It
is generally believed that the Aborigines of the American continent
have an Asiatic origin. There are many physical as well as moral facts
which corroborate this opinion, and some few that would seem to weigh
against it.
The color of the Indian, the writer believes, is peculiar to himself, and while his cheek-bones have a very striking indication of a Tartar origin, his eyes have not. Climate may have had great influence on the former, but it is difficult to see how it can have produced the substantial difference which exists in the latter. The imagery of the Indian, both in his poetry and in his oratory, is oriental; chastened, and perhaps improved, by the limited range of his practical knowledge. He draws his metaphors from the clouds, the seasons, the birds, the beasts, and the vegetable world. In this, perhaps, he does no more than any other energetic and imaginative race would do, being compelled to set bounds to fancy by experience; but the North American Indian clothes his ideas in a dress which is different from that of the African, and is oriental in itself. His language has the richness and sententious fullness of the Chinese. He will express a phrase in a word, and he will qualify the meaning of an entire sentence by a syllable; he will even convey different significations by the simplest inflections of the voice.
Philologists have said that there are but two or three languages, properly speaking, among all the numerous tribes which formerly occupied the country that now composes the United States. They ascribe the known difficulty one people have to understand another to corruptions and dialects. The writer remembers to have been present at an interview between two chiefs of the Great Prairies west of the Mississippi, and when an interpreter was in attendance who spoke both their languages. The warriors appeared to be on the most friendly terms, and seemingly conversed much together; yet, according to the account of the interpreter, each was absolutely ignorant of what the other said. They were of hostile tribes, brought together by the influence of the American government; and it is worthy of remark, that a common policy led them both to adopt the same subject. They mutually exhorted each other to be of use in the event of the chances of war throwing either of the parties into the hands of his enemies. Whatever may be the truth, as respects the root and the genius of the Indian tongues, it is quite certain they are now so distinct in their words as to possess most of the disadvantages of strange languages; hence much of the embarrassment that has arisen in learning their histories, and most of the uncertainty which exists in their traditions.
Like nations of higher pretensions, the American Indian gives a very different account of his own tribe or race from that which is given by other people. He is much addicted to overestimating his own perfections, and to undervaluing those of his rival or his enemy; a trait which may possibly be thought corroborative of the Mosaic account of the creation.
The color of the Indian, the writer believes, is peculiar to himself, and while his cheek-bones have a very striking indication of a Tartar origin, his eyes have not. Climate may have had great influence on the former, but it is difficult to see how it can have produced the substantial difference which exists in the latter. The imagery of the Indian, both in his poetry and in his oratory, is oriental; chastened, and perhaps improved, by the limited range of his practical knowledge. He draws his metaphors from the clouds, the seasons, the birds, the beasts, and the vegetable world. In this, perhaps, he does no more than any other energetic and imaginative race would do, being compelled to set bounds to fancy by experience; but the North American Indian clothes his ideas in a dress which is different from that of the African, and is oriental in itself. His language has the richness and sententious fullness of the Chinese. He will express a phrase in a word, and he will qualify the meaning of an entire sentence by a syllable; he will even convey different significations by the simplest inflections of the voice.
Philologists have said that there are but two or three languages, properly speaking, among all the numerous tribes which formerly occupied the country that now composes the United States. They ascribe the known difficulty one people have to understand another to corruptions and dialects. The writer remembers to have been present at an interview between two chiefs of the Great Prairies west of the Mississippi, and when an interpreter was in attendance who spoke both their languages. The warriors appeared to be on the most friendly terms, and seemingly conversed much together; yet, according to the account of the interpreter, each was absolutely ignorant of what the other said. They were of hostile tribes, brought together by the influence of the American government; and it is worthy of remark, that a common policy led them both to adopt the same subject. They mutually exhorted each other to be of use in the event of the chances of war throwing either of the parties into the hands of his enemies. Whatever may be the truth, as respects the root and the genius of the Indian tongues, it is quite certain they are now so distinct in their words as to possess most of the disadvantages of strange languages; hence much of the embarrassment that has arisen in learning their histories, and most of the uncertainty which exists in their traditions.
Like nations of higher pretensions, the American Indian gives a very different account of his own tribe or race from that which is given by other people. He is much addicted to overestimating his own perfections, and to undervaluing those of his rival or his enemy; a trait which may possibly be thought corroborative of the Mosaic account of the creation.
