Jennifer Raff

First rate distillation of the current understanding about where the first peoples of the American continents came from, but don't expect much in the way of conclusions, as the genetic evidence discussed raises more questions than answers. She also argues persuasively for a methodology more respectful of the rights and sensibilities of indigenous peoples, the past record of which has been a series of insults and atrocities. The only negative thing I can think of to say about the book, that show more the information will likely be out of date before the ink dries on the pages, is freely admitted by the author. As someone deeply interested in new world prehistory, I found this book to be a fine explanation of a rapidly changing and expanding science, and an honest and sensitive expression of how this kind of science ought to be done. show less

4.5

I have so many thoughts about this book (all good) but for now I’m just going to say this should absolutely be required reading in education. This one book, despite its seemingly singular subject, covers a plethora of information and misconceptions about the indigenous peoples of the americas. Punches are not pulled and the field itself is not spared the scrutiny and sometimes scorn it has earned in the past. It’s a very accessible and comprehensive (in terms of what we have) show more overview of where we are in paleoanthropology and paleogenetics. Very rad all around. Both the audio and text versions are stellar. Don’t be intimidated by the subjects, the author worked very hard to make sure anyone who picks up this book can follow the current arguments and theories in the field. show less

Jennifer Raff’s Origin hit the New York Times best seller list within a month of its publication in February of this year. It reached as high as number 11 on the Amazon nonfiction bestseller list that same month before the online seller reportedly ran out of stock. For a science book aimed at a general audience those are both big accomplishments.

Much of the explanation for that has to do with Raff herself. Her writing is easy to read. Even when she takes us along to peer over her shoulder show more as she extracts DNA from an ancient tooth, she somehow makes the science, and the process, sound fascinating.

The rest of the explanation has to do with the topic Raff writes about. If you are like many of us living in North (and I imagine South) America, you’ve probably wondered how long ago it really was that humanity came to the Americas.

Yes, There are ancient mounds in the US, and Mayan, Incan and Olmec ruins in Central and South America. But compared to Europe or Africa there is a sparsity of archeological finds the farther you go back in time.

There is no North American equivalent, for example, for the age and aesthetic quality of the cave paintings at Lascaux. Nor has there been any direct evidence that other human species such as the Neanderthal or the Denisovans ever made it to the Americas.

We’ve all heard the story that the Americas were peopled via the Bering Land Bridge (aka "Beringia") - a route across the top of the world between present day Alaska and Russia’s Chukotka Peninsula. That’s where Raff starts off her book. She details the archeological evidence for and against it, and delves into some of the other theories that compete with it (a route by sea rather than land, primarily).

From there Raff takes us through some of the history of the archeological pursuit for the answer to the question of the peopling of the Americas. That includes a good bit of what today would be considered unethical behavior in early archeological digs (including by Thomas Jefferson).

But Raff’s particular interest is genetics. She is a geneticist and an associate professor of anthropology at the University of Kansas, and she has been active in researching Indigineous DNA. What really fascinated me about her account of the genetic research is the work that has been done to compare the evolution of human and dog DNA in the Americas. It's remarkable to see the parallels there are between the two. It would seem the first peoples brought their dogs along with them.

I will admit that some of Raff’s genetic discussion does become a bit complicated, especially when she breaks out the mitochondrial haplogroups. (If you have any experience with DNA testing by companies like Ancestry, you may have heard the term before. It is basically a tool that geneticists use to trace your ancestry through your mother’s line, and can show where your family likely “came from”, when compared against other DNA samples. In other words, it can put your family’s history on a map.)

But it’s through genetics that there is some certainty that the Indigenous peoples of the Americas are descended through a family line that goes back to Siberia. Which brings us back to the Land Bridge, or Sea Route (the timing derived from the genetics research may or may align with the opening of the land bridge at the end of the last ice age).

But there are hints, both genetic and archaeological, that the arrival by way of Beringia may not be the complete answer. Raff is right to point out that what she tells us in this book is the current understanding, and that the full answer to the question of the peopling of the Americas is still waiting on more discoveries. show less

The peopling of the Americas, the arrival here of anatomically modern humans, and their development into the peoples I was originally taught to call American Indians and a little later Native Americans, is far more complicated than I was taught in school. It's pretty clear at this point that humans didn't first arrive here a mere ten to twelve thousand years ago. It also appears clear, based on genetic evidence, that they arrived in more than one wave.

And beyond that, it's really, really show more complicated. The reasons for the complexities are partly the fact that it's very difficult to recover ancient DNA, especially from bones that were buried in warm, wet environments. We also don't have a lot of tools much older than 12 to 15 thousand years ago that are clearly human-made tools. Some, but not enormous numbers.

There are indigenous oral traditions--that for a very long time, non-indigenous scientists and researchers ignored, that governments in the USA and Canada, as well as countries in the Americas tried to destroy along with indigenous languages. Now that there are researchers listening to the indigenous oral histories that do survive, they often provide information that matches up with genetic information with the result that the two information sources enhance each other. Of, as did make some real news in the last decade or so, useful information about the dangers of settling close to the shore (i.e., periodically there are major natural disasters that we can't deal with by having better building codes.) Raff doesn't mention that one (she's a geneticist, not an earth scientist), but I do remember when in it was in the news.

Further complicating things are not just the various major and obvious atrocities against indigenous peoples of the Americas, but specifically arrogance, disrespect, and deceit in conducting genetic research on indigenous peoples. Lying to people about what you're going to use their genetic material to research is a guaranteed way to miake people angry, and consequently hostile to future requests. Rebuilding relations with specific indigenous communities, to gain their cooperation and ensure respect and consideration to start to heal the rifts and continue to learn more, is both essential and difficult.

Raff tells the story very well, far better than I can describe it. It makes this an interesting and enlightening story.

Recommended.

I bought this audiobook. show less