The American Discovery of Europe

Introduction

Introduction Picture giant turtles from the Caribbean following the Gulf Stream to the coasts of Cornwall and other parts of Europe, diving occasionally to feed upon jellyfish as they make their epic journeys. Picture also Ancient American mariners, perhaps from the Caribbean or the east coast of North America, also following the Gulf Stream in dugout boats, large and small, reaching places as diverse as Ireland, Holland, and Iberia. Visualize the surprise of Christopher Columbus when he actually met two such Americans, a man and a woman, at Galway, Ireland, some fifteen years before making his famous voyage of 1492. The story of Ancient Americans as seafarers, mariners, and navigators is, for me, a fascinating although often overlooked aspect of history. Evidence presented here will show that American Indians were builders of great boats, up to almost one hundred feet in length in the Caribbean, and were outstanding students of the ocean’s currents, storms, winds, and resources. The epic story of American seafaring includes maritime cultures of northeastern North America, fishing at sea for challenging prey such as swordfish, developing advanced toggling harpoons as early as 7,500 years ago, and evolving the “Red Earth” culture that may have spread as far as Europe. The story of ancient seafaring also includes the daring voyages of Eskimo (Inuit) groups from Greenland and Labrador using ingeniously designed kayaks and larger umiaks, voyages that took them along the coasts of Greenland, sometimes passing underneath huge ice mountains arching over the coastline and always facing terrible obstacles from storms and drifting ice. Unbelievably perhaps, intrepid Inuit kayakers show up in the waters of England, Scotland, and elsewhere, whether arriving directly from America or escaping from European whaling vessels. 2 v Introduction Along the coasts of South America, too, our story includes seafaring by nations such as the Caribs and Tupi-Guarani, with large dugouts of their own and with ocean rafts also being utilized.And our story would be incomplete without reference to the impressive freight-rafts used along the Pacific Coast and their counterparts in the Caribbean and Atlantic. Sails were often used both on rafts and in canoes (canoas) and pirogues (piraguas). Early sails seem to have been made of palm matting (or other fibrous material on LakeTiticaca) fixed to a pole mast with tough cording made from plant fibers. Foreign visitors were incredibly impressed with American maritime ability and technology, whether in the waters of Greenland in the north, or south to the Caribbean and South America. In the latter areas huge trees with durable wood made it possible to manufacture boats of incredible size and flexibility, boats whose finished width was far greater than that of the original tree, since gradual pressure carefully applied allowed the hull to be expanded outward. Similarly, planking was often used to increase the height of the vessels. The Spaniards counted up to almost one hundred oarsmen in some vessels and remarked upon the protection given to the boats when beached by means of onshore shelters especially erected for that purpose. We can assume, I believe, that boat building of that type extended back many centuries or even millennia. In the far north also it would appear that watercraft were being manufactured several thousands of years ago. Thus there is a long time period available for voyages both within American waters as well as across the Atlantic. Our story also includes an examination of ancient migrations, theories of human origins, and evidence relating to the beginnings of human life in theAmerican hemisphere.These fascinating topics must be dealt with in part because some scholars have argued for a great antiquity for Homo sapiens (modern humans) inAmerica and even that migrations took place to Europe fromAmerica tens of thousands of years ago. Since our topic is theAmerican discovery of Europe, we are compelled to look at such theories , however unpopular they may be in current anthropological circles. In telling the story of American travel, one must touch also upon the activities of Europeans, since such activities often result in NativeAmericans arriving in Europe, usually as captives but sometimes as ambassadors, guests, entertainers, and curious visitors. In this connection our story includes evidence relating to possible Norse activity in carrying at least someAmericans to Europe up to five centuries before 1492. Possible ancient contacts from Europe are also examined, such as alleged Solutrean- Introduction v 3 period spear-point-makers crossing theAtlantic in the...