afr 10/24: The Olmec Discovery

Who was Barry Fell?

Invertebrate Zoologist who taught at Harvard University

What was Barry Fell known for?

Being criticized by the oligarchy of the U.S. archeologists of ancient America who rejected his assertion of Pre-Columbian contacts between African and Mesoamerican peoples

What did Barry Fell do?

Studied linguistics and worked with ancient scripts

What did Barry discover?

 The Africans were writing in a language related to Arabic and Egyptian

Who is Cyrus Gordon?

Another Scholar of Pre-Columbian America who complained about the dictatorial hegemony of the U.S. “scholars” of Mesoamerica, who sought to cover-up evidence of any African connections

What did Gordon say about Alex Hrdlicka?

He said that Hrdlicka’s “intellectual tyranny has not yet expired.”

What is Alex Hrdlicka known as?

“the czar of Amerindian ethnology at the Smithsonian”

What did Gordon say about Alexander Von Wuthenau’s Unexpected Faces in Ancient America?

“the reader is about to enjoy the work and conclusions of a pioneer who has taken a great deal of abuse in the cause of the truth.”

What is Gordon also known for?

Authenticating the “Paraiba Text” of Brazil, which was largely called a “fake” by maintstream archeologists

Who is Alex Hrdlicka?

Intellectual tyrant, Director of the Smithsonian for several years; He was also part of the Eugenics movement

What did Hrdlicka argue?

In his lecture “The Origin of Man,” Hrdlicka argued that humanity's origins were to be found in central Europe

What is the Eugenics movement?

the idea that black people are biologically different from white people; that black people, asians, native americans, and hispanics are inherently inferior to white people; the forerunner to the Nazi movement

Who is Alexander Von Wuthenau?

German art historian, diplomat, and scholar of ancient Pre-Columbian art

What did Alexander Von Wuthenau argue?

Argued that the Mexican people have a “multi-ethnic” heritage; He also said that there were clearly African peoples within the Americas, along with other peoples from Asia and even Europe.

Who is Dr. Alice Keyhoe?

Harvard anthropologist

Who is Dr. Svetla Balabanova?

German paleo-ethno botanist and toxicologist

What did Dr. Svetla Balabanova discover?

Through hair samples, Dr. Svetla Balabanova discovered the mummies ingested tobacco and cocaine

What were scholars/archeologists reactions to the cocaine mummies?

“The initial reactions to the findings were highly critical. These criticisms were not based on the research methodology, but rather they were attempts to cast doubt on an implication on the research that cocaine and nicotine were brought to the new world before Columbus. This conclusion is not acceptable to conservative investigators of the past.”

What do the reactions to the cocaine mummies suggest?

“It suggests a deep-rooted aversion to what Balabanova suggested might mean an unraveling of aspects of history contrary to basic reconstructions. This aversion, stems from the conviction that Indians were primitive savages destined to be overcome by the civilized world - that the acme of evolutionary success resided in the conquering race itself. ‘Childlike savages could never have voyaged across oceans.’

Who was Jose Melgar and what did he do?

A mexican man who was one of the first to find the huge stone heads at Tres Zapotes in 1862

What did Alfredo Chavero do?

In 1884, Alfredo Chavero found more large stone heads of “incredible proportions” and a number of axe-heads with human faces and figures carved into them. Rumors of these gigantic heads eventually leaked to U.S. archeologists.

Why did Chavero’s discovery shock him?

It shocked Chavero because the artistic representations were unlike any other “wide-scale” Mexican motifs

What did Matthew W. Stirling do?

In 1938, Matthew W. Stirling of the national geographic society found and photographed a giant stone head near the village of “Tres Zapotes.” Full scale excavations began in January 1939, with Dr. Stirling being joined by Dr. C.W. Weiant.

What did Michael Bradley say about archeologists?

“Several archeologists have gone out of their way to avoid calling these heads Negroid.” The usual terminology is “baby face” with “infantile features” and “thick lips”

What is the “Pima” chant of 1908?

Recording of Maghrib Arabic

What is Maghrib Arabic?

African Arabic spoken by people of West Africa