Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-04-10
WHERE BID THE INDIANS COME
FROM?

The latest intelligence from the Pacific
coast reports that Japanese junk had come
ashore on one Of the islands of Alaska, with
three living Japanese on board. The vessel
had been disabled in a storm off Japan, and
had drifted two thousand five hundred
miles in nine months, tWenty-thTee of the
crew perishing from hunger and exposure.
The striking occurrence is by no means IN
paraleled. Just forty years ago, japanese
vessel with living men on board, came
ashore near the mouth OF the Columbia
river in Oregon. 1t had cargo Ofrice, and
the crew consequently had enough to cat,
though their only drink was water from Oc-
casional rains. Such occurrences assist
greatly in explaining how America was
peopled-a question very perplexing to our
ancestors, though late geographical and eth
nologicaI researches show clearly that there
is very little mystery about it. The Japan
csc are evidently Of the same race with our
Indians, their language being to some eX
tent similar to those of our tribes; and it is
not at all unlikely that, during the thouS-
ands of years to which Japan history goes
back, many vessels have aoated from their
shores to ours, bearing living persons of
both sexes. But, even if it were impossible
for them to cross the ocean, it is certain
that AsiastiCs could easily make their way to
American shores, Behring's Straits, or the
Aleutian Islands, the distances between
which would be an easy voyage for a canoe.
Ten or twelve years ago the Appletons pub
lished an account of voyage down the
AmoOr, by Perry McDOnOugh Collins,
the first American who ever descended
that river. In his journal, he constantly
spoke of the wild tribes on its banks as
''Indans." We remember asking him at
the time why he called them such, and he
replied, ''because they are Indians" He
was familiar, by long personal observation,
with the tribes in Oregon and California,
and declared be could see no material differ
enCe between them and the tribes of the
Amoor. He is man of plain common
sense, with a mind not Obfusticated by
chronological or antiquarian studies; and the
idea had apparently never entered his head
that the AmoOr tribes were not Indians.
Their appearance, their garments, their
mode Of life, and the lodges in which they
dwelt, he said, were all similar to thos of
the natives of Oregon. Their language,
also seemed to him very much the same,
though, Of course, he had no critical knOwl
edge of their dialects. Taking this resemb-
lance for granted, therefore, and there be-
Ing no great difficulty in crossing the ocean
by way of the Aleutian Islands, even in
canoes, there is no longer any mystery
about the peopling of America. DR.. LIE
Plongeon, learned gentleman, now in our
city, in fact, maintains, after long study Of
Peruvian antiquities, that civilization and
population originated on this continent, and
that the arts, customs, manners and re-
ligions of the Chinese, the HindoOs, the
ASsyrians and Egyptians are only developed
limitations of Peruvian originals! 1t is
well known that according to Agassiz and
other eminent biologists, this continent
was the first land that rose above the ocean
that formerly covered the whole surface Of
the earth.-ECChGnqe