Classification of A.C. Haddon (1924):
A.C. Haddon did not agree with Risley and gave his own analysis about the racial elements in India. He divided India into three main geographical regions—(a) Himalayas, (b) the Northern plains or Hindustan and (c) the Southern plateau or the Deccan which is mostly covered by the jungles. He had dealt with each of these three regions, separately, for the reconstruction of racial elements in them.
The Himalayan region:
Two principal types are found in this region:
(i) Indo-Aryan:
People of this type show tall stature, brown skin colour with varying shades, dolichocephalic head with straight fine leptorrhine nose, well-developed forehead and a long narrow face. This type is represented by the Kanets of Kulu Valley. In Eastern Punjab the Indo-Aryan Kanets exhibit a trace of Tibetan blood.
(ii) Mongoloid:
According to Haddon, this type dominates in North Eastern India. In fact, the main racial element of North East Frontier Agency of India is the Mongoloid and the representatives are the Lepcha, Garo, Naga, Khasi, Dafla, etc. who show the Mongoloid features.
Haddon identified several racial elements among the tribes of Assam, which have been accumulated due to various invasions at different times. Among these elements the brachycephalic leptorrhine, came from the north and has been converted into Eurasiatic group.
The brachycephalic platyrrhine is a variety of Pareoean. Further, the dolichocephalic element has entered from the main land of India into the population of Assam. Some Dravidian elements are also seen. Beside Assam, the people of Nepal, Bhutan, Kashmir and Punjab, show Mongoloid features very prominently.
The Northern plains or Hindustan region:
The Indo-Afghan is the predominating type of this region. The people are characterized by dolichocephalic head with straight fine leptorrhine nose, welldeveloped forehead and a long narrow face. Stature ranges from medium to tall, eyes are dark on light brown complexion. The hair is black and wavy. The representative populations are the Jats and the Rajputs and others. But the places where the members of this type have mixed with the aboriginal people, the admixture peoples are assumed as the lower caste people.
The Deccan region or Southern plateau
The different racial elements of this region as found by Haddon are as follows:
1. Negrito:
Some people of this area show Negrito racial strain. Their physical characteristics include medium head, flat nose, flattened occiput, protruding forehead and very dark skin colour. The hair is black and the eyes are brown. The lips are somewhat
fleshy and everted. The best representatives are the Kadars of Cochin, the Urallis of Nilgiri Hills and the Pullayans of Palni Hills. On the other hand, Andamanese represent a true Negrito racial element.
2. Pre-Dravidian:
This is the oldest existing stratum of Indian population. The people are characterized by dolichocephalic heads, short stature, and very dark skin with black hair. The hair form varies from wavy to very curly. The representative populations are Bhils, Gonds, Santals, Oraons, Hos, Mundas, etc.
3. Dravidian:
The Dravidians are characterized by the dolichocephalic heads, medium stature, brownish black skin colour and the mesorrhine nose. They possess plentiful hair, which are wavy with an occasional tendency to curl. The people of South India speaking Tamil, Malayalam, Telegu, Canarese, etc. belong to this type.
4. Southern brachycephals:
This type is characterized by Mesocephalic to brachycephalic head and mesorrhine nose. The complexion is brownish black. However, the features are represented by the Paniyans of the Tamil district and the Pavara fishermen of the Tinnevalley coast.
5. Western Brachycephals:
Haddon had traced a zone of broad-headed people extending from Gujarat to Coorg, along the Western coastal area of India. The people are characterized by brachycephalic heads, almost leptorrhine nose, light brown skin colour and tall stature. Risley had mentioned these people as the Scytho-Dravidians. The best examples are the Nagar Brahmins of Gujarat, the Prabhu, the Maratha of Maharashtra, etc.
Haddon’s classification was based mainly on physical characters, artifacts, customs, languages and folk-tales. He justified his own analysis by the help of the evidences. According to his analysis, the oldest people of India must have been the Pre-Dravidians.
The Dravidians also lived in India as the original inhabitants at the banks of the Ganges in Western Bengal. The Aryan-speaking people came on this subcontinent in the second millennium BC and spread over the fertile regions of the Punjab.
Gradually, they occupied the valleys of the Jamuna and the Ganges. The main drawback of Haddon’s analysis was that he did not mention anything regarding the Pre-Aryans of India. The brachycephalic element in India is Alpine in origin as analyzed by Haddon.