BERING STRAIT THEORY: CHARACTERISTICS AND CRITIQUES - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2025

The Bering Strait Theory states that the arrival of man to the American continent was due to the migrations that passed through the Bering Strait during the ice age. The passage was made through the Beringia Bridge, a region where the Bering Strait is located.

This region is located in the Arctic Circle and is made up of Siberia and Alaska. According to the theory, the formation of this bridge allowed the passage of animals and plants, as well as the migration of those who were the first settlers of the American continent, 12 thousand years ago.

Beringia

It is worth mentioning that the populations found in present-day Beringia come from ancient Alaskan and eastern Siberian cultures, which is why they have common cultural traits and languages.

History

There is evidence that sea levels in the vicinity of the Bering Strait rose and fell for various periods of time. The declines occurred mainly during the ice ages that occurred.

These variations caused the appearance of the Beringia region, until it was submerged again 30 thousand years ago.

However, it was during the last ice age, or the Wisconsin glaciation, that allowed the reappearance of the Bering Strait, the freezing and lowering of water bodies and the formation of glaciers.

These structures helped establish various land connection points, such as:

- Australia-Tasmania with New Guinea.

- Philippines and Indonesia.

- Japan and Korea.

- Fuerteventura and Lanzarote (Canary archipelago).

These places also include the Beringia region, which served as a link between America and Europe by having a kind of corridor 1500 kilometers wide, linking Siberia with Alaska.

At this point it is worth highlighting the environmental characteristics that existed towards the north of the American continent. That is, for the last ice age Canada was covered with ice thanks to the union of the Laurentian Ice Sheet and the Cordillera Ice Sheet, which prevented the passage of migrations to the territory.

There the theory of the ice corridor appears, which establishes that the last groups to move could do so by thawing part of the ice sheets that were there.

Characteristics of the Bering Strait Theory

Also known as the Asian monogenist theory, it was proposed by the Czech anthropologist, Alex Hrdlička, at the beginning of the s. XX.

This theory establishes that America was a depopulated continent in which nomadic tribes from Asia settled who traveled Siberia until they reached Alaska through the Bering Strait, more than 12 thousand years ago.

General approaches to the theory

- Man enters America through Alaska - crossing the Bering Strait - and through the valleys of the Yukon River, and then disperses across the continent. Main route: Bering Strait; Secondary routes: Aleutian Islands and Kuro Shiwo Stream.

- Migratory movements were led by hunters and paleomongoloid nomads.

- The migrants crossed on foot.

- Hrdlička proposes that the migrations were rather late processes that occurred from 12,000 BC. C.

Fundamentals of the theory

- The proximity between America and Asia. (Only 80 km).

- Evidence of polysynthetic languages ​​and binders.

- Presence of phenotypic similarities between Mongoloid populations and American Indians: shovel-shaped teeth, dark and straight hair, broad and prominent cheekbones, absence of a beard and the Mongolian spot, which is a congenital green pigmentation that appears at birth and is cleared during growth.

- The American Indians, Mayans, Incas, Quechuas and Patagones have common features that indicate that they come from the same origin.

- The discovery of archaeological remains such as the Child of Táber (Canada) and the Skull of the Angels (United States).

Previous approaches

Although one of the most important points in Hrdlička's theory points to the genesis of American man thanks to the indigenous populations from Asia, there are records that show that there are postulates prior to those of the anthropologist:

- The Spanish Jesuit José de Acosta was the first to suggest the Asian origin of the American man.

- In Samuel Foster's Archeology of the United States (1856), the author indicates that American Indians are similar to members of ancient Asian populations.

critics

Although the Bering Strait Theory is one of the most recognized today, critics and detractors of it have emerged:

- It is estimated that the American Indian is older. There are records of its appearance on the continent dating back 50 thousand years. Some examples are the presence of the Monte Verde in Chile and the Topper in the United States, the latter considered older than the formation of the Beringia Bridge in the Bering Strait.

- Not all languages ​​are binders.

- The Mongoloid green spot depends on the environmental conditions in which the subject is exposed.

- The blood groups do not match.

- The theory affirms that the original arrival was thanks to the Bering Strait, but recent studies affirm that these reached the American coasts in rafts. For that historical moment the water levels were shallow, some parts were covered with ice and the distribution of the continents was very different from today.

Genetic findings

Thanks to the advancement of technology, it is possible to learn more about the origins of the American populations.

- According to tests with mitochondrial DNA, it is believed that the migrations are much older than is believed, since it is estimated that they began about 40 thousand years ago, unlike what Hrdlička proposed.

- Scientists believe that the departure to Beringia occurred between 17,000 and 15,000 BC

- One study indicated that the Native American population certainly descended from settlers who were located in Asia and Europe.

- The origin of man in America still remains in controversy because no findings have been found that rule out some theories entirely.

References

1. Aleš Hrdlička. (sf). On Wikipedia. Retrieved: February 23, 2018. In Wikipedia at es.wikipedia.org.
2. Bering strait. (sf). In Metapedia. Retrieved: February 23, 2018. In Metapedia of es.metapedia.org.
3. Bering strait. (sf). On Wikipedia. Recovered. February 23, 2018. In Wikipedia at es.metapedia.org.
4. The inhabitants of America did not come through the Bering Strait. (2017). In Very Interesting. Retrieved: February 23, 2018. In Muy Interesante from muyinteresante.com.mx.
5. Population of America. (sf). On Wikipedia. Retrieved: February 23, 2018. In Wikipedia at es.wikipedia.org.
6. Beringia Bridge. (sf) On Wikipedia. Retrieved: February 23, 2018. In Wikipedia at es.wikipedia.org.
7. Settlement of the Americas. (sf). On Wikipedia. Retrieved: February 23, 2018. In Wikipedia at en.wikipedia.org.
8. Aleš Hrdlička's Asian theory. (sf). In Universal History. Retrieved: February 23, 2018. In Universal History of historicultural.com.