SEARCH FOR THE FIRST AMERICANS : science, power, politics

2021·1.1 MB·English

by  DAVIS, ROBERT V

The Search for the First Americans

The Search for the
First Americans
Science, Power, Politics
•
Robert V. Davis Jr.
University of Oklahoma Press : Norman
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Davis, Robert V., 1947– author.
Title: The search for the first Americans : science, power and politics /
Robert V. Davis, Jr..
Description: Norman : University of Oklahoma Press, [2021] | Includes
bibliographical references. | Summary: “Case study of the practice of science in
its search for the First Americans and examines: (1) the conflicts between the
methods of science and the traditional beliefs of modern Native Americans; (2)
the power struggles for primacy of place internal to the sciences themselves; and
(3) the interactions with external authorities such as government agencies, the
press, universities, and museums. It examines how First American issues have
been defined and how differences in cultural myths, scientific theories, research
methodologies and public policy remain unsettled in modern America. It also
investigates the blurred boundaries between science and myth as well as between
fact and theory that ultimately weaken the credibility of science as a cultural
mechanism for interpreting the natural world”— Provided by publisher.
Identifiers: LCCN 2021023226 (print) | LCCN 2021023227 (ebook) |
ISBN 9780806175911 (hardcover) | ISBN 9780806175935 (pdf)
Subjects: LCSH: Indians of North America—Origin. | Indians of North America—
History. | Indians of North America—Government relations. | Indians of North
America—Ethnic identity. | Indians of North America—Science. | Indians
of South America—Origin. | BISAC: HISTORY / Indigenous Peoples of the
Americas | HISTORY / Civilization
Classification: LCC E61 .D25 2021 (print) | LCC E61 (ebook) |
DDC 970.004/97—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021023226
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021023227
Copyright © 2021 by the University of Oklahoma Press, Norman,
Publishing Division of the University. Manufactured in the U.S.A.
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Contents
Preface ix
Introduction 1
Part I: First American Theories, Myths, and Evidence
Chapter 1
American Indian Creation Myths 13
Chapter 2
Euro-American Theories 18
Chapter 3
Clovis-First 36
Chapter 4
Pre-Clovis: Monte Verde and Meadowcroft 43
Chapter 5
Case Studies: Atlantis and Chinese Bestiary 50
Part II: First American Science
Chapter 6
Anthropology and Archaeology 59
Chapter 7
Bioanthropology 67
Chapter 8
The Other Sciences: Genetics, Linguistics, and Physics 77
Chapter 9
Laboratories and Museums 90
Part III: Community
Chapter 10
Identity and Heritage Preservation 101
Chapter 11
Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act 112
Chapter 12
Case Studies: Kennewick Man and Tarim Basin 122
Conclusions 133
Notes 145
Bibliography 163
Preface
Like many Americans, I have routinely followed popular press reports about
early human remains found in the United States. As a young boy growing up
in Oklahoma, I was fascinated by searching for arrowheads during camping
trips and even enjoyed an occasional visit in Tulsa to the Thomas Gilcrease In-
stitute of American History and Art, which houses one of the most extensive
collections of American Indian artwork and artifacts in the world. I studied
the symbolism in the Oklahoma state flag and the stories of the five “civilized”
tribes. I uncritically accepted what I learned as the truth. However, as adults,
even among people of goodwill, an agreed-upon truth can be elusive and may
well be dependent on where and how we situate our conceptual lives. As Mark
Twain reportedly warned, what gets us into trouble is not what we don't know,
but rather what we think we know that just isn’t so. The simple fascinations of
our youth can lead later to complex intellectual journeys that disabuse us of
some things that we thought we knew for sure. For me, this book has been just
such an undertaking. In many ways it is a manifestation of the contradictions in
American society between accepting the practical usefulness of science when it
is in conflict with important cultural values.
The scientific search for the First Americans is, at a conceptual level, simple.
As James Adovasio asked, “who the hell are these people, where did they come
from, and when did they get here?” Although much has been documented, sci-
ence is no closer today to finding an answer than at any time since the arrival of
Columbus. In short, it has been a failed endeavor. Archaeology and anthropol-
ogy, which are the intellectual domains most central to the search for the First
Americans have, unfortunately, been caught fiercely protecting conclusions that
are now known to be erroneous. Science has many strengths and is a critical com-
ponent of the material progress that humans have enjoyed. But, at times, it can
treat an explanatory theory with the same concreteness that should be reserved
only for a material fact.
American Indians were present in the Western Hemisphere thousands of
years before Columbus, or the Vikings, or the Phoenicians, or the ancient Chi-
nese, or whomever has occasionally been put forward as the first to colonize the
ix