How did lacrosse originate in Native American culture. What is the significance of traditional wooden lacrosse sticks. Why are hickory sticks still used in Native American lacrosse. How does Native American lacrosse differ from modern versions.
The Origins and Spiritual Significance of Lacrosse in Native American Culture
Lacrosse, known as “The Creator’s Game” among many Native American tribes, holds a profound cultural and spiritual significance that transcends mere sport. Leon Sam Briggs, an elder of the Tonawanda Seneca Nation, emphasizes the game’s importance: “It’s not just a game, it’s what we do. It’s who we are and what we believe in.” This perspective underscores the deep-rooted connection between lacrosse and Native American identity.
The game’s origins can be traced back centuries to the St. Lawrence Valley bordering Canada, where it was invented by Native American tribes. The Tonawanda Seneca Nation, located in upstate New York, plays a crucial role in preserving the game’s traditions and spiritual aspects.
The Spiritual Dimensions of Lacrosse
For Native Americans, lacrosse transcends the boundaries of sport, taking on almost religious proportions. The game is deeply intertwined with their spiritual beliefs and cultural practices. This spiritual connection is evident in various aspects of the game, from the creation of the sticks to the rules and rituals surrounding play.
Traditional Wooden Lacrosse Sticks: Craftsmanship and Symbolism
At the heart of Native American lacrosse lies the traditional wooden lacrosse stick, a far cry from the modern aluminum and titanium versions used in contemporary play. These sticks, fashioned from hickory, are more than mere sporting equipment; they are works of art imbued with cultural significance and spiritual meaning.
The Crafting Process
The creation of a traditional lacrosse stick is a meticulous and time-consuming process that can take anywhere from eight to twelve months. How are these sticks made? The process involves hand-carving and custom-bending the wood through a steaming process. This lengthy crafting period not only ensures the stick’s quality but also imbues it with spiritual significance.
Briggs explains the philosophy behind stick-making: “We bring the sticks to life while also teaching respect for the tree.” This statement reflects the deep connection between Native American culture and the natural world, emphasizing the importance of honoring the materials used in crafting these sacred instruments.
Durability and Legacy
The durability of traditional hickory lacrosse sticks is remarkable. It’s not uncommon for a well-crafted stick to last up to 100 years, a testament to the quality of materials and craftsmanship involved. This longevity allows sticks to be passed down through generations, carrying with them the history and spirit of the game.
Briggs’ own stick, which he has used for 10 years, has an impressive track record. He proudly states, “This stick has broken 500 aluminum and titanium sticks,” highlighting the superiority of traditional craftsmanship over modern materials in certain aspects of the game.
The Evolution of Lacrosse Stick Design
While the basic design of Native American lacrosse sticks has remained relatively constant over the past 150 years, there have been some notable changes throughout history. Understanding this evolution provides insight into the game’s development and its adaptation to changing times.
Historical Designs
During his presentation, Briggs showcased a 200-year-old stick featuring a circular basket style that was popular centuries ago. This design represents an earlier iteration of the lacrosse stick, demonstrating how the game’s equipment has evolved over time.
Symbolic Elements
The traditional stick design incorporates symbolic elements that reflect Native American culture and history. For instance, the 200-year-old stick Briggs presented features a basket with five strings, representing five tribal affiliations. This design choice underscores the importance of unity and inter-tribal relationships in Native American culture.
The Role of Hickory in Lacrosse Stick Making
Hickory, referred to as “the mother tree” by Briggs, plays a central role in the creation of traditional lacrosse sticks. But why is hickory the preferred wood for these sticks?
Properties of Hickory
Hickory is chosen for its unique properties that make it ideal for lacrosse stick construction. The wood is known for its strength, flexibility, and durability, allowing it to withstand the rigors of the game while maintaining its shape and integrity over time.
Spiritual Significance
Beyond its physical properties, hickory holds spiritual significance in Native American culture. The use of this specific wood connects the player to the natural world and to the traditions of their ancestors, reinforcing the game’s spiritual dimensions.
