The Northern star, and farmers' and mechanics' advocate. [volume] (Warren, R.I.) 1830-1834, 1833-02-16
FOR THE STAR.
ORIGIN OF THE INDIANS.

ORIGIN OF IBE INDIANS.
'Lo The poor Indian, ,,0hoss ,,ntutor'd nsnd
Sees God IN clouds or hears him in III
wind.'
Perhaps no subject Of inquiry relativ'
to the aborigines of our country, has NOR
Justly attracted the attention OF philoso
piers than the origin Of this singular ant
interesting portion Of our race. The IN
terest naturally excited by the subject, AM
the obscurity which, until recently, wa'
supposed to rest upon it, have given rise
to many interesting researches, as well al
fruitless speculations. So long as those
engaged in this enquiry were conten
with mere theory without a reference tt
established data, no satisfactory result
was to nave been expected, much less OBJ
tanned; but when the Geography of the
country, the nature OF the climate, and
the history, manners and polity OF the va
rious tribes were studied, the mystery In
volvng the subject graduull/ lessened ;
SO that at present we may affirm, with a
good degree Of certainty, the manner III
which this continent was first peopIed.-
Without pretending to originality Ill the
specuIations which follow, we propose to
give the views OIL this subject which ap-
pear to US tile most consistent with truth,
and to avail ourselves as freely ofthe la
bors of others, as the paucity Of our
means will admit acknowledging our
selves however, principally indebted to
Pennant, De Bry, Golden, Jefferson, and
Goldman, for icohversion to what wo
now deem the true doctrine.
As preliminary observation 1t might
be well to remark that the laws by which
the different species of animals, as well as
every thing possessing life, are produced
and brought forward to maturity and per-
lection, are fixed and immutable and
that what we discover to be the regul ar
and established mode of reproduction at
one period, is unquestlonable true OF all
preceding times. Confortnably to these
laws, animals ofdiGsrent kinds or Genera,
are incapable of producing offspring to-
getl er Dut animals of the same Ge nera,
though of different species, frequently pro-
duce offspring resembling both parents by
their union ; yet this ceases with the first
product as hybrids or mules are utterly
incapable OF propogating their slmilitude'
This law furnishes the means Of deciding
quivocally whether the beings sub
jected to Our examination are specifically
distinct or not since, if they are merely
rarieties Of the same species, they are ca
pablo of illimitable propagation but if OF
different species, the first offspring termi-
mates tho race.
BY the application Of this test, no pro-
position is more selt-evident than that the
whole human race, wherever found, or
however different in color, character and
features, are merely varieties of the same
species, and consequently have descend
ed from common stock. In all coun'
tries,' says DR.. Goldman, 9 the marriage
of Europeans with the natives, whether
! Asiatics, Africans, or Indians, is follow
ed By children more or less resembling
.heir parents, and this offspring is perfect
ly capable of continuing their race
Hence, ifthere be any mode of account
ing for the arrival Of a single male an
fem ale on this continent, we shall find n
d dificulty in Understanding how so man
natio ms became distributed over this va:
region, nor can we, or any unprejudice
mind Of the whole subject, find any afi
Guilty III believing that the myriads Of h,
man beings that have lived from the b
ginning Of time to the present hour, hav
i all descended from two individuals"
| The history Of the world, Us prescntc
to us by the most authenti records,
by the voice Of universal tradition, iea'
us inevitably to conclude that from son
point OF, the eas.ern continent the hum q
race originated, and gradually extende d
lyarious directions, subject to the inf,
Il ence of all accidents Of place, climate, ,di'
ease, and facility OF difficulty Of procu
ing food So, that notwithstanding d
conncxion OF many nations with the pa
5 cut stock is entirely lost, there is not 1
slightest evidence that such nations a