Earlier this year, Myles Goddard, educator and anthropologist, presented a lecture on the development, evolution, and possible origin of modern man in the Americas. Myles, an Ojibwe from Deer River on the Leech Lake Reservation who has taught anthropology, sociology, and history for 33 years, presented the theory, with strongly-supporting evidence, that Modern Man developed, evolved, and possibly originated in the Americas.

Myles began his presentation with three differing views on the creation of the world:

The creationist view, that the world was created as is 5000 years ago;

The evolution creationist view, that the world was created 5 billion years ago and was allowed to evolve to its current state;

The scientific view, that the world was created and evolved according to scientific principles.

The creation myths of many Native American Nations place the origins of their people here in North America. Myth, for this purpose, must be understood in its broadest definition, as timeless penultimate reality, the nearest approach to absolute truth that can be stated in mere words. Jeffrey Goodman, who wrote the book, American Genesis, in 1981, provides evidence that supports this understanding, and from this perspective Native Americans started here and branched off to the south and west. The earliest available evidence of modern man's occupation anywhere in the world is found in Mexico and Canada. First, arignation (modern) tools that are 250,000 years old have been found at Hueyatilaco and El Horno, Mexico. Second, geneticists who have studied genetic diversity in the New Channel people on Vancouver Island found lineage evidence showing modern man was here at least 40,000-70,000 years ago.

In the traditional view of western scholars since no earlier than the early 20th century, the evolution of modern man has been viewed as a single linear path which began in Africa, spread across Asia, and finally, about 12,000 years ago, crossed the Bering land bridge and populated North America and eventually South America. Today, most anthropologists in North America dismiss all views and evidence that do not follow these traditional views, which have become a mindset. The oldest evidence expected to be found in North America is a 12,000-year-old Clovis site. Any evidence of non-Clovis sites older than 12,000 years is viewed as either poor data gathering or fabricated data. In actuality, sites have been found in South America which have been carbon dated to be over 50,000 years old, and tools have been found that are thought to be more than 250,000 years old. The only reason to dismiss this data is that it does not fit into the Clovis model, thus does not deserve further consideration. Also, evidence discovered by other than a North American male, even if it falls within the boundaries of the Clovis rules, may lack credibility within the educated establishment.

Evidence exists in fossil records which now suggest there were multiple paths in the evolution of man. Stages of man in the linear mode which were theorized to exist at different times, actually existed within the same time period, so that modern man may have developed several hundred thousand years earlier than traditional history has led us to believe. For example, Modern man may have existed at the same time, 250,000 to 30,000 years ago, as Neanderthal man, who at that time densely populated the Eastern Hemisphere. Modern man was no match for the size and strength of this other species, but he was more intelligent, and had developed the boat. The migration to the Americas may have started as an escape from Neanderthal man. A very accessible route would have been to move landward from southern Africa to the southern fringe of Asia, and across the land bridge that had extended from Asia to Australia. With the sea level more than 400 feet below the current level a quarter million years ago, a string of islands across the Pacific Ocean would have made for easier passage than today. Via this theory, modern man may not have begun in the Americas, but he would have had the opportunity to develop here to the point that he could then have crossed back over to Asia and Europe, equipped to defend himself against the Neanderthal species. This allows for a much different picture of the peopling of the world, with early modern man entering South America, spreading upward into North America, and then westward across the Bering land bridge into Asia. This theory is supported by the fact that horses and camels are known to have their origins in the Americas, and may have been followed into Asia. Bountiful archeological evidence shows that the horse had been the staple meat of early man, and that it had been hunted here to extinction, later to be reintroduced in the 16th century.

Language development and evolution provides some of the most compelling evidence that modern man evolved in the Americas. All languages have been changing at approximately 19% per thousand years. Familiar words in languages, words pertaining to one's environment such as mother, child, earth, and sky, change at approximately 14% per thousand years. The number of languages and basic language families in any given area are in relation to the length of time a people have populated that area. Europe has 3 language families, Africa, 8 language families, and Asia has 18 language families. Cross the Pacific to the Americas and you will find 58 language families in North America, 23 language families in Central America and 120 language families in South America.

Other strong evidence of modern man's development in the Americas is that he had a more diverse early tool kit than those found in Europe or Africa. Only a few arrow point styles have been discovered in Europe and Africa, while several hundred styles have been discovered in the Americas.

Myles suggests, therefore, that according to fossil evidence, language development and tools, modern man may have either originated in the Americas, or developed and flourished there, later making his way back to Asia and Europe.

We are invited, given the full spectrum of insight and evidence, to remain open to many avenues of thought regarding the origins of man and the peopling of the Americas.