Dr. Jennifer A. Raff, A Genetic History of the Americas

Jennifer Raff builds a great case, in line with our Chehalis River Hypothesis theme, using both archaeological and genetic evidence that the path to the Americas follows the Coastal Migration Theory. She sees Beringia not as a bridge but a homeland inhabited for millenniums by ancestors of the First Peoples of the Americas, tying in well with the PNWAS talk by Dr. John Blong, WSU (see on our PNWAS YouTube Channel link, above).

Dr. Jennifer Raff: I present this history of the last 36,000 years of migration from the perspective of a Western scientist who places genetic evidence in the forefront of the investigation and then tests the models it produces with archaeological, linguistic, and environmental evidence. For many Indigenous peoples, this is not the whole story or the only story that should be told.

As you read this genetic chronicle, please do not lose sight of the dignity of the human beings who lived this history and the rich complexity of individual existences that are lost in the telling. The story I tell here is akin to reconstructing a person’s entire life by stitching together the photos they posted on Instagram. Not inaccurate, necessarily, just … incomplete.

Please get her #1 new release book on Kindle, book, or audio on Amazon so you are ready for our June PNWAS Zoom visit with Dr. Raff.

https://read.amazon.com/kp/embed?asin...