The Origins of the Name “Lacrosse”
The term “lacrosse” has an interesting origin that dates back to the 1600s. How did this Native American game come to be known by a French name?
In the 17th century, a French Jesuit missionary observed Native Americans playing the game. He noticed that the strings forming the stick’s basket resembled the shape of a bishop’s crosier, or “la crosse” in French. The missionary reported to Paris that the Native Americans played a game called “the cross,” which in French became “lacrosse.” This name stuck and eventually became the widely recognized term for the sport.
Traditional Lacrosse: A Different Playing Field
The lacrosse played by Native Americans in the past differed significantly from the modern version of the sport. Understanding these differences provides insight into the game’s evolution and the unique challenges faced by traditional players.
Field Dimensions and Obstacles
In stark contrast to today’s standardized playing fields, traditional lacrosse fields were often miles long and incorporated natural obstacles. How did players navigate these expansive and challenging terrains? The game was played on courses that included trees, streams, and uneven terrain, requiring players to adapt to their environment and use it to their advantage.
Boundaries and Spectators
Unlike modern lacrosse with its clearly defined sidelines and end lines, traditional games had few fixed field perimeters. Instead, the boundaries were formed by lines of women and children spectators. This arrangement not only defined the playing area but also integrated the entire community into the game experience.
Equipment and Ball Types
Traditional lacrosse balls were quite different from the rubber balls used today. What materials were used to create these early lacrosse balls? Players used hardwood burls, chosen for their resistance to splitting and ability to travel at high speeds (up to 135 miles per hour). Alternatively, balls were made from animal fur stuffed inside a deerskin cover.
In certain sacred “medicine games,” balls contained pieces of a deceased elder’s clothing, serving as a sign of respect and connecting the game to ancestral spirits.
Box Lacrosse: A Modern Adaptation of Traditional Play
Box lacrosse, the version played by Briggs and many other Native American players, represents a bridge between traditional and modern forms of the game. This variant maintains many aspects of the original game while adapting to contemporary settings.
Field of Play
Box lacrosse is played on a mile-long field, incorporating natural obstacles such as trees. This expansive playing area harkens back to the original form of the game, challenging players’ endurance and adaptability.
Equipment and Attire
Players wear minimal protective gear, typically consisting of shorts and moccasins, regardless of weather conditions. This approach emphasizes the game’s traditional roots and the players’ connection to their environment.
Goals and Scoring
The goals in box lacrosse differ significantly from those used in modern field lacrosse. How do these goals compare to standard lacrosse goals? Box lacrosse goals stand at just four feet high, considerably smaller than the six-foot goals used in modern lacrosse. This size difference increases the challenge for offensive players and requires precise shooting skills.
Physical Contact
Box lacrosse allows for more physical contact than modern field lacrosse. While today’s game has implemented various safety restrictions, box lacrosse maintains a higher level of physicality, reflecting the game’s traditional roots.
The Cultural Significance of Lacrosse in Native American Life
Lacrosse plays a central role in Native American culture, extending far beyond its status as a sport. The game is deeply integrated into various aspects of life, from birth to death, and serves as a means of cultural expression and preservation.
Lacrosse from Cradle to Grave
The connection to lacrosse begins early in life for many Native Americans. Small lacrosse sticks are often placed in infants’ cradles, introducing them to the game from their earliest days. This practice symbolizes the hope that the child will grow to embrace the game and its associated cultural values.
The importance of lacrosse extends even into the afterlife. In many Native American traditions, a person’s lacrosse stick is the only artifact buried with them, underscoring the game’s lifelong significance and spiritual importance.
Gender Roles and Spiritual Beliefs
Traditional Native American lacrosse incorporates distinct gender roles that reflect broader cultural and spiritual beliefs. For example, females are prohibited from touching males’ lacrosse sticks, as it is believed that the mixing of male and female “medicine” can negatively affect the instrument’s spirituality.
This separation of gender roles in relation to lacrosse equipment highlights the complex spiritual beliefs surrounding the game and its implements.
