The skulls (r) are long and narrow,
not in keeping with Native Indians' broader, rounder features.
Posted on 09/08/2004 2:43:26 PM PDT by yankeedame
Last Updated: Tuesday, 7 September, 2004, 14:26 GMT 15:26 UK
Tribe challenges American origins
By Paul Rincon
BBC News Online science staff, at the BA festival
The skulls (r) are long and narrow,
not in keeping with Native Indians' broader, rounder features.
Some of the earliest settlers of America may have come from Australia, southern Asia, and the Pacific, new research suggests. Traditional theories have held that the first Americans originated from northern Asia.
Dr Silvia Gonzalez conducted a study of ancient bones found in Mexico and found that they have very different characteristics to Native Americans.
The results are being presented at the BA Festival of Science this week.
Some of the ancient skulls she has looked at are more than 12,000 years old.
These skulls have long and narrow heads that are very different from the short, broad skulls of today's Native Americans.
'Controversial bomb'
One particularly well-preserved skull of a long-headed female, who has been dubbed Penon Woman, has been carbon dated to 12,700 years ago.
"They appear more similar to southern Asians, Australians and populations of the South Pacific Rim than they do to northern Asians," Dr Gonzalez, of Liverpool John Moores University, told the British Association's annual meeting in Exeter.
[Native Americans] cannot claim to have been the first people there
Dr Silvia Gonzalez "We think there were several migration waves into the Americas at different times by different human groups."
She said there was very strong evidence that the first migration came from Australia via Japan and Polynesia and down the Pacific coast of America.
Dr Gonzalez said the research would be controversial. "[Native Americans] cannot claim to have been the first people there," Dr Gonzalez said.
She also hinted that DNA recovered from Penon Woman would corroborate measurements of the skulls. "We have extracted her DNA. It is going to be a bomb," Dr Gonzalez commented.
If proved correct, the findings might have implications for US legislation that covers the return of Native American remains and artefacts to present-day tribes.
Recently, a coalition of native tribes lost their claim to the remains of Kennewick Man, a 9,000-year-old skeleton found in Washington State.
The case was won by a group of scientists who wanted access to the remains for study.
Died out
A population of the long-headed individuals being studied by Dr Gonzalez had survived into historic times, she claimed.
This tribe, which lived on the Baja California peninsula, were called the Pericues. But they appear to have died out in the 18th Century because of disease.
Spanish missionaries reported that they were of a different racial type and had different customs to other Native Americans.
The results concur with a study of the Pericues carried out by Spanish researchers in 2003.
This also used measurements of the skulls to show that this population was only distantly related to contemporary Amerindian groups.
However, some scientists think that the older group of Americans may simply have evolved the features typical of present-day natives of the continent.
One study has shown marked differences in the skull shape of prehistoric and present-day Inuit populations.
I don't know if we claim to have been "the first people here" so much as we claim to be "the people who were here before all the other people that are here now, and we are still here unlike those long-headed losers on the Baja Peninsula who died out because of disease".
Big difference.
"John Kerry is the perfect example of this particular species."
Not familiar with this but anything that undermines NAGPRA is fine with me.
what's NAGPRA?
So... we're descended from English prisoners?
ping
Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act
As a direct descendant I demand a casino and tax-free tobacco. Oh, I forgot, I want some of those really good fireworks to.
Know by it's latin name of presidentious demcandidus flipfloperous.
Ping for your list
LOL!!!
First Americans Were Australian
This is Luzia, she died 10,500 years ago at the age of 24 in Brazil. This is the second oldest human skeleton ever found in the Americas. The oldest skeleton is Arlington Springs Woman, found on an island off the coast of California, she is 13,000 year old.
I'm gonna guess that these people are/were related to the Japanese Ainu just like Kennewick Man.
Not familiar with this but anything that undermines NAGPRA is fine with me.The only use NAGPRA has been is in the suffocation death ("it was already dead when I got here, honest") of the Clovis-First-and-Only model, which grew out of 19th century US isolationism.
George W. Bush will be reelected by a margin of at least ten per cent
Please FREEPMAIL me if you want on, off, or alter the "Gods, Graves, Glyphs" PING list --
Archaeology/Anthropology/Ancient Cultures/Artifacts/Antiquities, etc.
The GGG Digest -- Gods, Graves, Glyphs (alpha order)
Does this mean that the Pericues were pre-Clovis?
good one! lol
Please FREEPMAIL me if you want on, off, or alter the "Gods, Graves, Glyphs" PING list --
Archaeology/Anthropology/Ancient Cultures/Artifacts/Antiquities, etc.
The GGG Digest -- Gods, Graves, Glyphs (alpha order)
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.