We all thought we knew who got to America first — hunters chased the mammoths across the land bridge from Asia, right? Well, maybe not. One new theory says the first Americans might have been Europeans who came across the Atlantic. In this hour of To the Best of Our Knowledge, the original New World migration. Also, the flint-knapping revival, and modern migrant stories.
Smithsonian Institution archaeologist Dennis Stanford tells Steve Paulson that the first Americans came from all over the place — Europe, Asia, even Australia! He says scientists have found settlement sites dating back 30,000 years. The old Bering Strait land bridge theory is falling down. Also, folklorist Harold Scheub tells a Hopi tale of the great migration that made this place their home.SEGMENT 2:
Michael Stafford is an archaeologist from the Cranbrook Institute of Science in Michigan, and a flintknapper. He says the crafting of stone arrow points using ancient techniques and materials is booming among hobbyists and is a completely addictive pastime. Also, journalist Alan Weisman is the author of "An Echo in My Blood: The Search for a Family's Hidden Past." He grew up believing his grandfather had been murdered by communists during the Russian Revolution. He wasn't. Weisman explains what really happened, and why his family maintained a myth.SEGMENT 3:
Archaeologist and textile expert Elizabeth Barber is the author of "The Mummies of Uramchi." She tells Judith Strasser about the amazingly well-preserved 3,000 year old corpses lying in a Chinese museum. These people had been buried with no artifacts except the clothes they were wearing. And they were wearing Scottish tartans!Cassette copies are available at 1-800-747-7444. Ask for program number 99-12-05-B.
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