An American Indian-East Asian Connection?

This one's for MB, who recently commented that she and EB "tend to see American Indian culture (at least our own) as strongly tied to East Asia". Her comment reminded me of a photo I took in 1999 of a performance of indigenous music and dance in Taiwan. Few people realize that before Japan and China (and now the US) started fighting over Taiwan, the island was already inhabited by a number of indigenous peoples. Is there a connection between American Indian and East Asian cultures? You make the call.

On a related note: I'm currently putting together an online album of photos I took when I travelled through Tibet in 1992. When you travel through small villages in remote areas of Central Asia, there are times when you forget whether you're in the Himalayas or the Andes.

Comments

[Nezua Limón Xolagrafik-Jonez]

haha! look at that.

i remember how cool i thought it was when i first learned that the early inhabitants of Mexico came across the Bering Straits from the Asian mainland (at least in the books i have). i don't know if you were reading when i posted on it (i don't think so) but my daughter (13) has been asked all her life at various times if she is "part Asian." there's always been something about her eyes, the skin between them, or the shape, both maybe. my father says its the indian showing through. but that's something, hunh?

[Kai]

Nezua, I missed your post about this...and yes, it is something. I guess "the Indian showing through" helps explain why "Chino" is a popular nickname...

[Donna]

I used to go to a native american messageboard and there were actually indigenous people from all over the world who also went there. The Tlingit (Alaska) woman and Hawaiian woman discovered many things in common with their languages, art, and cultures. The Hawaiian woman was also friends with a Maori (New Zealand) man and they all three had those same things in common. It wouldn't surprise me to find out that people didn't just cross the Bering Strait but also somehow made the trip across the Pacific from N.Z. In fact the artwork in particular strikes me as similar to Mexican and Central American art too.

I've had Korean people come up to me speaking Korean and expecting me to respond. I've also had spanish speaking people do the same (Puerto Rican in the east, and Mexican in the midwest).

Sometimes I wonder if we Maliseets look like "everyperson". Because when I was in Miami at the airport, I was shocked to see my aunt there and almost went over to give her a hug, until my husband told me that the woman couldn't be my aunt because she was travelling with black people. The woman was black but looked like my aunt. (I assumed she got a tan while in FL LOL) I told my mother about it, and she said that there is rumor of black heritage in our family but isn't sure if it's true. She also said that there was rumor that our family name changed from Joe to Perley. That one was true and I suspect the other rumor might be too. I told my son about it and he doesn't care if it's verified or not, he tells kids at school that he is black and indian. LOL

[Kai]

Donna,

I think it's pretty cool that Maliseets look like "everyperson"; are you the hidden link? ;-) With regard to artwork, I suppose we're not sure at this point whether such similarities are a result of cultural diffusion or simply hardwired human archetypes; but I suppose it's doesn't really matter, the point being that it's something people have in common.

Anyway, thanks for posting. Hope you're feeling well. Take care.

[Rob Schmidt]

http://www.rgj.com/news/specials/story9.html

The Spirit Cave Man has a long, narrow face with narrow cheekbones, a narrow chin and a protruding upper jaw. Those features and many other skull measurements show the man didn't look like a modern Indian or the Mongolians the Indians presumably descended from, scientists said.

The Spirit Cave Man's skull measurements, when compared to a data base of skull measurements from around the world, showed his skull traits had the most in common with Ainu or Polynesian populations, according to a study done by scientists from the Smithsonian Institution and the University of Tennessee.

The Ainu were the original inhabitants of Japan and many of their descendants still live on that nation's northernmost island. They lived in Asia before the people we now call Asians migrated there. They looked more like modern Caucasians than like modern American Indians or Asians, and had lots of body hair. Their predominant eye color was blue rather than brown, scientists said.

[Rob Schmidt]

I'm a little curious, Kai. If you didn't mean to suggest that American Indians might be related to the indigenous people of Taiwan, what did you mean to suggest? Can you elucidate?

[Kai]

Rob,

Actually I apologize for the confusing post. I just posted the photo as a laugh after a comment somewhere else about an ambiguous American Indian-East Asian connection, the Bering Strait debate notwithstanding, we were just casually chatting. Anyway I wasn't trying to take any position in any archaeological or anthropological debate in which I'm surely inadequately informed. I was just attempting to post a (it turns out ambiguously-framed) photo that had popped up in conversation. Frankly I didn't mean anything by it, and I didn't realize until later how unclear it was. Sorry about the confusion.

Peace.