Apparently there is a ‘move’ afoot to quash certain kinds of paleogenetic research into where ‘we’ came from…
And it’s being ‘fought’ by the native American tribes!
The Campaign to Thwart Paleogenetic Research Into North America’s Indigenous Peoples
But this is where events took a strange turn: It was when Duggan’s group announced that they’d gained the capacity to analyze aDNA, and made known their plans to apply this technology to the male genome of their Labrador/Newfoundland skeletal sample, that a sense of apprehension seemed to spread through some quarters of the paleogenetic community.
During the summer of 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic and Black Lives Matter protests, Duggan’s project went noticeably quiet. I inquired among team members with whom I regularly communicated, but received oblique and evasive responses about the pace of research and publication.
Full article, HERE from Quillette. It’s a bit of a read, but very interesting in what it reveals. And, IMHO, it is truly sad that this is happening, especially with more and more people researching their family histories and the ongoing DNA studies.
IIRC they were finding that some indigenous people were no what we would refer to as “American Indians” or had come over the Bering Straits or somesuch.
Kennewick Man came from the Korean area as I recall, blowing the local claim to have been the “First Nation” who occupied the land forever.
I was working in Eastern Washington at the time. A preliminary forensic exam of the remains indicated some characteristics suggestive of European ancestry. Considering the remains were 9000 years old, such examination was not definitive. However, as soon as the preliminary results were announced, the local native tribe demanded all research cease, and that the remains be turned over to them for “proper”burial.
I also thought of the “Kennewick Man” before following the link and reading the article.
Around the world, claim of land ownership is dependent on ancestry. Prove a people claiming ownership are not the “original” people, take away their claim.
Hence, enter politics into the science.
Have we finally found the “Missing Link”? 🙂
The current “natives” (or their Leftist spokesthings) are a bit embarrassed that they arrived and then exterminated the previous “natives”, who had exterminated the previous wave, etc. The Europeans are the 6th (or possibly 7th) wave of immigrants to the Americas. And the Leftist agitators don’t like the narrative of “only white men are invaders” being popped.
In an age where all you are is who you self-identify as, I can “legitimately” claim to be Leticia, a 25 year old African, lesbian woman and the woke are obliged to accept it.
There was a recent situation when a particular job was only offered to minority people. I got the job after self-identification as such. It wasn’t much of a job, short term gig, but it paid.
My point is that so long as the woke are promoting this BS, the idea of “ancestry” is as alien to them as taking a shower every day, making their bed and changing their underwear.
The left — whether naive 20 somethings who have swallowed a tweet or very sophisticated folk (think Marx — no dummy, whatever else you may think of him) have never been able to tolerate inquiry and research which tends to upset their pre-determined narrative — whether on migration and ancestry, as here, or power (think nuclear), or even the way people actually behave. Unfortunately, they’re the ones running academia now — and the attitude makes the European “Dark Ages” look postiviely enlightened.
Two observations:
1. “…the Red Paint People… gave way to a wave of immigrants from the southern Appalachians.”
Since 1975, I have (mostly) lived in the southern Appalachians, and was born just 100 miles south of here. Nice land; nice climate. I can’t imagine what would cause a wave of immigration from HERE to the frozen north.
2. “The History and Geography of Human Genes…attracted strong criticism from LAY readers on both sides of the political spectrum.” (emphasis added)
I’m not suggesting that the lay community should have NO influence on scientific research, and neither is the author of the article. However, not all opinions are equal. A situation in which researchers are forced to abandon scientific inquiry, because some subset of the general population is uncomfortable, reeks of Lysenkoism.
If it were just old bones at issue, we might be able to disregard it. However, in her excellent book “The End of Gender,” Dr. Deborah Soh points to cases in which SCIENTIFIC, not political or sociological, inquiries into the field of human sexuality are quashed by the loudest voices, even though these are blatantly uninformed. The result include the disastrous emergence of Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria in the adolescent population, as well as blurring the lines of gender differences in the adult population.
I advocate a policy of appeasement. At least, until they invade Poland. Ummm…has that happened yet?
Lots of “lay” people have upended “professional” claims. Look it up.
Sadly, this already has decades of momentum behind it. The 1990 Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act may have been well intentioned, but it has also put a damper onto much research in these questions, as somebody in some way affiliated with a local tribe always seems to put in a claim to stop further analysis of any remains more than a couple hundred years old. That has shut down a lot of potential research.
