Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-09-01
VOYAGERS FROM ASIA
Believed to Have Visited Amer
lea Before Ericsson.
NEW THEORY OF SCIENTISTS
Hardy Morse Explorer Not Original
Discoverer.
SIGNS IN INDIAN HANDIW0RK
How Intercourse May Have Been Es-
tabNshed Between the Two
Continents Centuries Ago.
NEW THEORY OF SCIENTISTS
SIGNS IN INDIAN HANDIw0RK
Written for The Star.

There IL no doubt that Left Ericsson an
ticipated the visit Of Columbus to Ameri-
ca by several centuries. Yet even Ericsson
was not the first old world visitor to our
shores, for on our northwest coast and in
Asia there may be found evidence that voy-
ayers crossed the Pacific back and forth
between Asia and America long before the
days Of Left. These Asiatics were indeed
the first discoveries of America, and unless
We exclude the theory that the Indian Is
a perfect instance of isolated development
a product of evolution, resulting simultane-
ously with the types Of the eastern hemis-
phere-we must look upon those early voy-
ayers as the red mans progenitors."
This is the opinion now pretty generally
held by the scientists attached to the Amer
lean Museum OF Natural History, resulting
from a study OF several years of the work
Of the Jesup North Pacific expedition in
Asia and along our extreme northwest
coast. When the members of the expedi-
ton. working in Asia, began sending home
specimens OF Eskimo handiwork and tradi-
lions OF North Siberian life so much like
THOSE OF our own northmen that there was
difficulty in detecting differences, the mu-
scum people began suspecting that there
had been ancient intercourse between the
two continents. Now, after a very exhaust
i've study of the collections OF the expedi-
u
An Old Civilization.
What follows is the result Of several talks
which the writer has had on the subject in
the American museum with one of the Of
fctals. He said:
1.-THE civilization Of the northwest coast
Indian has attained a development far in
advance of that of many of the humber
races Of the old world, but its most sig
foo t..
have found that very little If any of the
Indians civilization has been learned from
the present white inhabitants Of America;
that his capacity for building houses for
Ing wealth, for insuring the lives of his
children. for sculpture and for basket max
ing, ETC., is very old indeed; that his arts,
his religion and all the rest Of his works
date 80 far back into the past that 1t Is
impossible to say exactly when he arose
from the extreme savage state. We are
sure from it's age that the nucleus Of his
civilizati antedated Columbus, and when
we compare IT with the manner Of life of
certain Asian peoples the similarity is so
great as easily to suggest that If the In
dian did not himself come to America from
Asia, he at least was visited occasionally
him some of the things which the first
white explorers were surprised to find with
in his knowledge.
How the Indian got there Is Of course
the main point of interest, but before
touching upon it let US refer to some OF
the points of similarity.
FIRST, there is the surprising similar ty
In appearance between the coast Indian
and the japanese. 1t is remarked even
by unscientific observers. We can go a
step farther than this and point to the
resemblance between him and the Anus
Of Japan and certain inhabitants OF
Korea and Thibet. We have found the
same straight hair, the high cheek bones
the light skin. narrow eyes and the ar
rangement of hair so characteristic of the
older japanese. The Indian lives in a
house and has traditions very similar to
his Asiatic prototype. His religious
beliefs are not greatly dissimilar to his
Asiatic prototype. To see a northwest
coast chief lying dead in state is to be
reminded at once of the ceremonial of
which the Grand Lama of Thibet is &C.
casionally the central attraction.
Source of knowledge a Question.
Now, did he get it from Asia? Did he
learn to carve his totem pole from some
wanderer from far-off Thibet where GER
tain carved posts greatly resemble those
of. the northwest coast? Does he know
that he uses a ceremonial mask almost
identical in pattern with wooden masks
to be found in Thibet? Would he recog-
nize it If he saw the totem pole which
stands by the tomb of the daughter of
Whero- Where at Raroera in New Zea-
land? 1t is marvelously like the poles
of Vancouver and whereabouts. We have
found his woven hats similar in texture
to those made in China and Japan. The
same games are played on both sides OF
the Pacific. The Eskimo carves dominoes
out of bones which are rude fac SMILES
of the Korean domino. The tobacco pipe
of the ancient Ainu of Japan might cas-
lily be mistaken for the pipe Of the Amer
lean Indian. And SO on through a thou
sand and one resemblances of character
mode Of life. warfare and even manner
of thought, which can be traced between
these widely separated peoples
Admitting all these resemblances and
the possibility that they emanated from
Asia, how after all, did the Indian cross
the Pacific ocean?
Certain conformations in Alaska, Ger
tain traditions of the Indians themselves
and the general theory of animal migra-
ton show how he might have done il.
"On the southern Alaskan coast, at Il
point about 1900 miles from Seattle may
be found enormous piles of driftwood.
This driftwood, which, at first, was
thought to be the result of storms tear
ing down the nearby coastline and cast
ing trees adrift, has been found to be not
all local in its origin. There are in it. to
be sure, some trees which manifestly
have drifted along the coast from Cali
fornia, Vancouver and Washington. But
the majority of the trees are found to be
of species belonging to Asia. While an
saw log from Washington
1t Is soon completely lost sight
of among the great number Of trunks of
the camphor, the mango and the ma
hogany tree. all of which are foreign
to our OWL shore.
Logs Drffted Across the Sea.
1.-The drifting logs have evidently been
coming ashore for centuries, for as they
pile up on the beach the sand drifts over
them and gradually new beaches are FORM
ed. In most cases, the logs are denuded
of their smaller branches and give evidence
Of having been in the water for some time,
for they are quite dense. In places on the
coast where the sand covered them for a
long time they have assumed density
almost as great as that of petrified wood
Some of the logs are $50 feet long, and ,
several sticks have been found eight feet
thick. But that they have come from Asian
forests; that they have been uprooted by
great storms and have foated across the
Pacific: that they have been doing it for
are the significant facts. For
they add to the evidence adduced by the
United States photographic Office that any
object left to drift in the great Kuro Sivo |
current. which flows northeast from the
coast Of Asia, will, in course of time,
surely reach the American coast.
1.-THE Kuro Sivo current, or black water |
To- So 49, D.