Thousands of years ago in the bitterly cold north that separates the Americas from Asia, a group of Central Asians crossed the Bering Strait to an uninhabited wilderness. Stone Age in their technology, these early Americans lived in isolation, cut off from technological advances in the rest of the world. Primitive yet resourceful, these small bands learned to respect their environment, taming the wilds without destroying them and living in harmony with nature.
When Columbus arrived in the Americas in AD 1492, the multi-millennial divide was finally bridged. But the bridge was more of a one-way street. Europeans disrupted the ancient way of life, overran the territories of the Native Americans, and eventually confined the Native Americans to reservations.
What happened to the early Americans? They’re still here. In one sense, the history of the Natives is, well, boring. Except that much of the history I described above has turned out to be wrong.
