Well I can see how some would feel that they may look african but from what I've read here and elsewhere there does not see to be any genetic proof.

I would like to ask a question
Are the Olmec related in anyway to the Incas or is that too far south?

Originally posted by leira7
In this study, they are making the case for pre-columbian exchange of Polynesian Chickens...interesting

The claims in this paper have already been shown to be false.

It was posted here at ATS, by the way.

Harte

Part of the problem is that we have always looked at the pre-colonial days as "prehistory" a bias that suggest "history" only started with the Europeans. In practical terms, I suspect that meant that ancient American research, at least in North America, has always been resource poor.

[edit on 23-4-2009 by metamagic]

just to add my bit.

I talked to and indigenous australian (ngarrindjeri) several years ago who travelled to the US. He met with a local 'tribe' (is that the right word?) and they took him to a site where there were paintings and they asked for an explanation.

The man told me that the paintintgs clearly depicted kangaroos and that the locals had been wondering about this for years. He didn't explain anything to me except that around the cave was a collection of plants that his people had eaten for years. Can't remember what they called exactly but I have eaten them too. Some kind of plant with juicy leaves and a purple flower. The locals said they had seen them before but never knew they were edible. just thought that this was relevant to this topic.

Separate to that story another indigenous australian told me that once they used to sing songs across their own country to the end of it where somebody else used to continue the song. She said this song continued, across many countries, to the coast where the whales would sing the songs under the sea to the next country. She said it was 'the old world wide web.'

Sorry, no internet source for this, just a story. Take from it what you will.

Originally posted by punkinworks
yes,
but the polynesian cultivation of the sweet potato, which is native to the andean highlands, indicates that there was contact with SA by no later than 700 AD.

This is a genuibne mystery, that I'll grant.

But the proposition that the sweet potato came to Polynesia via contact with S. America poses more problems that the idea that it could have come there naturally.

What I mean is, the problems associated with such contact - currents, prevailing winds, etc. are just as hard to overcome as the idea that the plant could have been propagated by animals or other natural means.

BTW, I know the plant is cultivated through cuttings, but the fact is it does, rarely, produce flowers and seeds.

It's unlikely that seeds accidently got to Polynesia as well, I admit.

That's why I said it's a genuine mystery..

However, it "proves" absolutely nothing.

Harte

SLAYER69,

I just wanted to say TY for this thread, realy alot of good information that you and other ATSers have dug up.

I don't know if this is the proper place for this question or not but, I do have one question that pops up as I read the information which is why I am asking it here, It seems as though we depict a thriving civilization as on that can write use the wheel, etc, when it seems to me that a civilization that wanted to create al lasting message that was easily told to furure civilizations would use paintings and carvings with pictures in them, yes pictures could be inturpreted many ways, but would be imho much easier for future civilizations to decipher. Also an advanced civilization imho would also be able to live in harmony with the land, not destroying it for their own gains, which is what I understand these past older civilizations did. In turn this would make these older civilizations much more advanced than the one we have currently, which would be contrary to what we are being told about them currently.

Am I way off based with my thoughts on this??

well there were the stone tools found in Hueyatlaco, Mexico dated at 250,000 years old. Even though they were found and dated are thrown out because "that's impossible"

Originally posted by The Mack
well there were the stone tools found in Hueyatlaco, Mexico dated at 250,000 years old. Even though they were found and dated are thrown out because "that's impossible"

Actually the dates were not accepted a somewhat different category than "thrown out". There were valid criticisms of the methodologies and results of tests.

If you are interested in a detailed (if somewhat fringe tinged ) looks at the site and story I could suggest the book

The First Americans by Christopher Hardaker ISBN 10 1-56414-942-0

The controversy is such that work has been on going there for many years trying to untangle the complex geology of the site. They still don't have a clear picture due to volcanic activity there in the past.

It'll be some time before they'll be able to make a cohorent case for the tools being that old or not being that old.

A key paper on the site Steen-McIntyre, V., R. Fryxell, and H.E. Malde, 1981, Geologic Evidence for Age
of Deposits at Hueyatlaco Archaeological Site, Valsequillo, Mexico, Quaternary Research, v. 16, pp. 1-17

Which is online but my link is showing it is presently down