[Marxism] Turks and American Indians--Bering Strait theory

[David Thorstad <binesi@xxxxxxxxx>]

Re the "Bering Strait theory" that Louis mentioned as being "generally 
accepted (i.e., that American Indians migrated from Asia across it 
during a brief land bridge period), the other part of that "theory" (not 
mentioned) is that the Indians were widely scattered in the Americas and 
living in small groups. This is highly dubious, as is the "theory" 
itself. I am not arguing against it, merely pointing out that it has 
serious flaws. I highly recommend the following book, which addresses 
this issue and is, furthermore, very readable and informative, 
demonstrating convincingly that some Indians lived in highly structured 
and large societies (judging from, e.g., their gigantic earthen works 
reshaping the landscape for agricultural purposes, as in Bolivia). There 
are other problems with the "theory" in terms of archaeological finds 
and time frames. Rather than go into all this, you might check out the book:

Charles C. Mann, /1491: New Revelations of the Americas before Columbus/ 
(New York: Vintage, 2005).

I have been studying Ojibwe language and culture for three years, and 
have many contacts among the Ojibwe. Informed and educated Ojibwe 
recommend this book, and in general do NOT accept the Bering Strait 
theory as proven.
David

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