Sorry, China, But Native Americans Probably Aren't Hunanese

Foreign Policy ^ | Alicia P.Q. Wittmeyer

[nickcarraway]

China's Global Times - that reliable purveyor of the sublimely ridiculous, the terrifyingly nationalistic, and the just generally offensive -- struck again on Wednesday, with a quick nine-paragrapher that may just manage to combine all three offerings in one: "American Indians descend from Hunan, says expert."

The tabloid reports on the findings of Du Gangjian, dean of Hunan University Law School, who, on a recent trip to study Native American tribes in the United States (the article doesn't specify which ones), made the discovery that "American Indians have many rituals, habits and working tools that are very similar to the ones that exist among Hunan people."

[Flag_This]

The author of “The Zuni Enigma” thinks there might be a connection with Japan, not Hunan.

[Vigilanteman]

Interesting. The Piute, as you probably know, are a branch of the Ute whereas the Hopi are related to the Pueblo group (including Zuni). Both consider themselves as a more advanced civilization than their neighbors such as the Apache or Navajo, who likely were driven to survive by raiding their neighbors after being driven out of their ancestral homelands to the south and east, probably by tribes escaping the advance of the Aztec.

First I have heard about the Florida route, though I would not utterly discount it. What a lot of people fail to realize is that oceanic navigation skills will be quickly lost after a couple of generations on non-use by migrating civilizations.

[GraceG]

I guess it’s time for a new movement...return America to the Chinese!

[Vigilanteman]

The author of “The Zuni Enigma” thinks there might be a connection with Japan, not Hunan.

Also an interesting theory and not without merit. There are a lot of similarities between ancient Japanese pictographs and those of American tribes like the Zuni and even the Sioux.

[Billthedrill]

It means they gotta take San Francisco.

I'm looking for a downside here. Looking...

[Gunslingr3]

If true, he asked, why wouldn't archeologists find evidence of older and more developed civilizations in Alaska, British Columbia and the Northwest and newer, more rudimentary civilizations as the migration route turned south? Instead, we find exactly the opposite.

Ultimately the land in the far north can't support huge populations of people, that's why you find the initial civilizations nearer the equator, in very fertile lands.

So people came through the Bering Straits, and some kept on trucking to more amenable climes were their populations boomed.

[Verginius Rufus]

I have heard that Native American tribes' names for themselves often mean "the Human Beings." (I think that's in Little Big Man--hard to beat that as an authoritative source.) Maybe that is a mistake for "the Hunan Beings."

One way to test it would be to see how much MSG is used in Native American cooking.

[buffaloguy]

Anyone who thinks a 40 mile sea lane is a barrier is one who is completely ignorant of boats, sailing and sailors.

It probably was quite busy during the summer months. Sheesh.

[Verginius Rufus]

Remember the Kennewick Man controversy. Although scientists said the remains were not related to any present-day Indians of the area, the local tribes claimed that they had aleays lived there and had never immigrated from anywhere else, so those 9000(?)-year-old bones had to be of one of their ancestors...and the Clinton administration supported their claim

[OldNewYork]

That’s very interesting. It seems there is evidence (and always has been) for a multi-factorial answer to the question of American Indian origins. And your experience conforms to my reading, that it’s not the American Indians who reject this - it’s their vocal, mostly white, ‘advocates’, who insist on the single origin Bering Strait story.

[Duchess47]

I don’t know. We were talking about something else and he just mentioned that. I didn’t ask him for an explanation.

[Duchess47]

You guys have me interested now, I’ll have to ask him for more information on tribal lore next time I see him or his son.

[familyop]

Another hag ranting fallacies about racial vanities and jealousies seen from all sides. If a resemblance is obvious, deal with it. ;-)

[familyop]

"The author of “The Zuni Enigma” thinks there might be a connection with Japan, not Hunan."

And Chinese originally settled in Japan to become Japanese. So, same thing, eh? ;-)

What's important is that American Indians should visit China and go to any restaurant first to introduce themselves. Complain about the food, refuse to pay for it and start the customary brawl (as seen in movies). ;-)

[familyop]

Ah, another thing...original Indian wrestling, “pushing hands,” same thing. Duh. ;-)

[Utah Binger]

DNA Ping Chinese Mormons

[Elsie]

Dang!

The Chinese are becoming MORMON!

[Elsie]

People who lived there were naturally living at a subsistence level.

At that time; who WASN'T!!

[Elsie]

Where did he think his people came from?

Turtles; all the way down.

[Elsie]

The Atlantic Ocean via Continental Ice, pre clovis[Think Picard].

Indeed!

They were going where no man had gone before!