| Summary: | The angle of inclination (AOI) of the femur varies with age, sex, and ontogenetic growth pattern. The variation exhibited by ethnic/racial populations, however, has been focused only in recent studies. This study examines three polyethnic human populations that include African, European, and an archaeological sample representing pre‐European contact Ipiutak (500 BCE – 500 CE) Inuit populations from the osteological collections at the American Museum of Natural History. A line was drawn from the midpoint of the intercondylar fossa projecting through the middle shaft of the femur to the greater trochanter. A second line was drawn through the middle of the femoral neck. The intersection of the two lines forms the angle of inclination. The diaphyseal length was also measured between the two lowest points on the shaft. Results showed statistically significant differences in AOI and in diaphyseal length between the Inuit and contemporary European populations. There was no significant difference found in these two measures between Inuit and African and between European and African groups except in diaphyseal length in the latter comparison group. Developmentally, the AOI is greatest in newborns and markedly decreases during the aging process reaching between 115–140 degrees in the adult condition. The Inuit sample shows the greatest AOI of the study categorizing this group as coxa valga. This condition, biomechanically, increases total load across the hip and puts undue stress on lower limb joints. As the Inuit population presumably migrated from an Asian origin, future studies should focus on AOI of current Asian populations.
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