Saw something on either the History Channel or Discovery Channel the other day that hypothesized by measuring eye sockets that Kenniwick man and the OTHER Caucasoid skeletons and skulls found in the Americas - yes, there are more - are related to the Ainu, or whatever stock the Ainu came from. There's no denying that both the Ainu and the Japanese live in Japan, and there's no denying that they aren't closely related.
I can say by looking at the skulls that Kennewick man and the others differ dramatically from present-day American Indians, not so dissimilar, in my opinion, from the way the Caucasoid remains in Urumchi differ from present day Chinese.
I feel somewhat troubled that, as a Caucasian, the fate of these Caucasians matters more to me than that of non-Caucasians. I am well aware of the unpleasant, even ugly implications. Nevertheless, I feel a strong bond to the blond, blue-eyed baby mummy from Urumchi that I don't feel to the Oriental ones. Make of that what you will, but remember my own youngest is blond and blue-eyed.
As for the derivation of Caucasian, my understanding is that there is, or was, a credible theory that European man as we know him developed on the steppes of the Caucasus. I would say there is more evidence for northern Iran and Anatolia, but be that as it may. |
