GENEALOGY-DNA-L Archives
Archiver > GENEALOGY-DNA > 2002-02 > 1012590453
From: "Orin R. Wells" <>
Subject: Re: [DNA] Native American Indian testing
Date: Fri, 01 Feb 2002 11:07:33 -0800
References: <3C5A531F.D335E335@route66web.com><129.bbb24d6.298ad9f5@aol.com><4.1.20020131191212.046189c0@wells.org><4.1.20020131202229.046a4100@wells.org><3.0.6.32.20020201104332.00919b40@ishipress.com><000701c1ab41$146323b0$85257041@luthermcg>
In-Reply-To: <3C5ADD65.1BD8359C@route66web.com>
At 11:24 AM 2/1/02 -0700, Allan S. Gleason wrote:
>I am not aware that such a voyage other than the "Kon Tiki" rafting
journey ever took place nor has been verified through DNA - anyone know any
different?<<
The objective of the "Kon Tiki" was to demonstrate that such trips in
primitive craft were feasible. There have been stories out of South
America for decades of things found that just didn't fit with the concept
that the Native Americans all came across the supposed Ice bridge from Asia.
The Kennewick man is a possible example as the researchers who have been
allowed to observe the skeleton believe there to be some Polyneasian
features. The problem is they are not allowed to extract DNA because any
skeleton found on government land (or Native American Land) is presumed to
belong to the nearest Native American tribe and they have not been too keen
on allowing any testing on such remains. Does the following regarding the
Washington Umatilla tribe sound familiar?
"According to their beliefs, they have always lived on the land and
therefore must be descendants of Kennewick Man. The law does not require
scientific certainty that prehistoric skeletons are ancestors of tribes
currently living in an area; a preponderance of evidence, including oral
tradition, is sufficient....DNA testing is one way Kennewick man's ancestry
might have been determined. But it would have required high quality samples
of DNA from Kennewick man, as well as cell samples from the tribes, who may
not be willing to participate because they are certain that they have
always lived in eastern Washington"
"Recent examinations of a cast of Kennewick Man's skull point toward Ainu
or Polynesian, rather than European, features. "
"About seven skeletons the age of Kennewick man have been found in North
America. All have proto-Caucasoid features (Caucasoid features so generic
that they can not be traced to any definite Caucasian ethhnic group) , in
varying degrees. None closely resembles modern Native Americans. "
Polynesian Links?
"To their surprise, however, the researchers found that native Siberians
lack one peculiar mutation that appeared in the Amerinds 6,000 to 10,000
years ago. This raises the question of where, if not from Siberia, this
mtDNA originated.
It turns out, Dr. Wallace says, that this particular mutation pattern is
also found in aboriginal populations in Southeast Asia and in the islands
of Melanesia and Polynesia.
This hints at what may have been "one of the most astounding migrations in
human experience," he says. A group of ancient peoples moved out of China
into Malaysia where they became sailors and populated the islands of the
South Pacific.
Then some 6,000 to 12,000 years ago these ancient mariners made it to the
Americas. "I don't know how they came," Dr. Wallace says. "They either came
across the Pacific to Central and South America or they went up the east
coast of Asia and across the northern Pacific to Alaska and Canada," he
says. He already is examining mtDNA samples from natives of the Kamchatka
Peninsula north of Japan to see if there is any mtDNA trace of these
ancient sailors.
[http://www.chattanooga.net/cita/mtdna.html]
Orin R. Wells
Wells Family Research Association
P. O. Box 5427
Kent, Washington 98064-5427
<>
http://www.rootsweb.com/~wellsfam/wfrahome.html
Subscribe to the "Wells-L" list on RootsWeb
This thread: