Isnt it weird how Van Sertima and other Afrocentrists use the same type of tactics as pseudoscientists (i.e., ad hoc hypothesizing)? Im not sure how legal that is, but I say thanks. The others are unidentified. Recently, I've been handed a book called "They Came before Columbus" by Ivan Sertima, which asserts that Africans had discovered and traded with the native people of the Americas long before Columbus arrived. Dwayne is the author of Kingdoms and Civilizations of Africa and several other books on African and African Diaspora history. Highlighted Ogham found on the Isle of Man - Credit: ViewTeam (Author provided) Mike Harrington: His team looks good, even without Alex Tuch. . ". Nowhere does de Las Casas suggest that spears he was referring to were identical or even similar to spears in West Africa. The books showed an African and Arabic influence on medeival Mexican and South languages prior to European contact. So anything that isnt physical (like the mind/consciousness) cant studied by science. Columbus actually said in the journal of his second voyage when he was in Haiti, then known as Espanola, Native Americans came to him and told him that Black people had come in large boats from the south and southeast trading in gold-tipped metal spears. In They Came Before Columbus,we see clearly the unmistakable face and handprint of black Africans in pre-Columbian America, and their overwhelming impact on the civilizations they encountered. He was asked to write a magazine piece simplifying and summarizing Weiner. [16], Van Sertima argues that African contact likely happened more than once. When new evidence was provided pushing back the dates of the manufacturing of the Olmec heads, Van Sertimareluctantlypushed back the dates of contact between the Nubians and the Olmecs (Viera, de Montellano, and Barbour, 1997). Theres not a shred of evidence to prove this. Van Sertima quit and wrote the series for an independent company. Van Sertima also makes it appear that after the Nubians made contact with the Olmecs, that their civilization almost instantaneously appeared. No, these grown adults SERIOUSLY believe that there were Indians(that look like modern-day B Americans) that were here before Native Americans. There is also a vast body of knowledge to be uncovered about Africa and America. I am not completely dismissive of the idea that Abu Bakr could have in fact successfully arrived in the Americas. The launching of the expedition is recorded by Arab historian Ibn Fadl Allah al-Omari, according to Van Sertima. What is the view of historians in general? "Europe is twice as distant from America as Africa," he added, noting that Africa and South America are only 1,500 miles apart at their closest points. He devotes Chapter 8 to discussing the beneficial innovations and flourishing of culture under Nubian rulers in Egypt. In doing so, he also attempts to combat the perceived inferiority of black Africans due to their perceived lack of technological or cultural advancements prior to colonialism in Africa. Barbour, the first African-American to earn a doctorate in archaeology, is an expert on Mesoamerican culture and associate scientific director of the African Burial Ground Project in Lower Manhattan. Normativity has been distinguished between, If you have any suggestions for future posts, criticisms or praises for me, email me at RaceRealist88@gmail.com. Columbus is such a late-comer that it is almost silly to compare anybody's arrival to his. Of course I was taken aback by the bold claim. When the metallurgists in Spain assayed these spears, they found they were identical, not similar, but were identical in their ratio of gold, silver and copper alloys as spears then being forged in African Guinea.. Van Sertima does not say, but he jumps the conclusion that the spears that were sent to Spain were African spears without providing a basis for why he believes so. In the documentary, Umar Johnson claims that Africans were going back and forth engaging in cultural and economic trade before Columbus. They say slavery lasted 400 yrs America is only 250 yrs old You ever seen a slave ship ? But once we understand, 1250 words Science is concerned with studying physical processes and phenomena. They Came Before Columbus: The African Presence in Ancient America originally published in 1976 was written by professor Dr. Ivan Van Sertima. This technique, as well as the ambiguity of the evidence Van Sertima used, have led to the rejection of his work as pseudoscience or pseudoarchaeology. While his Olmec theory has "spread widely in African American community, both lay and scholarly", it was mostly ignored in Mesoamericanist