Polynesian pre-Columbian contact with South America

Arts & Sciences Culture & History
1

I was watching this History Channel documentary on youtube about Polynesian migration and possible contacts with North and South Americas. I guess the thing was made back when the History channel still made shows about actual history.

The skull shape South American scientist comes up at 2:00 of this video

Pre-columbian introduction of chicken to South America and sweet potato to Polynesia demonstrated Polynesian contact with the Americas well. However, in the show there is an archaeologist, Jose Miguel Ramirez of the University of ValparaĂ­so in Chile, who based some of his assumptions on skull shapes:

Skulls found on Mocha island

Didn’t know skull shape anthropology is still a thing…

As a Taiwanese, I have both of these features, especially the pentagonal rare view of the skull thing. I’ve always thought it’s that shape because my parents must had bumped my head when I was a baby or something :stuck_out_tongue:

Since the Dr. Ramirez had large pieces of bones, entire femurs no less, couldn’t he just do a DNA test and be done with it, instead of having to compare skull shapes? :ponder:

2

An amazing video that deserves the grave dig I think. This video introduces a pretty epic DNA study to see if pre-columbian contact happened.

I couldn’t decide where to put it or whether or not to start a new post. I think the best thing to do perhaps is to change the tile of this thread to “Polynesian pre-columbian contact with South America”.

There is another thread that I thought about putting this under. Where kumura in New Zealand was mentioned… by me.

2 Likes