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Anthro Notes National Museum of Natural History Bulletin for Teachers Vol. 14 No. 2 Spring 1992 V ;,J i995 WHO GOT TO AMERICA FIRSTS ^VERY OLD QUESTION As most of us are now very aware, 1992 is debate surrounds hypothetical later arrivals the 500th anniversary of Christopher in the New World, especially during the last Columbus' famous voyage to the "New 3000 years, and purportedly mainly from World." The assertion that Columbus locations to the east across the Atlantic. A "discovered" America when his trio of ships smaller number of proponents look to trans- made a landfall in the Bahamas has been Pacific connections during this same period questioned, however, by a number of of time. What sort of evidence and how we concerned individuals. Native Americans evaluate it is the subject of concern for are understandably disturbed that their many anthropological scholars today. As priority of being the "first" Americans is our review will indicate, these are not new somehow challenged. Most scholars now questions, nor are they ones that can be insist that the first human settlers of this settled for "all time"—the same ones keep continent were indeed the ancestors of the reappearing over the centuries. contemporary Indian tribes. Their first migration (from Asia via the Bering Strait The century following Columbus' well- area) probably occurred more than 15,000 documented voyages, none of which actually years ago, with several more waves of reached North America, was one of ques- migrants arriving some thousands of years tioning too. Had Columbus reached Asia or later. the West Indies? Who were these inhabitants that met him as he stepped ashore? We still But if that is the widely-held explanation, refer to them as "Indians" because of the what is all the argument about? Most of the mistaken view that the islands, and later the AT TH)S RATE IT'LL PRDBABC/ TAKE THEM 50O YEARS TO SORT IT 0OT- Page 2 Anthro Notes mainland, were part of the Asian continent, populations spread across the globe. We can not a "New World" at all. Magellan's clearly tie all basic Native American origins circumnavigation of the world in the 1520s back to Asia, although we may quibble would establish the Western Hemisphere as about exactly at what time and with which a separate land mass, but then the question Asian groups they are genetically most arose as to the origin of the inhabitants. closely linked. Here speculations ran wild. By the end of Second, we consider the cultures of the the century (1590) a Spanish church scholar, Native Americans, especially those aspects Joseph de Acosta, would publish a of culture that will allow a long look back marvelously well-constructed answer: the in time. In this case, linguistics, the study inhabitants of the New World came from of languages, is an important information Asia across a land bridge, arriving as source. Native American languages represent hunters, then developing agriculture and enormous diversity, much more so than in later high civilizations such as he had seen comparable areas in the Old World, where in Peru and Mexico. He specifically diversity has decreased over time. This discounted possible trans-Atlantic pattern of diversity suggests both internal connections to the Lost Tribes of Israel or diversification and repeated migrations the mythical sunken continent of Atlantis. from North Asia. According to one scholar, the degree of linguistic diversity in the New Modern scholars would agree with this World points to a history of "tens of Acosta scenario, but just about a decade millenia." later another Spanish cleric, Gregorio Garcia, wrote a two-volume work that Third, when we look at the artifactual would open the gates of migration to the content of New World cultures, we conclude Lost Tribes, to refugees from Atlantis, to that most of these myriad artifacts, covering Carthaginians from North Africa, and many thousands of years, are definitely of New more. He refused to be partial to any on his World origin, although certain aspects of long list, but they were almost all Trans- some material cultures do show north Asian Atlanteans, bringing seeds of civilization connections, especially in the Paleo-Indian with them. Thus in 1607 the battle was period, 7-10,000 years ago. joined: the New World native cultures were either derived from land-based Asian Finally, we turn to a rather different migrants (Acosta) or transplanted from the category, that of the plants and animals Old World by trans-Atlantic seafarers associated with New World cultures. Here (Garcia). The argument has lasted until too just a few specific Asian connections today. exist: dogs are clearly long-time associates of humankind and quite surely accompanied METHODS OF INQUIRY some of the very first Americans from Siberia. Plants are quite another matter, The origin of the earth's inhabitants is a and here we are discussing agricultural central question in anthropology. The items only. All the major food plants, such answer is also one that