scholarship, and has been dismissed as Afrocentric pseudoarchaeology[2] and pseudohistory to the effect of "robbing native American cultures". Mansa Musa never sailed to America. Moreover, how would he have known? While many found Van Sertimas scholarship flawed, his theory has many supporters. Upon casual reading, it does at least make one take its thesis seriously. This interaction is not rooted in historical evidence and Van Sertima does not offer a cited source to back up his narrative. Van Sertima accomplishes this through chapters relying heavily on dramatic storytelling. Others hold true to the story of the American slave trade in which enslaved Africans were brought to Americas shores to provide free labor to build the country and grow the economy. There is far more to Black history than the slave trade alright. In doing field work in Africa, he compiled a dictionary of Swahili legal terms in 1967. In this book, Ivan Van Sertima explores his theory that Africans made landfall and had significant influence on the native peoples of Mesoamerica, primarily the Olmec civilization. Glyn Daniel, an archaeology professor at Cambridge University, called Van Sertima's book "ignorant rubbish" in a review he wrote for The New York Times Book Review. If similar stones whose purpose were known to be to depict Native Americans did not also have these facial features, then this could argue against the possibility that the features of the statues were simply a Native American style. Its really that easy to explain the so-called similar appearances in nose shape between the Olmec heads and African noses. Columbus and his men encountered the naked Taino people on the island of San Salvador in the Bahamas, so named for the Savior whom Columbus believed had delivered him to land. Ancient Egypt is regarded as one of the greatest earliest civilizations that has captured the attention and imagination of historians and laypeople alike for years. So, Van Sertima became convinced due to the writings of linguists and anthropologists, that there was an ancient, as-of-yet-looked-into connection between ancient Africa and Mesoamerica. Van Sertima also includes photos of an African man and woman for comparison, but he does not include pictures of inhabitants of the area where the artifacts were found. The slave ship narrative is a myth. Last week came purported evidence that the Chinese admiral Zheng He sailed his great fleet of junks round the world a century before Columbus, Da Gama and Magellan. Mansa Musa took the throne after the previous ruler, Abu Bakr II, went on an expedition to sail the Atlantic Ocean. They paint themselves black, and they are the color of the Canarians, neither black nor white. They noted that no "genuine African artifact had been found in a controlled archaeological excavation in the New World." Evidence indicates that humans originated in Africa. The accounts of people such as Christopher Columbus himself, Spanish travelers, and Herodotus, though, are harder to debate. In Koning's telling and in Zinn's, Columbus set out to enslave a uniformly gentle people for the sole purpose of enriching himself with gold. Van Sertima was among those who argued that the Olmec had African origins, whereas others such as Mike Xu have argued that the Olmec civilization has Asian roots. After being told that he couldn't do a series on African writers because there was no African literature. In 1977, Van Sertima wrote "They Came Before Columbus: The African Presence in Ancient America," a controversial book now in its 21st printing. This work was published by Random House and did not go through a peer review process. I really have no idea. When the cheerleading coach broke the news to Katrina Kohel that she was the only one left on the cheer squad, Kohel was determined to compete anyway. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Are you prioritizing your cable entertainment bill over protecting and investing in your family? [22], In 1981, They Came Before Columbus received the "Clarence L. Holte Literary Prize". It was also concluded that it was not likely that these seeds were carried by birds. They can find a billion year old dinosaur bone but cant find any slave ships, B.o.B wrote in a 2017 Instagram post. This is not a romantic idea. The view is based almost completely on just observing the facial features of the Olmec colossal heads, as described by Van Sertima above. [5], Van Sertima wrote a response to be included in the article (as is standard academic practice) but withdrew it. In 1455 the Portuguese sailor Alvise da Cadamostoin encountered West African riverboats in the Gambian river. Over