Steatopygia (IPA: /stiˌætəˈpɪdʒiə/) is a high degree of fat accumulation in and around the buttocks. Fats consist of a wide group of compounds that are generally soluble in organic solvents and largely insoluble in water The buttocks (singular buttock) are rounded portions of the anatomy located on the posterior of the Pelvic region of the Apes including Humans The deposit of fat is not confined to the gluteal regions, but extends to the outside and front of the thighs, forming a thick layer reaching sometimes to the knee. The gluteal muscles are the three muscles that make up the buttocks the Gluteus maximus, Gluteus medius and Gluteus minimus In humans the thigh is the area between the Pelvis and the Knee. The knee is the lower extremity Joint connecting the Femur, Patella, and the Tibia.

Khoikhoi woman exhibiting steatopygia.

This development constitutes a genetic characteristic of the Khoisan. Khoisan (increasingly commonly spelled Khoesan or Khoe-San) is the name for two major Ethnic groups of Southern Africa. It is specially a feature of the women, but it occurs in a lesser degree in the males (in most races of Homo sapiens, females tend to exhibit a greater propensity to adipose tissue accumulation in the buttock region as compared with males). "Adipose" redirects here For the Doctor Who monster see " Partners in Crime " It has also been noted among the Pygmies of Central Africa and the Onge-tribe of the Andaman Islands. Pygmies (singular Pygmy) refers to a member of any human group whose adult males grow to less than 150 cm (4 feet 11 inches in average height or less than 155 cm Central Africa is a core Region of the African Continent often considered to include Burundi, the Central African Republic, Chad The Andaman Islands are a group of islands in the Bay of Bengal, and are part of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands Union Territory of India. Among the Khoisan, it is regarded as a sign of beauty: it begins in infancy and is fully developed by the time of the first pregnancy. NOTICE TO WOULD-BE-ROMEOS*************** Pregnancy ( Latin graviditas) is the carrying of one or more offspring known as a Fetus or Embryo, inside the Uterus of a Female It is often accompanied by the formation known as elongated labia (labia minora that may extend as much as 4 inches outside the vulva). Elongated labia (also known as Sinus pudoris and albeit nonmedically as khoikhoi apron or hottentot apron) is an apparently genetic feature of certain The labia minora (singular labium minus) or nymphae are two longitudinal Cutaneous folds on the human Vulva. The vulva (from Latin, vulva, plural vulvae or vulvas; see etymology) is the region of the external genital organs

Khoikhoi woman and man (drawing of 1900)

Steatopygia would seem to have been a characteristic of a population which once extended from the Gulf of Aden to the Cape of Good Hope, of which stock Khoisan and Pygmies are remnants. The Gulf of Aden (خليج عدن transliterated: Khalyj 'Adan Somali: Khaleejka Cadan) is located in the Arabian Sea between The Cape of Good Hope ( Afrikaans: Kaap die Goeie Hoop, Kaap de Goede Hoop Cabo da Boa Esperança Persian Language: دماغه امید نیک While the Khoisan afford the most noticeable examples of its development, it is by no means rare in other parts of Africa, and occurs even more frequently among male Basters than among Khoikhoi women. The Basters (also known as Baasters, Rehobothers or Rehoboth Basters) are the descendants of liaisons between the Cape Colony Dutch It is also observed among females of Andamanese Negritos. The Andamanese is a collective term to describe the peoples who are the aboriginal inhabitants of the Andaman Islands, located in the Bay of Bengal The term Negrito refers to several ethnic groups in isolated parts of Southeast Asia.

What seems certain is that steatopygia in both sexes was fairly widespread among early human populations. Human evolution, or anthropogenesis, is the part of biological Evolution concerning the emergence of Homo sapiens as a distinct Species The discovery in the caves of the south of France of figures in ivory presenting a remarkable development of the thighs, and even the peculiar prolongation of the labia minora, has been used to support this theory. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Ivory is formed from Dentine and constitutes the bulk of the Teeth and Tusks of animals such as the Elephant, Hippopotamus, The labia minora (singular labium minus) or nymphae are two longitudinal Cutaneous folds on the human Vulva. However, the type of Neolithic Venus figurines sometimes referred to as "steatopygian Venus" do not strictly qualify as steatopygian, since they exhibit an angle of approximately 120 degrees between the back and the buttocks, while steatopygia strictly speaking is diagnosed at an angle of about 90 degrees only (Passemard 1938). Venus figurines is an Umbrella term for a number of prehistoric Statuettes of women sharing common attributes (many depicted as apparently Obese

See also

• Saartjie Baartman

References

• L. Saartjie "Sarah" Baartman ( 1789 &ndash December 29, 1815) was the most famous of at least two Khoikhoi women who were exhibited Passemard (1938), Les statuettes féminines paléolithiques dites Vénus stéatopyges, Nîmes, Tessier.