North American Indigenous Peoples NONCREATIONIST THEORIES OF ORIGINS

DISCUSSION QUESTION Where did humans originate? NON-CREATIONIST VIEWPOINT • Evolution via Natural Selection •

SETTLEMENT OF THE AMERICAS • Current understanding of human migration to and throughout the

Climatology / Geography / Linguistics BERINGIA – LAND BRIDGE THEORY (PG. 10 -12) •

GENETICS • Scientists use DNA that does not recombine during meiosis. • Y chromosome

ARCHEOLOGY / ANTHROPOLOGY (PG. 9) • While Beringia – Land Bridge Theory is widely

Other Theories of Origin • Another highly unlikely theory is that indigenous people crossed

American Genesis • Another unsupported theory is American Genesis, whereby the indigenous people of

What if it’s the other way around? ! • Perhaps the people of Asia

They were always here? • Many indigenous people feel that they were always here

AS A CLASS • Read pp. 10 – 14. Engage in talking circle discussion

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North American Indigenous Peoples NON-CREATIONIST THEORIES OF ORIGINS

DISCUSSION QUESTION Where did humans originate? NON-CREATIONIST VIEWPOINT • Evolution via Natural Selection • The Out of Africa Theory How did Canada’s indigenous people get here?

SETTLEMENT OF THE AMERICAS • Current understanding of human migration to and throughout the Americas is a result of five interrelated academic disciplines: • Archeology • Physical Anthropology • Genetics • Linguistics • Climatology / Geography

Climatology / Geography / Linguistics BERINGIA – LAND BRIDGE THEORY (PG. 10 -12) • The most popular and widely accepted theory. • During the last Ice Age (17, 000 years ago) big game hunters from Siberia followed their prey across Beringia (what is today the Bering Strait) into Alaska. • From here they moved southward down the Rocky Mountain foothills and then Eastward into the Great Plains and Atlantic seaboard. 13, 000 to 10, 000 years ago based on an analysis of various First Nations languages.

PG. 11

GENETICS

GENETICS • Scientists use DNA that does not recombine during meiosis. • Y chromosome (male) • mt. DNA – mitochondrial DNA (female) • DNA analysis supports the Beringia land bridge theory • However, the DNA mutations of indigenous people in Siberia doesn’t match First Nations and Inuit in North America. They must have come from another region (farther away)

ARCHEOLOGY / ANTHROPOLOGY (PG. 9) • While Beringia – Land Bridge Theory is widely accepted, there is archeological evidence that pre-historic people lived here BEFORE the last ice age!

Other Theories of Origin • Another highly unlikely theory is that indigenous people crossed the Pacific Ocean from South East Asia. The only evidence is similar DNA mutations between Asia and the indigenous people of North America.

American Genesis • Another unsupported theory is American Genesis, whereby the indigenous people of North America EVOLVED separately from Africa and Asia.

What if it’s the other way around? ! • Perhaps the people of Asia originally evolved HERE and migrated to Asia? !

They were always here? • Many indigenous people feel that they were always here from the time of creation. Their creation stories are strongly connected to the characteristics of their environment (animals, trees, etc. )

AS A CLASS • Read pp. 10 – 14. Engage in talking circle discussion question on pg. 15. • Homework. Read pp. 24 – 27. Answer questions 1 – 2 on pg. 27.