Dispersionist View of Native America

This is a pretty interesting article which kind of explained a lot to me in terms of the history of Native Americans and the western hemisphere. I guess the Smithsonian had an "isolationist" view of Native Americans, in that they believed there wasn't much contact between Native Americans and the rest of the world before the arrival of Columbus. This concept was so strong that the Smithsonian didn't believe there was much contact between Native American tribes and people's themselves.

It Didn't Quite Click
Something about this concept always rang hollow for me in my thinking. The fact that people are made in the image of God and were commanded to be fruitful and multiply means that there is something in the spirit of man that needs to dynamically expand and seek out new territories, horizons and interact with others.

Dispersion
The other theory that unfortunately didn't prevail in the study of Native American's and the western hemisphere was the theory of "dispersion" or "diffusion". The theory of "dispersion" suggests that there was a lot of dynamic contact between Native Americans and people from other parts of the world before the arrival of Columbus. I tend to believe this.

Why Not Go For The Gold?
I believe the "isolationist" concept of Native American history has tended to hold alot of Native American's back from fulfilling their God-give destiny, because the study of Native American's tends to be in the past tense and presented in a "static" context. You'll notice that the reservation system has somewhat of an "isolationist" element to it. When you realize your history is fluid and dynamic, rather than static, I believe it helps to free you up to go after your God-given destiny, try new things, and fulfill your potential.

Anyway, enjoy the link...

http://www.onelight.com/hollow/giant/canyon.html

No matter what your race, gender or background...you are free to pursue your destiny...with passion. :)

* Note - I am strong believer in Native American tribal sovereignty and aboriginal claims to their lands. The theory of dispersion is not intended to be used to justify abrogating aboriginal claims to their lands or the ability of Native American tribes and people to control their destiny. That said, the theory of dispersion, taken appropriately, is extremely evocative and seems to flow in line with a wide variety of Native American oral traditions, legends and history, especially stories of migration and emergence. Peace...