In disciplines including forensic anthropology, bioarchaeology, osteoarchaeology, Paleontology and zooarchaeology Minimum number of individuals, or MNI, refers to the fewest possible number of people or animals in a skeletal assemblage.
It is used to determine an estimate of how many people or animals are present in a cluster of bones.
The principle of the minimum number of individuals was defined by the North American ethnologist T. E. White in 1953.
However, an MNI of 10 could strengthen a legal case or provide additional context for archaeological excavation.
For more information on the applications of determining MNI, refer to bioarchaeology, forensic anthropology, osteology, or zooarchaeology.