyenne (Tsitsistas and Suhtai): their language, social organization, historic migrations on the Plains, cultural life, and contemporary Northern and Southern C…

Chicano: identity, history, and cultural significance Chicano Chicano denotes a U.S. person of Mexican or mixed Latin American heritage and a politicized identity tied to culture, language, activism and arts; usage and meaning vary across com…

Chickasaw: Peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands and the Chickasaw Nation Chickasaw Overview of the Chickasaw people: origins, language, social organization, colonial contact, removal to Indian Territory, and the contemporary Chickasaw Nation based in Oklahoma.

Child (human): definition, development, family roles and legal status Child Overview of the human child: biological and legal definitions, developmental stages, family relationships, education, work, protections and contemporary issues.

Childhood: overview, development, cultural and legal perspectives Childhood Comprehensive overview of childhood: its stages, biological and legal definitions, cultural variations, developmental tasks, rights and social importance from infancy through the t…

Childlessness: causes, types, social effects and responses Childlessness An overview of childlessness: definitions, voluntary and involuntary types, common causes, social and demographic implications, and responses such as assisted reproduction and adop…

Chin (mental eminence): anatomy, evolution, and variation Chin The chin is the lower, forward part of the face formed by the front of the mandible. Unique to modern humans, it has anatomical, evolutionary, genetic and cultural significance and…

Chinese Americans People in the United States of Chinese ancestry. Overview of demographics, history, cultural contributions, regional communities, and contemporary issues affecting Chinese American…

Chinese Canadians: history, communities, and cultural contributions Chinese Canadians Overview of Chinese Canadians: origins, history of immigration, demographic distribution across provinces, cultural life, and distinct identity within Canada.

Chinese names — structure, history, and cultural use Chinese name Overview of Chinese personal names: order, components (surname and given name), writing and romanization, historical forms (courtesy names), and modern cultural practices.

Chinese people: ethnic composition, culture, history and diaspora Chinese people Overview of the peoples associated with China and Taiwan, their major ethnic groups, languages, cultural traits, historical development, official recognition, and global diaspora.

Chittagonian peoples: Indigenous communities of the Chittagong Hill Tracts Chittagonian peoples Overview of the native peoples of the Chittagong Hill Tracts in southeastern Bangladesh: ethnic groups, languages, religion, history, economy and contemporary issues.

Choctaw (Native American people) Choctaw The Choctaw are a Native American people of the Southeastern Woodlands, historically centered in present-day Mississippi and Alabama. Today they maintain sovereign tribal governmen…

Chościsko — legendary father of Piast Chościsko Chościsko is the name or epithet recorded by Gallus Anonymus as the father of Piast Kołodziej, ancestor of the Piast dynasty. Scholars debate its origin, meaning, and whether it is…

Civilization: definition, features, development and significance Civilization A balanced overview of civilization: what it is, core characteristics, historical development, causes of decline, and why civilizations matter in human history.

Clan (social group) Clan A clan is a social group formed around shared ancestry or tradition. This article explains its characteristics, historical examples (especially Scotland and Ireland), functions, mo…

Coast Miwok: Indigenous peoples of the northern California coast Coast Miwok Coast Miwok are Native American peoples historically from Marin and southern Sonoma counties in Northern California, known for coastal lifeways, basketry, and continuing cultural p…

Coloured (Southern Africa): identity, history, language and culture Coloured Coloured is a historical and social classification in parts of Southern Africa for people of mixed ancestry. This article outlines origins, languages, culture, regional distributio…

Comanche: history, culture, and homeland Comanche Comanche, a Plains Native American people known for horsemanship, the Comancheria homeland, Uto‑Aztecan language, and modern community centered in Oklahoma.

Community (social and ecological concept) Community A community is a group of living beings connected by shared location, interests, practices, or relationships. It includes human social groups, ecological assemblages, and virtual o…

Consanguinity: kinship, legal rules, inheritance and biological considerations Consanguinity Overview of consanguinity: definitions, degrees of kinship, legal limits on marriage, inheritance rules, genetic and public‑health implications, and distinctions from affinity and…

Control of Fire by Early Humans: Origins, Evidence, and Impact Control of fire by early humans Overview of how early humans learned to manage fire, the archaeological evidence and debated timelines, and the effects of controlled fire on diet, technology, and social life.

Cornish people (Kernowyon): identity, history and diaspora Cornish people People native to Cornwall, a Celtic nation in southwest Britain. Distinct language, culture and history; 19th‑century mining migration created a global diaspora and modern cultural…

Corroboree: ceremonial gatherings of Aboriginal Australians Corroboree A corroboree is an English term for ceremonial meetings of Aboriginal Australian peoples featuring song, dance, costume and storytelling linked to ancestral traditions and law.

Cossacks: origins, organization, military role, and historical legacy Cossacks Overview of the Cossacks: origins on the Eurasian steppe, social and military organization, major hosts, role in regional conflicts, imperial service, Soviet repression and contemp…

Costa Rican people (Ticos): Ethnicity, language, and cultural identity Costa Rican people Overview of Costa Ricans — often called ticos — covering ethnicity, language, history, culture, and demographic notes, with references to major groups and official census data.

Coureur de bois Independent French-Canadian woodsmen and fur traders who explored North America, trading pelts—especially beaver—and helped open interior trade routes from the 17th through early 1…