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Andra Watkins

Dungeons and Dragons

Historians argue about initial sightings of the New World. Few people really believe Christopher Columbus discovered America in 1492, especially given that people had already been living here for centuries. But how did they get here? Who from the outside (or from 'off' as we would say in Charleston) saw them first?

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This miniseries was inspired by Kate Shrewsday’s post here: http://kateshrewsday.com/2014/01/06/dragon-slayers-and-knuckerholes/

Historians argue about initial sightings of the New World. Few people really believe Christopher Columbus discovered America in 1492, especially given that people had already been living here for centuries.

But how did they get here? Who from the outside (or from ‘off’ as we would say in Charleston) saw them first?

Most historians agree that the Native Americans migrated over a land bridge from Siberia to modern day Alaska. The earth was cooler then; the seas lower. Maybe they didn’t even realize how far they wandered, until the ocean cut them off from their former home.

They were fruitful. They multiplied. They spread all over the crannies of two continents.

Yet, some of their rituals didn’t fit with where they came from. They built ziggurat-like structures that were somewhat Phoenician. One historian devoted a whole book to evidence of how the Chinese discovered America. Archeological digs have proven that the Vikings settled at present-day Newfoundland, and many believe they traveled as far south as New York State.

Thomas Jefferson heard a theory about the origin of some Native peoples. When he sent Meriwether Lewis and William Clark on their voyage of discovery, he encouraged Lewis to investigate. In the middle of the North American continent, they encountered blonde-haired, blue-eyed Native Americans, just as Jefferson supposed they would.

How could this have been?

To be continued tomorrow.

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46 Comments

    1. I’ve always been fascinated with the Viking sagas. To now know that the sagas are backed up by physical evidence is really cool

  2. Recent genetic studies point to the Americas populated for 35,000 years, lining up with previously ignored linguistic analysis pointing to 40,000 years in the Americas:

    http://www.berkeley.edu/news/berkeleyan/1998/0311/linguistics.html

    Polynesian blood has been found in a tribe in South America and vice-versa:

    http://firstlook.pnas.org/polynesian-dna-found-in-ancient-native-american-bones/

    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/8582150/Kon-Tiki-explorer-was-partly-right-Polynesians-had-South-American-roots.html

    …and there is much more. According to Blackfoot oral historian Floyd HeavyRunner (my close acquaintance for 36 years until he passed away this past Spring) the Blackfoot precursor people arrived in the Americas by sea and migrated from the south to north where they met and intermarried with a race of Whites during the time of Mammoths.

    Also it has recently been demonstrated a match for modern Native American blood has been found mixed with that of western Europeans in 24,000 year old bones discovered in Siberia:

    http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/21/science/two-surprises-in-dna-of-boy-found-buried-in-siberia.html?_r=0

    This preceding is tip of the iceberg. If you wished to tell me Virginia Dare brought a vision to certain tribes of the Plains Indians, it would be less far-fetched that those scientists who cannot break their minds out of a one way street limited to ‘Beringia’ 😉

    1. People always have to have angles for everything. Otherwise, they don’t have much to do. That’s where I think a lot of this comes from.

    1. Vikings again. Though those Wisconsin Scandinavians make darn good pie.

  6. I love history. The real history, not the one written by the winners or the invaders . . . or man.

    1. I wish we could know the real history. In researching my book, I was really surprised by the lengths Thomas Jefferson went to make sure history was kind to him. He was pretty ruthless about it.

  7. This is always interesting, but it makes me wonder why does it spawn such intense debate? In the sake of our lives, does it matter if Columbus discovered the Americas or Leif Ericssan or Jimmy Joe Jim Job from spce?

    We seem to take sides on this question like our lives depend on winning the battle.

    1. For someone to get funding to write a paper or a book, they have to believe they’re right. People always love a good controversy, after all. 🙂

  8. 😀 Thank you. Love this.

  10. This is one of the Great Mysteries and it endlessly fascinating. I look forward to this thread with great relish (and maybe some mustard).

    1. We’ll never solve the mystery. I think some of the speculations are really fun.

  11. Tom and I discuss this often, he contending it was the Irish and St. Brendan, me the, the long suffering Penelope, positing the Greeks (originally blond, blue-eyed). We do this over leg of lamb and Irish soda bread. No one wins, but, mighty fine “discussions” ensue.

    Fun post, Andra, and I’ll look forward to part II.

    1. There’s quite a bit of evidence for the Phoenicians to have landed on this side of the world, even before the Greeks or Romans. I haven’t read about evidence for those two. Hmmmmm.

  12. I love the fact that genetics can help us determine who was lying with whom.

    1. Did you know Clark fathered at least one Native child on the expedition? They’ve done genetic testing to prove that. No Lewis kids so far, but I have a theory about that, too.

    1. Tomorrow. 🙂 I’d love to know what Scott thinks about all this as a historian. I could listen to historians talk for hours. I’m a weirdo.

    1. One of many rabbit trails in book research. Ha. I got off on this for a couple of weeks.

      1. I know going down one of those rabbit trails isn’t very productive, but I always enjoy what I come out with. Normally random knowledge I store in my mental Rolodex for Trivial Pursuit, but still. 😉

  15. I’m looking forward to reading more tomorrow, rabbit trails can bring some of the best surprises. 🙂

  16. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDf5IkKAv-s

    All I know about history is what Mel taught me. Which means I’m smarter than most Americans. That said, a sequel would help my continuing education greatly. One (or more) of these statements is a lie.

    I think…

  17. Fascinating. I knew nothing about blonde and blue-eyed native Americans.

    Hope you are doing well, my friend. I have been so busy and not able to keep up with blogging. Sorry to have missed so much.

    Hugs from Ecuador,
    Kathy

  18. I love, love, love history (you may have gathered that from my current WIPs). There is so much that we don’t know and the different theories are fascinating.

  20. Andra, rarely have I been so eager to hear what a next post has to say. I am on tenterhooks. Or should I say, tenterclaws.

  21. i have always been fascinated by this subject and look forward to reading more. i think with time, we will come to understand a lot and many of our old concepts of origin will be turned on their heads.

  22. This is one of the favorite conversations in my family, Andra, and I’m looking forward to your series!

  23. It is fascinating. I’m sure after very extensive research might find that it may have been … well, you may already know .. it was a Monaghan that landed in North America, via Ireland (it wasn’t called Ireland then, though).

  26. I seem to recall a discussion with a friend of mine, who is an archaeology grad student at Mercyhurst, in which a research team was trying to carefully extract evidence of an early European settlement out of the Chesapeake Bay that pre-dates Columbus. The trouble being is setting up a dig site underwater isn’t an easy task to accomplish.

  28. I love these different takes on history, Andra! And I’ve always been intrigued by the question how can someone have discovered somewhere, when there were already people living there… I’m off to read part two!

  29. Few things thrill me like history. I am duly thrilled and about to read the second part.

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