Did Native Americans evolve from Asians that crossed the land bridge?

[Floogeldy]

Like, tens of thousands of years ago?

[TheDebbieDee]

1. That's what I remember reading in the history books......

[autorank]

2. That's what I was taught in the CA public schools.

:shrug:

[Mutley]

3. as far as i remember yes

but who knows?

[candy]

4. Yes,according to an old National Geographic. Mongols I think.

[demosincebirth]

5. Try and exlain that to a creationist.

[neweurope]

6. Yes, they did, and there are many similarities to the peoples in

Sibiria and thereabouts.

-----------------

Remember Fallujah

Bush to The Hague!

[BikeWriter]

11. Some of the Montagnards of VetNam could have passed as Amerind.

[Redstone]

7. That's why I don't particularly like the term

"Native American." I do find it condescending and too PC for my taste (though if other Indians want to be referred to that way, fine with me); but the real problem is that if the Bering Land Bridge Theory is correct, and we came here from Siberia, then we're actually...omigod, we're really RUSSIANS!!!

Dos Vidaniya, Tovarisch!

Redstone

[BikeWriter]

12. Aha! That's why the name REDstone! :-)

[JitterbugPerfume]

16. you be a COMMIE??

OH NO!!!!!

[RagingInMiami]

8. Of course they did

And it's not just the Native Americans, but the Indians throughout Central and South America.

It's evident in the way they look and in their language.

[radwriter0555]

20. The language similiarities are astounding... just with an ear...

fascinating... really, really fascinating.

[RagingInMiami]

22. And both cultures or races

Possess a certain gene that makes them highly intolerant of alcohol.

It's a scientific fact that most Asians and Native Americans cannot tolerate booze as well as those descendent from Europe.

[Zinfandel]

9. Sorry, you can't talk about anything past six thousand years.

Against the law!

Now go to church, repent and praise Bush...(if you know what's good for you).

[madrchsod]

10. it seems that way

but when is up to debate. but it had to happen less than 6000 some years ago

[Mrs_Beastman]

13. I guess that is the new theory

anything is possible.

[rogerashton]

14. According to the traditional history of the Lenni Lenape,

The crossed the water from Turtle Island to Snake Island much more recently than that. They worked their way eastward, until they arrived in the Delaware Valley; and there being nobody here when they arrived, they made it their homeland. (But archeology suggests that it was in fact occupied by somebody thousands of years ago.)

[warrior1]

15. Yes. Also check this out.

http://www.patagonia-argentina.com/i/content/aborigenes1.htm

[oneighty]

17. You should take this question

to the Science Forum.

Really.

180

[XemaSab]

18. There are.... competing theories

all the theories involve Asian and Polynesian immigrants.

Some theories involve a land bridge, some theories involve a Kon-tiki style raft, and some theories involve canoes up the Siberian coast and over to Alaska and down the west coast. The real possiblity is that all of these could have occurred at seperate times.

So Asians yes, land bridge maybe.

If you want a real interesting puzzle, read about Kennewick Man.

[radwriter0555]

19. Yes. The physical characteristics of asians and native mexican americans

and native north and south american indians are almost identical.

[pscot]

21. The Indians say not

and there appears to be some evidence to support their view. For example, at the time this migration is supposed to have taken place Canada was completely covered by an impassable ice sheet. For example, stone tools and hearths have been found in South America that suggest a much earlier date for settlement than previously believed. For example, patterns of tool developement seem to suggest a movement from the east coast of America north and westward. Genetic analysis has turned up anomalies that raise real questions about an asian origin and seem to suggest some more direct contact with europe. Studies of lots of skulls have turned up features that are distincly not asian. Kennewick man is an example of such a skull.

All this stuff is extremely controversial and mild mannered paleoanthropoligists are cutting one anothers' throats over it. For a good overview by a non-scientist see "Bones", by Elaine Dewar.

[Donkeyboy75]

23. Yep.

Still a lot of controversy on this. Migration happened at least 13000 years ago, if you believe the dating of the Clovis tools...but it could have happened much earlier.

Unfortunately DNA analyses aren't perfect. They imply a steady rate of mutations over time, which could be a false assumption due to many factors.

[Radical Activist]

24. I think that's a bunch of crap.

It used to be the standard accepted story, but there has been a lot of new evidence in the last few decades that there were other migrations instead of or in addition to those who traveled over the berring strait.

I think some white anthropologists and historians in the past had a hard time believing other cultures had a superior ability to migrate over oceans long before Europeans did, and those misconceptions are gradually fading away.