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Re: maize in ancient india: strong transpacific links are indicated

GKeyes6988 (gkeyes6988@aol.com) wrote:
: Yuri wrote:

: > But I think they can smell the defeat in the
: >air... I can discern more than a whiff of desperation in their formulaic
: >and ritualistic denials. In the replies to my first posting you will see
: >the names of stout defenders of the status quo. They are the valiant
: >Knights Defenders of the threatened dogma, seeking strength in numbers,
: >dressed in cardboard armour and suited for a good food fight, and they
: >ride out on their toy horses to wage battle to defend the great Sand
: >Castle of Isolationism, reinforced with cardboard-and-styrofoam. 

: How poetic.  Let me see if I can follow the logic in this.

: 1.  Anyone who disagrees with Yuri or finds his evidence unconvincing is
: an "Isolationist".  This list includes the people who have posted here
: (archeaologists, ethnohistorians, botanists) and basically the entire
: academic establishment.

But, Greg, I did have _some support_ in this group for my thesis. And I
quote _only_ from academic sources. So, no, I'm not making any blanket
claims.

: 2. Isolationists are motivated by fear that their high-paying prestigious
: jobs will be threatened if the "Truth" should come out, which Truth we
: have been either actively or passively suppressing. 

I did not say "jobs will be threatened". Nevertheless, many scholars
working in American prehistory have based their research on certain
"isolationist" assumptions that, if demonstrated to be false, will be
extremely problematic. Their work will be undermined. Will they be happy
to see these assumptions undermined?

: This happened once
: before, when the pre-Columbian Norse settlements in the New World were
: discovered, documented, and widely accepted.  Thousands of Isolationists
: had their careers irreperably damaged and many were fired. (Oh, wait a
: minute, that didn't happen at all.  In fact it was archaeologists who
: excavated those sites.  Never mind, strike that part).

Incorrect, Greg. You obviously missed the real story of the discovery of
those sites. Helge Ingstad, who found them, was not a professional
archaeologist. He was convinced on the basis of _literary and linguistic
evidence_ that the Vikings were in America. I assure you that he was the
butt of jokes and sarcasm as anybody proposing uncoventional theories
inevitably becomes. Yet, he persevered, and, without much support from
archaeologists, surveyed the whole N-E coast. He got lucky at L'Anse aux
Meadows. That's what happened, Greg. Do you see any interesting parallels? 

        ...

: It may seem confusing when we (Isolationists, that is) seem to present
: reasoned arguements backed by research (as when I checked Carter's sources
: on Chickens, as when Domingo did the linguistic footwork on "Wallpa", as
: when people on this thread have cited published souvces disputing Yuri's
: claims). 

And I was glad to see all that research posted in these ngs.

        ...

: >Certainly expecting to persuade these people of anything would be the
: >heights of naivete. I have no such ambitions. The Superman is not me. I
: >simply provide information for interested individuals to peruse. I will
: >post the rest of this Indian maize material, and see the show unfold. For
: >me, the big question is over and done with. Now I'm basically sure that
: >maize was in India a long time ago.

: Follow any of these threads back, and we find you saying the same thing
: about Chickens or whatever. 

No I didn't. Maize is the biggest thing so far.

By the way, some people complained about me using the word "Isolationist". 
I really don't see why. If there are indeed no Isolationists in these ngs,
as some people said, why would anyone complain then? 

We all understand what "Isolationist" means. This is a school of thought
that vehemently denies that ancient America had any contact whatsoever
with the rest of the world, besides the Alaskan landbridge, until the
mighty Europeans came along. Or any meaningful contact. Are there such
people in American prehistory? I think yes. So why would they not like to
be described on the basis of their beliefs? Beats me... 

Best,

Yuri.

--
            =O=    Yuri Kuchinsky in Toronto    =O=
  --- a webpage like any other...  http://www.io.org/~yuku ---
 
We should always be disposed to believe that that which 
appears white is really black, if the hierarchy of the 
Church so decides       ===      St. Ignatius of Loyola
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