Pattern of Earlobes Attachment among the Idoma People of Benue State, Nigeria

Introduction: In anthropology, certain characteristics may help to distinguish these tribes or races from others. To some extent, it can be used as a method of identification for these people. The earlobes are regarded as a significant anthropological trait on the face. Again, some civilizations use piercing decorations to stretch and enlarge the earlobes in order to create artistic effects and make room for plugs. Materials and Methods: The sample size for the study was 401, recruited via a multistage sampling method. Physical and close examination of the earlobe to determine the type of earlobe attachment present was used to collect data from consenting participants. The research instrument was a self- created; closed-ended questionnaire that was adapted for use based on previous literature on similar studies and was administered by the researcher. The data were grouped into attached or detached categories. Results and Discussions: The result of the study showed that the attached earlobe pattern was most frequent (227, 56.6%), while the detached was 174, 43.4%). The result of the study showed that the males had more attached earlobes (130; 32.4%) and detached earlobes (93; 23.2%), while the females had attached earlobes (95; 23.7%) and detached earlobes (79; 19.7%). The distribution of the earlobe attachment differed significantly (X2 = 13.213, p-value 0.004). The most common marital status was married or cohabiting with an attached earlobe (118, 29.4%) or a detached earlobe (102, 25.4%). Conclusions: The result of the study showed that the attached earlobe pattern was most frequent (227, 56.6%), while the detached was 174, 43.4%). In the general population, for every six detached earlobes seen, there are eight attached earlobes in the same Idoma population. The study has revealed that there are more attached earlobes than detached ones in the Idoma population of Benue State. It further implies that this distribution could be taken as an anthropological feature un