June 05, 2007

Polynesians were here first

Polynesians beat Spaniards to South America, study shows

Analysis of chicken bones found in Chile shows Polynesians reached the continent no later than 1407.After decades of contention, New Zealand researchers have provided the first direct evidence that Polynesians sailed across thousands of miles of the Pacific Ocean to reach South America long before the arrival of the Spanish around AD 1500.

Their proof? Chicken bones.

Using genetic analysis and radiocarbon dating of chicken bones found in Chile, the researchers showed that the fowl originated in Polynesia, not Europe as was previously believed, the researchers said Monday.

"The Polynesian contact probably didn't change the course of prehistory, but I think maybe it makes us recognize the ethnocentrism in our long-standing views of the prehistory of the New World," said archeologist Terry L. Jones of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, who was not involved in the research.
Comment:  Will this finding end our fetishizing of Christopher Columbus? Will we raise statues and stage parades to honor the first explorers to "discover" America? Of course not.

1 comment:

  1. Writerfella here --
    In fact, Polynesians still are here right this very moment! In Baja California, there is a tribal group called the San Blas who are not Natives but rather are a clannish band descended from Polynesians who reached North America in pre-Columbian times. writerfella ran across that particular item back in the 1950s in Ray Palmer's FATE, SEARCH, and OTHER WORLDS Magazines. These were compilations of offbeat news items culled from newspapers and wire services worldwide. In later years, these magazines became filled with items about the paranormal, UFOs, Atlantis and Mu, crytozoological sightings such as Bigfoot and Nessie and the Yeti, Admiral Byrd's many expeditions including his search for an entrance to Inner Earth, and the Shaver Mystery about underground civilizations such as the Dero and the Tero. Where did such magazines go? *sigh*
    All Best
    Russ Bates
    'writerfella'

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