Esta última observación, un tanto irónica, se refiere quizá a que todo el mundo se considera el pueblo elegido.... Pero deja entrever sin embargo lo que posiblemente sea la fuente última de estas creencias del autor—creencias que sorprendentemente son generalizadas en su época, según sostiene—sobre el origen de las poblaciones nativas americanas. Cooper se atiene al parecer a la tesis del monogenismo, tesis bíblica también si se quiere. Es más, supone que las poblaciones americanas proceden de Asia central ("Tartar"), y que hubo por tanto en algún momento una gran emigración originaria a partir de Asia—en una época en la que la humanidad y sus lenguas y tradiciones ya estaban formadas, pues insiste en el parentesco filológico mayor que hay entre las lenguas amerindias y las asiáticas, y en un menor parentesco con las africanas.
Tenemos, por tanto, en esquema, una versión decimonónica del Gran Viaje de la humanidad, una teoría sobre la distribución de las poblaciones humanas en la Tierra originada quizá en última instancia en el relato bíblico. Es interesante este pasaje de Cooper por estar a medio camino entre la narración de la Biblia y la antropología evolucionista moderna.
Un curioso dato adicional que observa Fenimore Cooper—uno de los datos que contradicen según él la noción de que los indios americanos descienden de los chinos. No tienen los ojos "achinados". Esto haría pensar que este rasgo distintivo de una población (o serie de poblaciones) se diferenció en los chinos con posterioridad a la separación entre sus antepasados comunes y los de los indios americanos.
Evidentemente Cooper no está pensando deliberadamente en estos términos evolucionistas—estamos muy lejos aún de Darwin— pero sin embargo su propio razonamiento contiene esta historia evolucionista, a su manera. Léanselo otra vez. No habla de marcadores de ADN, pero dentro de unos límites la historia que cuenta concuerda con ésta que se cuenta en el documental Journey of Man. (Ver la historia de los pobladores de Asia Central y América, pasando por los Chukchi, a partir del minuto 1.10.00).
Se observará que, lanzado en un arrebato de inspiración como pensador evolucionista avant la lettre, Fenimore Cooper avanza la tesis (sentido común también, se dirá... siempre lo supimos...) de que las poblaciones se adaptan al clima en su forma física. Y que por tanto, parte de los rasgos físicos de poblaciones distintas se han de explicar por un procedimiento de adaptación. Ahora bien, otros rasgos no responden a la adaptación, y habrá que remitirlos (en ausencia de explicación) a un azar indeterminado. Es la diferencia que ve Fenimore Cooper entre la forma de la cara con pómulos altos (adaptativa para él) y la forma de los ojos (un marcador étnico producto de... ¿el azar?). Cito: "Climate may have had great influence on the former [los pómulos], but it is difficult to see how it can have produced the substantial difference which exists in the latter [los párpados]."
Los chinos y asiáticos orientales, y aquí ampliamos algo si se quiere el relato de Fenimore Cooper, descienden de una población que adquirió el rasgo característico de sus párpados después de separarse de un grupo étnico más antiguo, sus antepasados comunes con los indios americanos. Un grupo de esos antepasados emigró a América desde Asia. Y en América, o de camino hacia ella, adquirió su coloración distintiva actual.
Fenimore Cooper puede considerarse el primer gran clásico norteamericano que escribe la épica de los indios, y de su encuentro con los blancos. Observa la Dra. Penas que quizá parte del interés del autor por las migraciones de las poblaciones indias se deba a una voluntad inconsciente o semiconsciente de hacer a los nativos americanos también (como los blancos) unos emigrantes al territorio de Norteamérica, una población más de las que lo han ocupado por oleadas.
La idea del Gran Viaje, en todo caso, puede remontarse por esta vía o por otras a diversos relatos míticos, quizá recuerdos remotos de las primeras historias orales que lo transmiten desde la fuente misma de su memoria. El relato bíblico es quizá el más potente de estos mitos. La Humanidad se desparrama por la tierra en un Gran Viaje tras el origen traumático que la separa primero de los animales y luego del lugar de su nacimiento y de sus primeros pasos. Es un viaje que de un modo u otro recapitulamos casi todos los seres humanos—de ahí quizá la potencia psíquica de los mitos que lo narran, al margen de los remotos ecos históricos que puedan tener éstos.
—oOo—
Bloqueado el vídeo en España, incluyo en su lugar éste de "The Journey of Man: A Genetic Odyssey":
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