Lacrosse as a Community Event
Traditional lacrosse games were not merely sporting events but community gatherings that brought together players and spectators of all ages. The involvement of the entire community in these games reinforced social bonds and cultural identity.
Preservation of Tradition
The continued practice of traditional lacrosse and stick-making plays a crucial role in preserving Native American culture. Briggs, as one of only a dozen remaining traditional stick-makers, represents a living link to this ancient craft. The passing down of these skills and knowledge ensures that future generations can continue to connect with their heritage through the game.
In conclusion, Native American wooden lacrosse sticks represent far more than mere sporting equipment. They embody centuries of tradition, spirituality, and cultural identity. From the meticulous craftsmanship involved in their creation to their role in traditional and modern forms of the game, these sticks serve as tangible connections to Native American heritage. As the sport of lacrosse continues to evolve and gain popularity worldwide, it is crucial to recognize and honor its roots in Native American culture. The preservation of traditional stick-making and playing techniques ensures that the spiritual and cultural significance of “The Creator’s Game” will continue to inspire and educate future generations.
Tonawanda Seneca Shares the Role of Lacrosse in Native American Life
November 11, 2022
Lacrosse Started on Miles-Long Fields Using Hickory Sticks and Wooden Balls
Lacrosse is known as “The Creator’s Game” to many Native Americans. For them, it takes on almost religious proportions. “It’s not just a game, it’s what we do. It’s who we are and what we believe in.”
Those are the words of Leon Sam Briggs, an elder with the Tonawanda Seneca Nation in upstate New York, where the game was invented centuries ago in the St. Lawrence Valley bordering Canada. He was introduced at WC as an ordained spiritual leader, herbologist, cultural consultant and a master of lacrosse whose lifelong association with the sport dates back to the cradle and when he first picked up a stick in the early 1960s.
PICTURED: Leon Sam Briggs, a Tonawanda Seneca elder, shared his significant knowledge of the origins, traditions and spirituality of lacrosse during a visit to Wilmington College.
He is displaying both a 200-year-old stick and the one he uses featuring a more modern design. Both are made of hickory.
Briggs visited Wilmington College Thursday (Nov. 10) as part of WC’s programming for Native American Heritage Month. He was co-hosted by the Indigenous Students Assn. and Head Coach Garyck Todd’s men’s lacrosse team. The College has been featuring programming highlighting Native American culture throughout November.
Forget about the high-tech aluminum and titanium lacrosse sticks used by most American players today. Native American teams still use sticks fashioned from hickory. They’re hand-carved and custom-bent through a steaming process that takes from eight to 12 months.
“We bring the sticks to life while also teaching respect for the tree,” Briggs said, noting that it’s not unusual for a hickory lacrosse stick to last as long as 100 years. Indeed, his current stick is 10 years old and maintains a special history of sport dominance. “This stick has broken 500 aluminum and titanium sticks,” he said.
Briggs plays in a masters league with teammates ranging in age from 55 to 82 years old. “Guys your age hate it when a 67-year-old runs circles around them,” he said to the WC lacrosse players in the audience.
The design of Briggs’ stick essentially hasn’t changed in the past 150 years — and resembles today’s modern sticks albeit their metal composition. He said only a dozen traditional stick-makers remain — and he is one of them. He brought a 200-year-old stick with the circular basket style that was popular centuries ago. Of course, it’s hickory — “the mother tree” — and it features a basket with five strings representing five tribal affiliations.
In the 1600s, a French Jesuit missionary noticed the lacrosse strings forming the shape of a cross and reported to Paris the Native Americans play a game called “the cross,” or in French, “lacrosse.” Then lacrosse fields were often miles long and hundreds of men and boys played on courses laden with trees, streams and uneven terrain. There were few fixed field perimeters like the sidelines and end lines we know in today’s game.
Rather, boundaries were literally lines of the women and children spectators.
Balls were hardwood burls — ideal for its resistance to splitting and capable of traveling up to 135 miles per hour — or composed of animal fur stuffed inside a deerskin cover. Certain sacred “medicine games” featured balls with pieces of a deceased elder’s clothing inside, which represented a sign of respect.
