The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1908-05-23
THE AMERICAN INDIAN
Grafton by Ralph Robinson at oeala
High School Graduating Exercises,
- May q. 1908

May u, 1SvS
The problem of how the continent
of North America came to be settled
is one that will doubtless never be
solved to the satisfaction of all. The
old theory that the Indians are 4
race of men descended from a tribe of
Asiatics that crossed (Behring Strait
is fast sinking into oblivion. The
popular supposition today is that dur
ing the second glacial epoch when
great sheets of ice covered over one
half of the North American continent
the glaciated portions were as unfit
for man as the snow caps Of Green
land are today. Therefore 1t Is not
strange that the population for many
centuries clustered around the equa-
torial zone since the climatic condi-
lions were better,
And as civilization the world over
Eclings to the temperate zone 1t is not
surprising to learn that the most civ
ilized of the early Indian tribes lived
in the torrid zone, which was at that
time the same as the temperate zone
of today. The Indians of this region
were the most highly civilized when
they were found by the white man.
They had already established such
cities as Yucatan. Honduras, Guate-
mala and other Central American
states, whose population once mum.
bered hundreds of thousands.
Perhaps the nearest approach TO
civilization In ancient America was
reached in the Peruvian Andes, where
a tribe known as the Incas subdued
the neighboring tribes and became c
governing class of nobility with Its
own chieftain, called especially the
Inca, as a king of the whole.
These Incas formed something like
an empire. They built many good mil
itary roads,. and did something toward
civilizing the tribes they conquered
4 =
Their greatest population was in Peru
They had two domestic animals, the
llama, useful as light beast of bun
den, and .the alpaca, useful for 1T
fleece. they knew something Of ag
riculture, and besides cultivating corr
and other vegetables, the Peruvian'
cultivated the potato, which was un
known to the white man until thei
country was discovered. In fact the.
were far ahead Of any other American
tribes, although they had no form ,
writing. Up to the present time Their,
has been found no trace of this hal
civilized race in North America cas-
Of the Rocky mountains. Then. viii
the gradual withdrawal of the glacia
lsheet, the climate grew proportionate
lily milder, and the fora and faun
moved simultaneously northward. Tn
solar heat at the equator, which ha
before been tolerable; large areas Q
agricultural lands became dry; quar-
rels and jealousies arose, and an i'm
pulse of emigration supervened whicl
has probably had no parallel Som
emigrants went to South America an
settled there, carrying their customs
rights, and architecture. An linens
departure took place into Mexico an
Arizona, which later extended wes
ward up the Pacific coast. At tn
same time the northward migratio
took place through New Mexico, t
southeastern Colorado, another sti
more direct across the Gulf of Me,
leo in boats from Yucatan to the mair
land, and thence northward betwee
the S7th and 9th, meridians, extern:
ling at least as far up as Lake Supe
ior. Great numbers also went to tn
Bahamas, where colonists had alread
been planted, and then to Florida, an
from this, our native state the
spread all over the eastern part {.
the continent. Perhaps in no mor
eloquent language can we, descrit
; the early Indians than in that {
. Sprague:
mot many generations ago, whel
you sit, encircled with all that exal
and embellishes civilized life, the ran
thistle nodded in the wind, and tt
wild fox dug his hole unsecured. Hel
lived and loved another race of being
Beneath the same sun that rolls ov'