Re: CROSSING THE BERING STRAIT? How ridiculous!
Roger Dodger (rogerdodger@triax.com)
29 Nov 96 17:33:11 -700
Roger Dodger has this to say about that-
>On 29 Nov 1996, Ed Conrad wrote:
>>
>> Whoever came up with the theory that man arrived in
>> North America by crossing the Bering Strait is certainly a prime
>> candidate for science's Dunce of the Century Award.
I suppose you have a better theory on how man came to be in the
Western Hemisphere? What is your alternative?
>>
>> Let's be realistic and use a little common sense!
>> What tribal leaders, in their right mind -- from wherever they were
>> -- would search for ``greener pastures" by heading so far north?
There have been many instances of human remains and artifacts from
north eastern Russia during the time that the Bering Strait Land
Bridge was in existance. This shows that man COULD HAVE been in the
right place at the right time to utilize the bridge to migrate to the
Americas. There have also been finds of habitational evidence in
Western Alaska. This shows that man DID use the land bridge to get
here.
BTW, the Bering Land Bridge (Beringia) was more of a continent
than a bridge. It was HUGE. More than a thousand miles north to
south, and stretching from Vladovostok to British Columbia.
What was to keep these people from following the herds of caribu that
seem to have one of their major sources of red meat? As today, man
follows his food source, wherever it may go. Since the very same
fossil animal evidence (species of animals) have been found on either
side of Beringia, one could assume that the animals could migrate over
this route. If an animal could do it, why can't a man.
You may also be a little confused about the time-frame involved here.
Beringia was in existance for over 5000 years. I haven't read
anywhere that early man ran a foot race with the encroaching sea to
use the Beringian route.
>>
>> True, they may not have realized they were heading north (assuming
>> there were no maps or compasses), but they'd soon realize it was
>> getting colder and more hostile the further they traveled.
Both Neandertal and Cro-Magnon lived quite close to the continental
ice sheets. No matter where you went in those days, it was COLD! It
is also a known fact that the colder the climate, the better quality
the furs animals will produce. Cold didn't stop the likes of Liver
Eatin' Johnson and his ilk from going after the best furs in the Rocky
Mountains in the early 1800s, why would cold stop earlier man?
>>
>> Why would they continue? Why would they start off in the first
>> place? How would they know that -- if they ever completed their
>> trip -- they'd be much better off than they were before?
They didn't. They were simply following the herds. What ever made you
think that these early peoples had satellite photography, automobiles
and televisions? Get it through your head - This happened a very long
time ago, and was done by very primitive peoples using very primitive
means. They were stone age savages if you want to be blunt about it -
No TV either - Get it?
>>
>> What would they have done for food? Once their supply of food was
>> exhausted, what did they eat? Where did they find the additional
>> food they most certainly would have had to have?
Follow the herds. Follow the herds. Follow the herds. Follow the
herds!
>>
>> How about the trip itself? If it happened (which it obviously
>> didn't), how did they protect themselves from the elements? After
>> all, even if they made the trip in record time, they'd have spent
>> many, many nine-to-10-month ``winters" in a most hostile
>> environment.
Caribu, Elk, Horses, Deer, Wolves wear their own protection. When man
kills an animal, he dosen't just eat it. He takes the skin off and
makes leather and furs out of it. Understand??? Leather and furs
weren't available at the local Tandy Leather Store in those days.
Early man made his own.
>>
>> This litany of absurdities could go on and on.
>>
>> The plain and simple fact is that it never happened.
>>
>> Let the scientists who cling to this ridiculous idea give it a try
>> to prove their point that it IS possible. But let them make the
>> trip without themal clothing, battery-powered heaters, a stockpile
>> of food, directional finders, etc., etc., etc.
Sounds to me like you couldn't survive even a weekend in the mountains
without your Winnabaga. Try REAL camping for a real treat. Start at
Glacier National Park and walk over the Continental Divide. You may
take with you only a stone knife with which to MAKE everything you may
need. No clothes are allowed of course - you have to make them too.
Allow yourself one year to make the trek (it takes a litle time to
make leather by chewing on the hide to soften it). Maybe you'll get
an inkling of an idea of what early man had to do to survive. Could
YOU do it??
>>
>> May then -- ONLY then -- they would realize how prepostrous
>> the theory is.
Its only preposterous if YOU can't survive in the wilderness.
>>
>> As I've said, all it takes is a bit of common sense to realize that
>> the earliest man to inhabit of North America certainly didn't make
>> the trip by cossing the Bering Strait.
I suppose he got here on a 747, huh?
>>
>> Naturally, such a ridiculous theory was originally presented
>> because of an inability by the scientific community to explain
>> man's presence on the North American continent.
It has been very well explained several years before. I would suggest
you read the book "The Paleoecology of Beringia" for starters. Sorry,
I don't remember either the date or the authors, but that is the
title. The book was so good that I read it twice and I am looking for
a copy for my own library.
>>
>> It was just one of many flights of fantasy by dreams and
>> hallucinators who think, while you can fool some of the people all
>> of the time and all of the people some of the time, you can't fool
>> all of the people all of the time.
Nope, sure can't pull the wool over YOUR eyes.
>>
>Um didn't they cross the Bering Strait on account of them following
>their major food source? I.E. Mammoths and Bison and other wild
>game. And maybee would the fact that they were following herd of
>game give them enough food for the voyage? And (stop me if you heard
>this one) don't you figure that skins from mammoths might be thick
>enough to keep some of those nasty hostile elements out?
Actually, a Mammoth skin would be entirely too thick for anything
except tents and shoe soles. Caribu, Horse, Deer, Elk, and most other
ungulates have quite suitable hides however, and there were plenty of
these.
>Phillip
Roger Dodger
from the City-State of the Invincible Overlord
There's more to life than meets the mind.
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