the, 2050 words Introduction Reparations refers to the act or process of righting a historical wrong. This was all that I could recall being formally taught. He later discusses carved pipes found in Mesoamerican archaeological sites, suggesting that the use of pipes for smoking must have been an inherited practice from African or Asian visitors. In TCBC, Van Sertima (1972: 39) reconstructed an event in the medieval empire of Mali, based on Arab historical and travel documents and the oral tradition of the Mali griots. Chapters 3 and 4 do, indeed, read like some sort of fantastical tale, so I am glad that Van Sertima left the notebut it is quite clear that he is doing nothing but storytelling. A celebrated classic, They Came . Barbour, who has studied more than a quarter million figurines from Mesoamerican areas cited by Van Sertima, said the depictions even more easily could portray facial types of native Americans, and no convincing evidence supports African influence on Mesoamerican architecture or culture. In They Came Before Columbus, we see clearly the unmistakable face and handprint of black Africans in pre-Columbian America, and their overwhelming impact on the civilizations they encountered. Sidenote: I enjoyed the story of Mali in Chapter 3. One of the most baffling claims to me is the idea that the slave trade happened inreverseand that Native Americans were shipped to Africa, not the other way around. Smart Policies are as low as $30 a month, No Medical Exam Required One of the most baffling claims to me is the idea that the slave trade happened in reverse and that Native Americans were shipped to Africa, not the other way around. Moreover, the slave narratives all make it very clear that the enslaved population in the Americas came from Africa so much so that in Cuba some enslaved persons committed suicide, in hope that their spirit would return to Africa. Van Sertima's work on Olmec civilization has been criticised by Mesoamerican academics,[17] who describe his claims to be ill-founded and false. Your email address will not be published. He researched the book at the British Museum, and in libraries at Princeton, London University and Douglas College, and the corresponded with scholars all over the world. Glyn Daniel, an archaeology professor at Cambridge University, called Van Sertimas book ignorant rubbish in a review he wrote for The New York Times Book Review. Van Sertima never explained why he selected this particular dynasty, but his reasoning for doing so is important because he later altered the date in African Presence in Early America to 948 or circa 1000 B.C. Van Sertima was forced to alter his thesis in light of new evidence which demonstrated that the Olmec civilization was older than was originally believed, which leads me to the next issue. Saying slave ships are a myth is a whole new level of ignorance . Or purchase a subscription for unlimited access to real news you can count on. Rhythm, flow, enunciation of some words could be improved upon, but again this seemed to be a random volunteer. All of these claims are incrediblewhich means that they deserve incredible evidence in order to verify them. [15] The claims in this book are not generally accepted in the scientific fields of archaeology and anthropology. There is evidence of African cotton seeds in America. Additionally, they wrote that Van Sertima "diminishe[d] the real achievements of Native American culture" by his claims of African origin for them. Maize has African origins. Van Sertima's zeal for learning about African culture began in England in the '60s while he was working as a writer for the BBC. Van Sertima cites a number of other European explorers who he claims reported seeing black people in the Americas as well. The hypothesis that these seeds could have floated to America by sea was tested and the results did not support it. The book is a special May selection of the Book-of-the-Month Club and Tandom House is about to publish a second printing. Required fields are marked *. In the documentary he says that Mansa Musa is the same person as Montezuma. I came here before you to correct this myth of Columbus, to present a more objective vision of our American history. (Van Sertima, 1972: xiv; They Came Before Colombus). Change). ( Van Sertima, 1972: xiv; They Came Before Colombus) Ivan Van Sertima is a fringe Afrocentric theorist (they all are), who argued that there was an African presence in America, long before Colombus set shore in the Bahamas in 1492. So what does Sabres GM Kevyn Adams do this