A number of years ago, a friend specializing in molecular anthropology told me that researching Native American ancestry could be career-limiting. More recently, researchers who had signed blanket authorization for research using samples from a local tribe were forced to destroy samples and results from the samples when a tribal representative sued when it was learned that ancestry was being researched.
Most of the Native people believe they have always been in here. It is a matter of faith that is the same as Christians belief in the Moses getting the 10 Commandments or the Resurrection of Jesus.
I would expect many of them to reject the science the same as Christians would when science proves there is no such thing as a virgin birth.
There have been quite a few documented virgin births.
Please keep your anti-Christian beliefs muzzled, or on a chain in your own back yard.
And now you know how an Native American feels.
What nonsense. Christians, not only, have always looked to find all we can about things Biblical that can be verified through such sciences as archeology and linguistcs, even put under legal/jurisprudence analysis for testimonial reliability.
The virgin birth of Jesus, etc, have been subject to attacks by people like you since, well, a particular Roman census.
Show where the Christian church has disallowed, fought to stop, hinder, a scientific inquiry such as the one at hand?
No, arguing against wrong conclusions or faulty methodology does not count.
????
We could start with Galileo Galilei and Nicolaus Copernicus and continue on to the modern Mormon Church and carbon dating.
The point is why would you think that a Native American’s faith in his beliefs is any less than yours is in Christianity?
Personally if some archaeologist want to dig up my grandmother’s grave to test to see where the Irish came from I’d tell them to piss off too!
I knew you were going to name Galileo. My guess you really do not know the actusl events.
The HRCC, of which I am not a member, had the Shroud Of Turn tested in an attempt to date it.
There are articles of faith that cannot be scientifically tested – was Jesus diety, for rxample. But historical narratives in the Bible are constantly challenged and they stand the scutiny.
What other religions make factual statements and invite scrutiny?
Ah, the First Nations/Native Americans. Such nice people. Hunted to death the American horse. Randomly slaughtered all the peoples who were here before them, and whomever of them who were in their way.
Like the facial reconstruction of a woman found in a grave. That showed pure North Central European traits (in other words, she was white.)
And then there’s the shoddy treatment of the Eskimo and Inuit (or whatever they are calling themselves these days.) Some smart-assed researcher finally got the juevos to ask lots of elders as to why they settled in the frozen north. Basically it came down to they (the natives) were crappy warriors and the other natives who had already settled in the warmer southern areas wouldn’t let them (the eskimo/inuits) down south.
As to ancestry, it’s always been about who’s on what rolls, and who is acceptable to the tribal leaders of the time. So, yes, literally one day you can be a Native American, the next not, and then later again.
And they fight tooth-and-nail to stop genetic research into who is and isn’t an ‘injun.’ Which is why when Liawatha Warren got her genetic test and it showed less than 1/1024ths ‘Native American’ the test lied. Because it showed she had that of Central or South American mixed-race ancestry, as no self respecting First Nations/Native North American will allow any genetic testing.
A**holes. A**holes all. Hitler and his boys had nothing on ‘racial purity’ over the average FN/NA folk.
I’m interested in this topic and enjoy reading up on it, so I’m curious as to where exactly this woman’s grave was found? I would like to read more on it thanks.
As to the topic of discouraging – to say the least – research into this group of people, it’s yet another example of a modern day inquisition.
Somewhere in Alaska or that area.
Research and articles have been suppressed because feelings or such.
Tsk, tsk. Facts superseding feelings? How quaint.
And people wonder why I decided to flee academia as soon as my Ph.D. was done. Even if the researcher is honest and puts the facts first, the admin will absolutely destroy you if your work is politically inconvenient.
As someone who used a lot of hard science and archeology to back up an historical argument, I find this sort of silencing very depressing.
All- Yes, politics trumps all, and it is only going to get worse… sigh
“some subset of the general population is uncomfortable”
So? The truth is the truth.
It pisses me off that valid lines of scientific inquiry are being closed off because of nonsense.
But I found it amusing to see an apparently leftist (small “l”) academic tying herself in knots trying to say the same thing while being totally politically correct and attempting to ensure that she isn’t taken to the cancel culture woodshed. It rendered the last dozen or so paragraphs unreadable for me.
Robert- That it is, but that isn’t allowed when it offends, don’t ya know…
Free- Yep!
The indigenous peoples of North America…..aren’t. They are just the first surviving invaders.
It was a long read but worth it. Too bad scientists get squeezed by wokeness. After centuries of teaching “follow the evidence” it gets tossed for political gain.
Scientists work in universities.
When you live in a swamp, expect to get muddy.
Ritchie- Point…
Poly- That it does… sigh
McC- True… dammit