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You Want Evidence of Contact? Here It Is.....
Group,
The following six examples strongly suggest that intellectual contact
between the Orient and Precolumbian America did in fact occur:
Professor Emeritus David Kelly, University of Calgary, has long pointed out
that within the 20 named days of the 260 day calendar so fundamental to
Mesoamericans is a sequence of animals that can be matched to a similar
sequence within the lunar zodiacs of many East and
Southeast-Asia civilizations.
Asian and Mesoamerican cosmological systems both emphasize a
quadripartitite universe of 4 cardinal points associated with specific
colors, plants, animals, and even gods.
Asian and Mesoamerican religions "see" a rabbit on the face of the moon and
they also associate this luminary with a woman weaving at a loom.
Southeast Asian and Maya cultures both utilized fan fold books made of bark
paper dusted with limestone powder.
Chinese and Maya scribes both created a stylus capable of holding a large
amount of ink. It appears that the type of brush used was virtually
identical.
Chinese astronomers of the Han dynasty as well as the ancient Maya used
exactly the same complex calculations to give warning about the likihood of
lunar and solar eclipses.
These examples suggest that while neither Eastern or New World cultures
derrived from contact, contact in the intellectual domain probably did
occur. This goes back to a point I have made earlier that the people of
the the New World did come from Asia and we must be aware that they brought
with them traditions and beliefs already developed. That some infrequent
encounters may have occurred after the wave of immigration, none of them
altered the development or course of civilization in either world.
It has been interesting that so many allegations have been made regarding
"archaeological cover ups". Perhaps this should serve as an example that
we who study ancient Americans are seriously looking into the posibility,
but so far have not found the concrete proof others claim to have found.
I had a professor in grad school who cautioned me to never get into another
person's grave until I have gotten into his mind. He went on to add that
if I did so I wouldn't really understand what I was looking at. I suggest
to you. If you want to make substantive contributions to threads such as
contacts, you ought to start by doing a fair amount of reading before you
jump into the fray. Just because somebody, for example, writes of a
possible connection between Olmecs and Shangs, doesn't mean it's true If
you believe everything you read, then I've got a good deal on a bridge in
Brooklyn for you to consider. The same goes for "fringe" authors. Why do
we as a culture rush to believe the "far out"? Or inflate claims like the
presence of coconuts into earth shattering events? I don't have a clue,
do you? In closing I would like to submit the following scenario using
coconuts and gourds and African Olmecs as an example of how funny some of
these so-called proofs of contact we have bantered about lately are.
A boat load of Africans arrives in the new world. Word passes like wild
fire and the local Olmec royal family followed by their entourage gathers
at the shore to observe these strange travellers. One of the travellers
sensing this is a pivotal moment in world history reaches into his bag of
worldly goods and grabs a coconut in his left hand and a gourd in his
right. He walks up to the resplended crowd on the shore and asks in a
language none of them understands, "Who's in charge here? My names is
<whatever> and I have come from afar. I bring you these gifts and more."
In unison the Olmecs stare at each other. A remark is made, "What did he
say?" A reply, "Hell if I know." The strange African gazes at the crowd
and his eyes settle on the one who must be king. Summoning all his dignity
he approaches the god king. This is a man who only wears a garment once;
whose feet never touch the ground; and, every desire and want is
anticipated. The African musters up his best toothy smile and hands this
man god first his best coconut, then his biggest, best shaped gourd. The
man with the hands of a god looks down at these strange and wonderful gifts
and thinks, "What is this crap? I own the world and he brings me women's
things?" What happens next is anybody's guess....I can't finish the
story....I'm laughing too hard!
Paul Pettennude
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