requires careful as corn, potatoes, and beans, are derived evaluation of all the information available with the help of human intervention from to us each time the question is asked. native American domesticated plants. Only Acosta and Garcia were limited in the facts a few questionable items await further they had at hand, although both had lived study concerning a possible outside origin; in several parts of the New World before these are the bottle gourd and cotton. The addressing the problem—no armchair sweet potato, another enigma, seems to have scholars here. But what kind of evidence do gone from South America to Polynesia, just anthropologists bring to bear on such to confuse the issue. questions today? With those basics in place, we can enter the First, we look at the people themselves: what fray of evaluating other sources of evidence do they look like, whom do they resemble? for trans-oceanic connections with one Simple questions in the 1600s: outward certain understanding: if an hypothesis is appearances were all they had. Now in bolstered by strong emotional concerns, Biological Anthropology, we turn to almost everything can and will be believable sophisticated analysis of genetics and DNA to some supporters. Recognizing that each to try to see way back in time as human of us has a personal bias that influences our Page 3 Anthro Notes own view of the world does not make us American Indians, not that of Trans- immune to its force, but at least we can Atlantean invaders. make a conscious attempt to make our evaluations as bias-free as possible. VIKINGS IN AMERICA MOUNDBUILDERS However, there was much more than just mounds and Native Americans to argue Archaeological evidence to answer the about. By 1891 a volume entitled "America question of "Who Got Here First?" would Not Discovered by Columbus" by Rasmus B. necessarily have to await the development Anderson would contain a lengthy of the discipline of archaeology in North bibliography with some 350 sources on the America. Thomas Jefferson is very often topic. It listed claims of America's cited as the "father" of American discovery by Chinese, Arabs, Welsh, archaeology, and he certainly attempted one Venetians, Portuguese, and Poles. However, of the first archaeological explanations of the majority of these references supported the question when he wrote in his famous the notion of Vikings as the ones who got "Notes on Virginia" (1787) about an Indian here first in the race across the Atlantic. Mound that he had excavated some years This hypothesis came into being more than before. However, his strongest evidence to 150 years ago, and really had only the support his belief in an Asian origin (via literary evidence from the Norse Sagas to the Bering Strait) of the Native Americans support the idea. was from his study of Indian languages. He cited the diversity of these languages as Not that it was not a worthwhile idea. Few proof that they had been here a long time. doubted that Vikings in North America could or did happen. There just was no Other scholars joined Jefferson in this well archaeological evidence to prove it. Again thought-out view. Yet, in the early frauds came to the rescue; if you can't nineteenth century the westward expansion discover the data you need, just of settlement into the Ohio Valley produced manufacture it! Thus was born the fake a great deal more archaeological evidence Kensington Rune Stone in the 1890s and from Indian Mounds. As interpreted by the "salting" of the Beardmore site in some new voices, the accumulating data Canada with real Norse artifacts to be used supported the supposition that these mounds to support a pre-Columbian Norse presence and the rather elaborate artifacts found in in North America. But good archaeology by them were made by the exotic "Mound- Helge Ingstad would finally come to the builders," purportedly an advanced and fore in 1960 with the right answer: Norse extinct culture not connected to Native ruins at L'Anse Aux Meadows on the Peoples. The hypothesis spawned some very northern tip of NewFoundland, complete popular books, such as those by Josiah Priest with sod huts and artifacts such as a brass (1833), that were fanciful in their pin, a soapstone spindle whorl and iron interpretations and careless in their nails, all dated to about AD 1000. Was it the evaluation of the data. home of Leif Erickson? Archaeologists are not sure, but we know that the Vikings The voice of reason came from Samuel certainly made it to the New World long Haven in a Smithsonian- sponsored volume before Columbus. (1856) that supported the Bering Strait hypothesis and called some of the wilder OTHER SOURCES OF NEW WORLD notions "Vagaries." We now know that much INFLUENCES of the Moundbuilder hypothesis was based on fraudulent documents, such as the Grave With an affirmative reply to the Viking Creek and Davenport inscriptions, which presence, one might think that much else tried to give support for literate Trans- might logically follow.
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