Females are prohibited from touching males’ lacrosse sticks, as the mixing of male and female “medicine” can have a negative effect on the instrument’s spirituality. Indeed, females in Briggs’ WC audience were not allowed to handle the sticks he passed around only to the men.
Briggs plays a form of lacrosse that’s a bit different from the typical “field lacrosse” Americans know. “Box lacrosse” is based on the original game and is played on a mile-long field — yes, with trees and other obstacles — with men wearing shorts and moccasins in all kinds of weather. A 20-foot high pole emblazoned with an eagle feather stands at each end of the field of play, where goals are four feet high, significantly smaller than modern 6-foot goals.
It’s also full contact with few holds barred unlike the modern men’s game, which is plenty physical but with safety limitations. The Native teams wear pads similar to baseball catcher chest protectors and the goalkeeper wears a helmet. Briggs recalled playing in the 1960s stuffing J.C. Penney catalogs into a pair of hockey pants for padding.
He said the Native American word for lacrosse means “bumping hips/we break at the hips.”
Lifelong affiliation with lacrosse begins with small sticks placed in infants’ cradles and lasts even into the afterlife, as one’s stick is the only artifact buried with the deceased.
Briggs has 14 nephews playing in professional lacrosse leagues, including Lyle Thompson, who is recognized as among the best in the world. So good are these players from indigenous populations that Native teams have played the U.S. Olympic lacrosse teams 68 times — and have never been beaten. In addition, Briggs’ masters team has never lost to a collegiate lacrosse team.
“We believe that while we’re playing lacrosse our ancestors up in the sky world are playing at the same time,” Briggs said, noting the game to them is much more than simply picking up a ball and stick and playing.
He left the Wilmington College players with the message: “Remember where lacrosse comes from and give back to the game, to the young players coming up.”
That’s good medicine!
Lacrosse stick-maker discusses heritage | The Ithacan
News
By The Ithacan
Published: November 20, 2013
To conclude its celebration of Native American Heritage Month, the Ithaca College anthropology department and the Office of Student Engagement and Multicultural Affairs hosted Alf Jacques to speak before a screening of the movie “Crooked Arrows” on Nov. 19 in Klingenstein Lounge.
Jacques, 64, is a member of the Onondaga Nation, and he has made wooden lacrosse sticks for more than 50 years. He was a cultural consultant on the set of “Crooked Arrows,” which tells the story of a coach who leads a Native American high school team on an uphill journey to the state lacrosse championship game.
Jacques was a former goalie for the professional indoor lacrosse squad the Syracuse Sting and has been a coach and general manager for multiple Onondaga Nation squads, which play with wooden sticks.
Steve Derderian, assistant sports editor, sat down with Jacques to discuss the movie, his lacrosse stick–making career and the Native American version of lacrosse.
Steve Derderian: How did you get involved with this screening process?
Alf Jacques: This all started when [“Crooked Arrows” co-producer Neal Powless] came to visit me. He saw what I was doing and thought it was unbelievable. They loved the history, the culture and tradition at Onondaga Nation and the sticks especially. I always go back to talking about this stick then and now. But today’s sticks are plastic with titanium handles. But they loved it.
SD: What specifically was your involvement with the movie?
AJ: All the handles that go into the plastic were made by me. When you see [the actors] running through the woods playing the game, a lot of those sticks were mine that they rented from me.
I was also on the set as a cultural consultant. They actually changed the script to accommodate the Onondaga people and the traditional native people. When I came back from the shoot, people were asking me what it was like. I said, “You’re going to like stuff, and you’re going to hate stuff,” and that’s exactly what happened because it’s Hollywood. If we wanted our story our way, it would be a documentary and not a Hollywood movie.
SD: What are some of the differences in the Native American approach to the game compared to the modern game?
