A lot of interesting comparisions between figures from India and those in South America.
"My Tibetan Buddhist friend has mentioned that he's heard there are some parallels between certain aspects of Buddhist belief and SW American Indian myth, which makes me wonder if perhaps Buddhist authors have also collected some data on the subjects we're considering"
I read this book a few years ago by Dr Nancy Yaw Davis, very interesting and maybe a source of Buddhism among the American Indians.
The Zuni Enigma
"In a book with groundbreaking implications, Dr. Nancy Yaw Davis examines the evidence underscoring the Zuni enigma, and suggests the circumstances that may have led Japanese on a religious quest-searching for the legendary "middle world" of Buddhism-across the Pacific and to the American Southwest more than seven hundred years ago."
I read this book a few years ago by Dr Nancy Yaw Davis, very interesting and maybe a source of Buddhism among the American Indians.The Zuni Enigma
Very interesting--looks like I'm heading back to the library again soon, LOL! While I was there today getting Mummies of Urumchi I also picked up some books on Asian and American Indian art to see if I could identify any parallels, and one thing I was meaning to look at was the possibility of Japanese influence on Indians of the American Pacific coastline, which sounds like it would fit well with the thesis of Davis' book. The art of Pacific Northwest Indians has always intuitively struck me as similar to Pacific islanders' art, which I've guessed might reflect Japanese influence. I hadn't considered the possibility of Japanese influence on Southwestern tribes as well--very interesting idea. Thanks for the reference!