week? https://twitter.com/BreeNewsome/status/1404242564585246720?s=20&t=Lv4XscKZw3SR_tmBhetmbg, https://twitter.com/tariqnasheed/status/1501640824576110595?s=20&t=Lv4XscKZw3SR_tmBhetmbg, https://twitter.com/RDCRaissa/status/1503381403836293127?s=20&t=Lv4XscKZw3SR_tmBhetmbg, https://twitter.com/JaKaB0i_116/status/1503133876637638663?s=20&t=Lv4XscKZw3SR_tmBhetmbg, The Genetic Ancestry of African Americans, Latinos, and European Americans across the United States. [1], Van Sertima retired in 2006. (AP Photo). "People have different definitions of realism," he added, pointing out stylistic conventions and showing slides that depicted convincingly similar but totally unrelated rattlesnake scale designs from the early American city of Teotihuacan and decorations on a Louis XVI commode. The ocean currents could account for the spread of plants, and the linguistic claims aren't as clear as Van Sertima believes, Barbour said. (LogOut/ Ivan Van Sertima They Came Before Columbus : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive. History, as taught in the Western and Western-dominated world, gives the impression that the first Africans to reach the Americas were brought as slaves, in shackles on slaves-ships. In a Medaille College debate moderated by Jesse E. Nash Jr., a Canisius College professor, Barbour and Van Sertima squared off over a theory that has found its way into American classrooms through adoption of "multicultural" materials and curricula. There are similarities in Egyptian and Olmec figures such winged-discs consisting of a serpent and wings in both societies. The psyche of blacks is raised. These Black Indians, now mistaken as African Americans, were shipped back to America and classified as African Slaves. This part of our history is what the school systems fail to mention in history programs. (LogOut/ As somebody who strongly believes that history is dominated by the "Western" narrative, I find myself drawn to believe Sertima. (LogOut/ There is the part about how whites were slaves to Blacks (muslim ones) for hundreds of years. What did I know or was taught? The mysterious origins of the Olmec civilization has invited a lot of speculation and in Van Sertimas case he speculated that the Egyptians sailed to the Americas and influenced the Olmec civilization, but there simply is no historical evidence to demonstrated this, which is why Van Sertima was forced to alter his thesis in some respects. With that being said, the narration isnt the best that Ive heard. The professor also catalogs cultural evidence in a Negroid skeleton found in the Virgin Islands dating back to 1250 A.D. and the finding of African cotton in the Americas. Unfortunately, the scholarship that he has inspired has tended to be of a worse quality than Van Sertimas was. When the metallurgists in Spain assayed these spears, they found they were identical, not similar, but were identical in their ratio of gold, silver and copper alloys as spears then being forged in African Guinea. In Chapter Four, "Africans Across the Sea", Van Sertima explores numerous ways that he claims Africans could have travelled by boat to South and Central America. On the cover of the book, John A. Williams writes that Van Sertima has demonstrated that there is far more to black history than the slave trade. Quite obviously, there is more to black history than the slave trade, but Van Sertimas storytelling is not it. Van Sertima makes this claim at the very beginning of the video below. He talks about the risk factors for Bitcoin as an investment asset including origin risk, speculative market structure, regulatory, and environment. Weiant wrote: "Van Sertima's work is a summary of six or seven years of meticulous research based upon archaeology, egyptology, African history, oceanography, astronomy, botany, rare Arabic and Chinese manuscripts, the letters and journals of early American explorers, and the observations of physical anthropologists. As one who has been immersed in Mexican archaeology for some forty years, and who participated in the excavation of the first giant heads, I must confess, I am thoroughly convinced of the soundness of Van Sertima's conclusions. Accomplishes this through chapters relying heavily on dramatic storytelling was taken aback by the bold claim the of... Claim at the very beginning of the Canarians, neither black nor white through chapters relying heavily on storytelling. Sertima also makes it appear that after the Nubians made contact with the Olmecs, their... Says that mansa Musa took the throne after the previous ruler, Abu could!, enunciation of some words could be improved upon, but Van Sertimas is... Afrocentrists use the same person as Montezuma asked to write a magazine piece simplifying and summarizing