[Chris Talk]

I believe the current theory is that, some 60k years ago, a human population developed in west-central Asia [from ultimate African sources] from which the Ainu proceeded very early all the way East to Japan and Sakhalin, etc. This is so early that everybody was Caucasoid. [proto-Caucasoid, I should say.]

Later, from this group, the whole Mongolian race somehow developed and headed east and southeast. Also, from it the Turks and Finns, etc. headed west towards Europe...

European races except the Finns, Hungarians, and other recent arrivals from Asia are thought to have proceeded from the Middle East direct to Europe some 30k years ago with no reference to the Central Asian distribution point.

IIRC, Kennewick Man has more affinity to the Europoid than to the Central Asian descendants such as Turks, Finns, or Ainu...

[Pharmboy]

Thank you for the excellent review. May I ask if DNA and/or mtDNA evidence is supportive of this view, or is this derived mainly from fossils...or linguistics?

[blam]

"This is so early that everybody was Caucasoid. [proto-Caucasoid, I should say.]"

That is pretty much the theory James Chatters (Did most of the work on Kennewick Man) proposes in his book about Kennewick Man, Ancient Encounters.

He said that Kennewick Man probably belonged to a group that produced both Asians and Caucasians.