AJ: At Onondaga, we play our traditional game our way, our stick, our rules, our ball, without any input from Baltimore or any of the non-Native rulemaking people. It’s always a wooden stick. You don’t play with plastic, that’s just not done. You’re supposed to play this game as hard as you can, you run as fast as you can, you hit as hard as you can, but it’s not about hurting anybody; it’s about playing the game to the best of your abilities.
On the field, there’s no center line, there’s no faceoff circle, restraining line, crease, endline, sideline or out of bounds in our game.
SD: Your father taught you to make wooden lacrosse sticks when you were a teenager, but do you have an apprentice or somebody you’re teaching to make these sticks?
AJ: I’ve looked for apprentices for a long time. I’ve gone the longest time without having a true apprentice who stuck with me long enough to get something done, and that’s a long time — 25, 30 years. I did train a couple people who made one or two sticks, but they didn’t stick with it. Bottom line, there’s a lot more work to this than people realize.
SD: When done right, how long does the process take to make one stick?
AJ: Eight months per stick. You don’t make one at a time, you make them in groups.
SD: Do you have any sticks on display in museums?
AJ: I have a stick in the Iroquois Indian Museum near Cobleskill.
I have another stick in the governor’s collection in the New York State Museum in Albany, and I have a stick display from a split cut bent finished in Baltimore where they create all the rules in that museum there.
SD: So how much longer do you plan on making these sticks?
AJ: As long as I can. The apprentices are coming up. I’m going to make sure they can do it before I stop. I’m going to ease back, and I can’t physically do what I used to when I was younger. That’s just obvious. The numbers will dwindle down. I won’t be making a whole lot of them, I’ll just make less and less. Then the price will go up.
Russia is the birthplace of the Indians. Native Americans turned out to be Siberians
https://ria.ru/20200628/1573537120.html
Russia is the birthplace of the Indians. Native Americans turned out to be Siberians
Russia is the birthplace of the Indians. Native Americans turned out to be Siberians – RIA Novosti, 06/28/2020 Native Americans turned out to be Siberians
An international group of archaeologists and paleogeneticists, comparing the DNA of the prehistoric inhabitants of Lake Baikal and Native Americans, found that they are relatives.
Judging by … RIA Novosti, 06/28/2020 9Finland 9000
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MOSCOW, June 28 – RIA Novosti, Alfiya Enikeeva. An international group of archaeologists and paleogeneticists, comparing the DNA of the prehistoric inhabitants of Lake Baikal and Native Americans, found that they are relatives. Apparently, several tens of thousands of years ago, a large community of people developed in Siberia, which could pass on its genome to many modern peoples, including Indians and Russians. Originally from Siberia Genetic evidence for a long-standing hypothesis about the Siberian origin of the inhabitants of North and South America appeared in 2015. A team of scientists analyzed the genomes of 31 representatives of the indigenous peoples of America, Siberia and Oceania and compared them with each other.
In addition, the researchers compared the data obtained with the results of deciphering ancient DNA extracted from fossil remains – skeletons and mummies. In total, the authors of the work studied more than three thousand human genomes from 169populations, both ancient and modern. And they not only confirmed the relationship of prehistoric Siberians and Indians, but also determined the approximate route along which they migrated from the north of Eurasia to the American continent. The ancestors of the Indians who inhabit both Americas today most likely left their historical homeland about 23 thousand years ago. It is believed that they moved through the Bering Strait along the land isthmus, which periodically formed during the last glacial maximum. For about eight millennia, part of the settlers lingered in Kamchatka, and the population divided into different branches already in North America. In addition, the researchers found a weak infusion of genes from the peoples of Oceania: apparently, this happened after the main wave of migration, although it is not yet clear how exactly.