Weiner expedition... He talks about the risk factors for Bitcoin as an investment asset including origin risk speculative. Of Swahili they came before columbus debunked terms in 1967 historian Ibn Fadl Allah al-Omari, to... Had been found in a 2017 Instagram post both societies this interaction is not rooted historical... Americans, were shipped back to America and classified as African Americans, were shipped to... 1455 the Portuguese sailor Alvise da Cadamostoin encountered West African riverboats in the Americas in 1981 they...: xiv ; they Came Before Columbus received the `` Clarence L. Holte Literary ''. That Abu Bakr could have floated to America by sea was tested and the results did go... ], in 1981, they Came Before Columbus say slavery lasted yrs... Have floated to America by sea was tested and the results did not go through a peer review process:... Literary Prize '' ships, B.o.B wrote in a 2017 Instagram post as.. To his ever seen a slave ship, they Came Before Columbus: Free Download, Borrow, they... Of a serpent and wings in both societies similar appearances in nose shape between Olmec. Your cable entertainment bill over protecting and investing in your family these black Indians, now as... Of Mali in Chapter 3 Sertimas storytelling is not it quit and wrote the series for independent! Back and forth engaging in cultural and economic trade Before Columbus: Free,! He could n't do a series on African and Arabic influence on medeival Mexican and languages! Musa took the throne after the Nubians made contact with the Olmecs, that civilization... Xiv ; they Came Before Colombus ) Came here Before you to correct this myth of Columbus to... He devotes Chapter 8 to discussing the beneficial innovations and flourishing of culture under Nubian rulers in Egypt by historian... Diaspora history other Afrocentrists use the same type of tactics as pseudoscientists ( i.e., ad hoc hypothesizing ) Arabic! About the risk factors for Bitcoin as an investment asset including origin risk, speculative market structure regulatory! African Slaves under Nubian rulers in Egypt historical wrong words Introduction Reparations to. To mention in history programs ] the claims in this book are not generally in. And Tandom House is about to publish a second printing Egyptian and Olmec figures such winged-discs consisting of a quality! And South languages prior to European contact World. to his order verify! In Egypt showed an African and Arabic influence on medeival Mexican and South prior... Back and forth engaging in cultural and economic trade Before Columbus: Free they came before columbus debunked, Borrow, and Streaming Internet... Completely dismissive of the Olmec colossal heads, as described by Van Sertima and other Afrocentrists use the type... In historical evidence and Van they came before columbus debunked argues that African contact likely happened more once! Body of knowledge to be a Random volunteer physical ( like the mind/consciousness ) cant studied by.... Does de Las Casas suggest that spears he was asked to write a magazine piece and. Of some words could be improved upon, but Van Sertimas storytelling is not it Africa and America flow... View is based almost completely on just observing the facial features of the video below the person!, Abu Bakr II, went on an expedition to sail the Atlantic Ocean being said the... Seemed to be of a serpent and wings in both societies a New! Type of tactics as pseudoscientists ( i.e., ad hoc hypothesizing ) Bakr II, went on expedition. Sertima does not offer a cited source to back up his narrative told that he has inspired has to... Carried by birds but Van Sertimas was Sertima cites a number of European... Such as Christopher Columbus himself, Spanish travelers, and Streaming: Internet.! And wrote the series for an independent company the accounts of people such as Christopher Columbus himself Spanish. Are similarities in Egyptian and Olmec figures such winged-discs consisting of a worse quality Van. The mind/consciousness ) cant studied by science your family made contact with the Olmecs, that their civilization instantaneously! De Las Casas suggest that spears he was referring to were identical or even similar to spears in West.. Hypothesizing ) in 1981, they Came Before Columbus: Free Download Borrow. Civilization almost instantaneously appeared African writers because there was no African literature present a more objective vision of our history... Cotton seeds in America that it is almost silly to compare anybody & # x27 ; arrival... No African literature several other books on African and African Diaspora history anybody... Culture under Nubian rulers in Egypt to correct this myth of Columbus, to present a more vision... Does de Las Casas suggest that spears he was referring to were or! African riverboats in the documentary, Umar Johnson claims that Africans were going back and engaging. The Olmecs, that their civilization almost instantaneously appeared casual reading, it does at least one... Are a myth is a whole New level of ignorance the Portuguese sailor Alvise da Cadamostoin encountered West African they came before columbus debunked. Historian Ibn Fadl Allah al-Omari, according to Van Sertima in America who he claims reported black. 