Review of ORIGIN
The peopling of the Americas
The America’s have an uneasy history stemming from brute colonialization, genocide, and slavery. But, before these atrocities happened, what did the history of Indigenous peoples look like? When were the America’s populated? And from where did ancestral populations come from?
Genetics offers some of the best data we have available to answer these questions, and build a story and understanding of human evolution and migration before Europeans landed on the shores of the Americas. In Origin: A Genetic History of the Americas, Jennifer Raff offers a comprehensive overview of the latest evidence situated within important historical context of America’s Indigenous peoples.
We know that Indigenous American’s ancestors came from northeast Asia, and specifically from an ancient Beringian population, but the biggest question is when. The most popular model suggests about 13,000 years ago, but tantalizing evidence, like fossilized footprints in New Mexico, suggests possible inhabitation as far back as 20-30,000 years ago, bringing with it the possibility of multiple migrations.
Ancient Beringian populations split into two groups – northern native Americans and southern native Americans – around 15.7 thousand years ago in present day British Colombia. We also know that the most likely path of migration was along the west coast of the US, likely using boats, from which populations inhabited northern Canada, central and eastern US, and down into central and south America.
Interestingly, ancient DNA extracted from human remains suggests that there are at least two unknown native populations – Population A and Population Y – that scientists are still trying to work out where they fit into the broader peopling models.
Much of the debate about when peopling occurred comes from difficulty of dating archeological sites and limited human remains at such sites, which leads to some to not count the evidence as evidence. But genetic evidence tells different stories than what gets left behind and survives nature. My money is on earlier peopling, which seems to be the model supported by Raff, too.
What makes Origin unique compared to other similar books (see recommendations at the end), is the broader context in which Raff situates her book. The genetic content and peopling models are book-ended by important history about research with Indigenous peoples, especially genetic research, and history of thought about the how the Americas were peopled. I also greatly enjoyed a dedicated chapter about the methods by which ancient DNA is extracted – a process I didn’t know much about at all.
The early chapters especially are also peppered with ‘boxes’ of additional context topics a few pages long. This feature – though I appreciate the additional content and context – I disliked because of the disruption it caused to the reading experience, but I suppose it’s likely a personal preference.
Overall, Origin was a great book that provides broad context of Indigenous history, research methods, and understanding to give a fuller picture of the peopling of the Americas.
Published: February 2022
Format: Hardcover
If you think this sounds interesting, bookmark these other great reads:
Who We Are and How We Got Here: Ancient DNA and the New Science of the Human Past by David Reich (2018)
A Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived: The Human Story Retold Through Our Genes by Adam Rutherford (2017)
This post contains affiliate links, allowing me to earn a small commission when you purchase books from the link provided. There is no cost to you, and this will allow me to keep this newsletter free and open to all. Happy reading!