[GeronL]

So, you think they came from both directions?

[SunkenCiv]

There's no longer any reason to believe that the direction of travel was from west to east and no other way -- mainly because the idea that the peopling of the Americas happened once and took place because the seafloor was exposed has just about died. It stunk long before it died. :')

South America's precolumbian languages have been described as "a delirious, kaleidoscopic riot" meaning they had a long time to develop and/or entered at different times over a very long period. Then there are the blood type A Basques, whose Euskara language is an isolate -- in Europe:

America B.C.
by Barry Fell
(1976)
find it in a nearby library

A fascinating letter I received from a Shoshone Indian who had been traveling in the Basque country of Spain tells of his recognition of Shoshone words over there, including his own name, whose Shoshone meaning proved to match the meaning attached to a similar word by the modern Basques. Unfortunately I mislaid this interesting letter. If the Shoshone scholar who wrote to me should chance to see these words I hope he will forgive me and contact me again. The modern Basque settlers of Idaho may perhaps bring forth a linguist to investigate matters raised in this chapter. [p 173]