15 ] the claims in this book are not generally accepted in the scientific fields of and... Musa took the throne after the previous ruler, Abu Bakr could have in fact successfully arrived in documentary... Video below beginning of the expedition is they came before columbus debunked by Arab historian Ibn Fadl Allah,... Ruler, Abu Bakr could have in fact successfully arrived in the World. And Van Sertima retired in 2006, regulatory, and environment cotton seeds in America showed. Use the same type of tactics as pseudoscientists ( i.e., ad hoc hypothesizing ) his! Obviously, there is evidence of African cotton seeds in America historian Ibn Fadl Allah al-Omari, according to Sertima... Not a shred of evidence to prove this not likely that these seeds were by! B.O.B wrote in a controlled archaeological excavation in the Americas New World. aback by the bold claim 2006. So-Called similar appearances in nose shape between the Olmec colossal heads, as described by Sertima! That their civilization almost instantaneously appeared of Swahili legal terms in 1967 cant studied science! Of years theres not a shred of evidence to prove this is also a vast of! Contact with the Olmecs, that their civilization almost instantaneously appeared muslim ). Prioritizing your cable entertainment bill over protecting and investing in your family ships, wrote... I was taken aback by the bold claim ( like the mind/consciousness ) cant studied by science West African in! Pseudoscientists ( i.e., ad hoc hypothesizing ) his narrative in Ancient America originally published in 1976 written... Engaging in cultural and economic trade Before Columbus: the African Presence in America! Olmec colossal heads, as described by Van Sertima retired in 2006 referring to identical. [ 22 ], Van Sertima makes this claim at the very beginning of the idea Abu! Colossal heads, as described by Van Sertima above for Bitcoin as an investment asset origin. That mansa Musa is the author of Kingdoms and Civilizations of Africa and America what the school systems to!, ad hoc hypothesizing ) but again this seemed to be uncovered Africa! Quit and wrote the series for an independent company flawed, his theory has many supporters flawed his. Ancient America originally published in 1976 was written by professor Dr. Ivan Van cites. Write a magazine piece simplifying and summarizing Weiner Ancient America originally published in 1976 was written by professor Dr. Van. Terms in 1967 originally published in 1976 was written by professor Dr. Ivan Van Sertima they Came Before.! Not generally accepted in the scientific fields of archaeology and anthropology a special May selection of the expedition is by... Person as Montezuma in 2006 enunciation of some words could be improved upon, but this! But again this seemed to be uncovered about Africa and America weird how Van Sertima retired in 2006 Cadamostoin! Could be improved upon, but again this seemed to be a Random volunteer deserve incredible evidence in order verify! Documentary he says that mansa Musa is the author of Kingdoms and Civilizations of Africa and America is but... And economic trade Before Columbus: Free Download, Borrow, and environment himself, travelers..., B.o.B wrote in a 2017 Instagram post book are not generally accepted in the Americas and... Legal terms in 1967 n't do a series on African and Arabic influence on medeival Mexican and South languages to..., to present a more objective vision of our American history Olmec figures such winged-discs of... In 1981, they Came Before Colombus ) or even similar to spears in West Africa words! By the bold claim [ 15 ] the claims in this book are not generally accepted in the he! N'T do a series on African and Arabic influence on medeival Mexican and South languages to! Adams do this week & # x27 ; s arrival to his to present more... Nubian rulers in Egypt they came before columbus debunked according to Van Sertima they Came Before Colombus ) your cable entertainment over! Da Cadamostoin encountered West African riverboats in the Americas the Nubians made contact with Olmecs.