Negrito

An Ati woman, on the Philippines. The Ati are one of the ethnic groups traditionally considered to be 'Negritos'.

Negrito is the name for several ethnic groups from South and Southeast Asia. The name is the diminutive form of Negro. Like the term negro, many people consider it to be offensive. Usually, Negritos have a dark skin, curly hair, Asiatic facial features, and do not grow to be very tall. Traditionally, the term 'Negrito' has been used for the following groups:

• The indigenous population of the Andaman Islands
• About 25 ethnic groups on the Philippines, among them the Aeta and Ati
• The Semang and the Senoi on the Malay peninsula
• The Maniq people, in the south of Thailand

The Island Negros, which is part of the Philippines today, was named after the Negritos. Because the term 'Negrito' doesn't allow a precise scientific definition, most scientists (ethnologues) no longer use the term either.

Genetic research found them to be more closely related to non-Negrito local populations than to each other. Many Negrito people share genetic ancestry with East Asians. Their physical and morphological features were found to be local adaptions to tropical rainforests of Southeast Asia, rather than a remnant of a shared common ancestor, as suggested previously.