The vicissitudes of migration The data of the genetic study in 2015 are consistent with archaeological finds, judging by which, 13 thousand years ago, the Clovis culture was developed in North America. In 2019th team of scientists led by Eske Willerslev from the University of Copenhagen analyzed the DNA of 34 ancient Siberians, including two boys, whose remains of 31.6 thousand years old were found in Yakutia near the Yana River. For 30 millennia, three major migrations from south to north took place in Siberia. The boys from the Yana River are representatives of a previously unknown group of ancient inhabitants of these places. They are 71 percent similar to the inhabitants of Western Eurasia, from which they probably separated about 38 thousand years ago. Remaining 29percent of the genetic inheritance, Yang children received from the peoples of East Asia. The authors of the work believe that this is how the genetic lines of North American Indians and Paleo-Siberians were formed. Approximately 18-20 thousand years ago, the descendants of the inhabitants of Northern Siberia and immigrants from East Asia mixed with each other.
And after several millennia, they moved through the Bering Strait towards the American continent. Those who remained in their homeland were forced out by the so-called neo-Siberians. Their closest relatives are modern Evens. And already about five thousand years ago, nomads from the steppes of Central Asia came to Northeastern Siberia and assimilated with the local population. Similar data were obtained by researchers led by David Reich from Harvard Medical School. They studied the genomes of 48 people who lived from seven thousand to 280 years ago in Eastern Siberia, Chukotka and the Aleutian Islands, in the Canadian Arctic and Alaska, after which they conducted a comparative DNA analysis with the Inuit and Inupiat – the modern indigenous inhabitants of the northernmost state of the United States – and representatives of small peoples of Western Siberia. As it turned out, the ancient inhabitants of the Siberian northeast are the result of a mixture of Paleo-Siberians and population East Asia.
Later, speakers of the Chukchi-Kamchatka languages and Paleo-Eskimos descended from them, whose genetic traces the authors of the work found in the DNA of modern Inuit and Indians. On the shores of Baikal At the end of May, an article by another international group of scientists was published in the scientific journal Cell. In their opinion, the population of the direct ancestors of the North American Indians was formed not in Northeastern Siberia, but in the vicinity of Lake Baikal about 14 thousand years ago, after the mixing of the Far Eastern and Old Siberian peoples. Specialists analyzed the genomes of 19ancient Siberians aged from 14 to 4 millennia. In the oldest material extracted from a tooth found in the Ust-Kyakhta-3 cave south of Lake Baikal, they found components indicating kinship with Native Americans – similar ones were detected in the DNA of northeastern Siberians who lived several thousand years later. The authors of the work believe that carriers of at least two genomes mixed in the vicinity of Baikal – ancient North Eurasian and Northeast Asian.
The first is associated with the cultures of the early Bronze Age, the second – with the Neolithic. In addition, in the remains of about four thousand years old, experts found traces of the plague bacillus Yersinia pestis. Genetically, it is close to a bacterium previously discovered in an inhabitant of the opposite part of Eurasia – the Baltic region. So, already in prehistoric times, people maintained contacts over long distances.
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Finland, University of Copenhagen, discoveries – ria science, Eurasia, biology, dna, genome, Indians, Chukotka, archeology 2 MOSCOW, June 28 – RIA Novosti, Alfiya Enikeeva.
An international group of archaeologists and paleogeneticists, comparing the DNA of the prehistoric inhabitants of Lake Baikal and Native Americans, found that they are relatives. Apparently, several tens of thousands of years ago, a large community of people developed in Siberia, which could pass on its genome to many modern peoples, including Indians and Russians.
Originally from Siberia
Genetic evidence for the long-standing hypothesis of a Siberian origin for the inhabitants of North and South America appeared in 2015. A team of scientists analyzed the genomes of 31 representatives of the indigenous peoples of America, Siberia and Oceania and compared them with each other. In addition, the researchers compared the data obtained with the results of deciphering ancient DNA extracted from fossil remains – skeletons and mummies.
In total, the authors of the work studied more than three thousand human genomes from 169populations, both ancient and modern.
And they not only confirmed the relationship of prehistoric Siberians and Indians, but also determined the approximate route along which they migrated from the north of Eurasia to the American continent.
