The Ancient Native American Civilizations

Answer

The Ancient Native American Civilizations

Introduction

                History is not only intriguing but also phenomenal, an illustration of the past and an illumination of the future. It is no doubt, as Maya Angelou consistently mentioned, that one knows where they are going only by grasping and understanding where they come from (Angelou, 2013). What is more, having have exposed myself to the history of American ancient civilizations in this class, I view the world in a different manner. Even more so, I have acquired a new and a completely different world view that correlates with what I have learnt. Through this class, I have learnt the splendor and the pride of the ancient American civilization through observing their way of life as well as the evidence they left behind to prove their existence and their cultural heritage. For this reason, this paper seeks to shed some light on my observations about ancient Native American civilizations while it elaborates on my opinion in regards to their history.

Native American Civilizations

                Long before what has come to be hitherto known as America, there was a civilization that transcended our understanding of the pre-Columbian era. Well, before this class, I knew quite little in regard to American history before the colonization of this massive and expansive land. I have always wanted to know the history of this metropolitan and accommodating land. For this same reason, I have gained a lot from this class as I observe that which I was ignorant of. Of the ancient Native American Civilizations, my understanding of how they lived and conducted their day to day activities were changed. First, I learnt that the evidence suggests that the American continent – both North and South – were one amongst the last continents to be inhabited by man. My biggest observations concerning these civilizations were their industrial nature, suggested by the tools and artifacts for which they were identified with. I observed different traditions and culture that identified different waves of the ancient civilizations, some of which include the Clovis culture, the Paleoindian culture, as well as the Folsom tradition. I have also learnt of the different stages through which the civilizations were categorized as well as the complexities that these civilizations achieved – including settlements, architecture, agriculture, engineering, and trade. The level of sophistication of these civilizations are even expounded on how expansive they were in their endeavors. For instance, the Aztecs built one of the biggest and the most populated cities of the time, Tenochtitlan.

                What is more, my understanding of how Native Americans lived has changed a lot due to the learning and the exposure I have had in this class. First, I grew up with the notion that Ancient Americans, whom I referred to as Indians, were purely hunters and gatherers and living mostly for the same purpose. However, I have come to learn that they had a lot more history to show than that. From the artifacts that date to their period, it is evident that their lives were more than that. Apart from being industrious, they were knowledgeable much as they had rich cultures and traditions – some of which have survived the test of time.  Moreover, I had the idea that most – if not all – of the ancient Native Americans were basically nomads. However, this class has illustrated to me that most of the cultures were more settled, some of whom lived in small villages for certain reasons including fishing. Having have thought of them as primitive societies, I never really thought that they could build certain monuments and architectural works that would shape the history of a continent so vast. This is also another notion that has been disbanded by the knowledge I have acquired in this class. Not only did they make extra-ordinary monuments such as the Poverty Point but they also stored some of their knowledge and beliefs through art and writings, some of which were destroyed by the colonists who sought to spread the religion of Christianity.

Ancient Transoceanic Travel

                Well, like any other adult who went through the American school system, I believed that America was ideally ‘discovered’ by Columbus. However, many evidences that I have learnt from this class and other historical documents suggest otherwise. There are a number of theories that establish trans-oceanic travel by a civilization that arrived in the American continent as early as 1000AD (Pohl, 1952). Much as many claims remain to be theories, most of them have been confirmed by archeological and scientific discoveries that illustrates their legitimacy. In regard to this, I stand in belief that Columbus was certainly not the first person to travel by sea to America, science disputes that. From the mysterious and intriguing heads of the Olmec people that have the African heritage to the ancient Chinese anchors, there is certainly much evidence that Columbus was defeated centuries before. What is even more convincing is the interpretation of a map discovered in Taiwan in 1972 that showed that the world was mapped even long before the Europeans did (Cumming, Skelton and Quinn, 1972).

Possibility of Contact with other Civilizations Prior to Vikings

                Contrary to popular belief, America was never really discovered by the Europeans, an overwhelming body of evidences has suggested otherwise. As methods of data collection and archeology seems to grow by the day so is the discovery of other shockingly interesting knowledge in regards to the same. Some evidences have claimed that the Native Americans had had contact with the outside world even before Vikings did. Though this is under debate, it brings out an entirely different and interesting insight in history. Many have suggested that there was evidence of trade in amongst native Americans and other civilizations. With the mystery of the Olmecs, a tradition and civilization that defy the conventions of historic knowledge, many have had a different thought as to the contact between the native Americans and the other world. This mysterious culture had left behind giants of heads around their settlements. Interesting enough, some of these heads have Negroid features, which suggest the possibility of the connection with Africans. Evidence suggests that Africans had frequently travelled to and even settled in America long before Vikings. Led by King Ramses III, some black Egyptians managed to sail into America and had contact with the native Americans. What is more, Egyptians artifacts were found across North America, some of which had Egyptian names. I certainly believe there was contact and possibly even trade between these two ancient civilizations – as to the agreement of science.

The Kensington Runestone

                To many Viking age historians, amateur and professional alike, one of the most mysterious runestone is the Kensington Runestone, discovered in Minnesota and believed to have been left by the Scandinavian explorers. This stone first came to light in 1898 from a Swedish immigrant who claimed to have found it in his recently-acquired piece of land. However, this stone was never examined until 1910, bringing about a series of claims that it was a hoax. This is majorly because the discovery of the same could not be verified notwithstanding the fact that many scholars and professionals in the field of linguistics who had analyzed the stone unanimously declared it a hoax and a forgery of a recent date. Moreover, scientists claimed that the markings were not only fresh but also lacked any evidence of weathering. For this reason, I also believe it to be a hoax as something so legitimate and historical could not possibly be dispelled by almost every scientist and professional archeologists.

The Cocaine Mummy

                As explicated earlier in this text, there are a number of evidences proving contact and voyages between two ancient civilizations, African and native American. Despite the evidence of cultural and traditional mimicking of acts such as trepanning and mummification in Peru, certain evidence of controversial tobacco and traces of cocaine in an Egyptian mummy led to historians and researchers having a different perspective on world trade. The claim of the discovery of this substance that was originally and at the time not present in Egypt suggest that there was definite contact between these two civilizations. This, by all means, proves trans-Atlantic trade long before the Vikings.

Conclusion

                In conclusion, it is clear that the history of the world is imperative and immensely important to the civilizations of the world today. This paper has illustrated my thoughts and beliefs in regard to many of historical knowledge that accrues to the ancient American Civilization before the ‘discovery’ by Columbus. This paper has shown that I have gained much in this class in regard to the history of America and the world at large. It is clear that neither Columbus nor Vikings were the first to sail through the Atlantic and to America. This is suggested by various evidences, including the “cocaine mummy.” Moreover, certain artifacts, such as the Kensington Runestone have been dispelled as forged documents by scientists, showing how crucial historic sites are.