Scientists have solved the mystery of the appearance of ancient people in Siberia
January 31, 2019, 10:32
The ancestors of the Indians who inhabit both Americas today most likely left their historical homeland about 23 thousand years ago. It is believed that they moved through the Bering Strait along the land isthmus, which periodically formed during the last glacial maximum. For about eight millennia, part of the settlers lingered in Kamchatka, and the population divided into different branches already in North America. In addition, the researchers found a weak infusion of genes from the peoples of Oceania: apparently, this happened after the main wave of migration – though how exactly is still unclear.
The vicissitudes of migrations
The data of the 2015 genetic study are consistent with archaeological finds, judging by which, 13 thousand years ago, the Clovis culture was developed in North America.
In 2019, a team of scientists led by Eske Willerslev from the University of Copenhagen analyzed the DNA of 34 ancient Siberians, including two boys, whose remains, 31,600 years old, were found in Yakutia near the Yana River.
Other genomes studied belonged to people living from 9800 to six hundred years ago in the territory of modern Chukotka, in the Primorsky Territory, near Lake Baikal and in southwestern Finland.
Scientists have confirmed that the ancestors of the Indians came from Siberia
May 18, 2014, 17:44
Analysis of the data showed that three major migrations from south to north have occurred in Siberia over the past 30 millennia. The boys from the Yana River are representatives of a previously unknown group of ancient inhabitants of these places. They are 71 percent similar to the inhabitants of Western Eurasia, from which they probably separated about 38 thousand years ago. Remaining 29percent of the genetic heritage of Yang children received from the peoples of East Asia.
The authors of the work believe that this is how the genetic lines of North American Indians and Paleo-Siberians were formed. Approximately 18-20 thousand years ago, the descendants of the inhabitants of Northern Siberia and immigrants from East Asia mixed with each other. And after several millennia, they moved through the Bering Strait towards the American continent.
© RIA Novosti illustration. Maanasa Raghavan et al/2015 Approximate migration routes of Indian ancestors from Siberia to America
© Illustration by RIA Novosti. Maanasa Raghavan et al/2015
Approximate routes of migration of the ancestors of the Indians from Siberia to America
Those who remained in their homeland were forced out by the so-called neo-Siberians. Their closest relatives are modern Evens. And already about five thousand years ago, nomads from the steppes of Central Asia came to North-Eastern Siberia and assimilated with the local population.
Researchers led by David Reich at Harvard Medical School obtained similar data.
They studied the genomes of 48 people who lived from seven thousand to 280 years ago in Eastern Siberia, Chukotka and the Aleutian Islands, in the Canadian Arctic and Alaska , after which they conducted a comparative DNA analysis with the Inuit and Inupiat – modern indigenous people of the northernmost US state – and representatives of small peoples of Western Siberia.
As it turned out, the ancient inhabitants of the Siberian northeast are the result of a mixture of Paleo-Siberians and the population of East Asia. Later, speakers of the Chukchi-Kamchatka languages and Paleo-Eskimos descended from them, whose genetic traces the authors of the work found in the DNA of modern Inuit and Indians.
The ancestors of the Indians moved to America in three waves of migration – scientists
July 11, 2012, 22:06
On the shores of Lake Baikal
At the end of May, an article by another international group of scientists was published in the scientific journal Cell.
In their opinion, the population of the direct ancestors of the North American Indians was formed not in North-Eastern Siberia, but in the vicinity of Lake Baikal about 14 thousand years ago, after the mixing of the Far Eastern and ancient Siberian peoples.
Experts analyzed the genomes of 19ancient Siberians aged from 14 to 4 millennia. In the oldest material extracted from a tooth found in the Ust-Kyakhta-3 cave south of Lake Baikal, components indicating kinship with Native Americans were found – similar ones were detected in the DNA of northeastern Siberians who lived several thousand years later.
© A.P. OkladnikovExcavations in the Republic of Buryatia in 1976 at the Ust-Kyakhta-3 site. Here they found a tooth of a man who lived about 14 thousand years ago. After 40 years, DNA extracted from it will prove that the ancestors of the Indians lived in the vicinity of Lake Baikal
© A. P. Okladnikov
Excavations in the Republic of Buryatia in 1976 at the Ust-Kyakhta-3 site.
