i am a us indian, my history teacher told me that my ancestor were chinese.why?

Answer 1

Your teacher might be wrong on this one!

I teach Native American studies at the university level, and here's my take on the situation.

It has been a long-standing theory that Native folks got to the Americas over 35,000 years ago by migrating from Asia to North America by going across the Bering Strait (which was then passable). So the theory is that Native folks are descended from Asian ancestors.

However, there have been recent archaeological findings in the Americas (Chile, Mexico, and Virginia) indicating that people may have lived in the Americas PRIOR to the possibility of Bering Strait migration. So the Bering Strait theory might be in need of revision.

In addition, each Native group (from Dine to Hodenosaunee to Inuit to Muskogee, everybody) has their very own story about their origins. These stories are, religiously, extremely important self-definitions and should never be minimalized, or discounted.

So here's my thought on the issue. Talk to elders in your nation. They'll tell you who your ancestors were, and they'll tell you why it is important for you to know their stories. What they tell you will definitely be more important than what your teacher told you. :)

Best wishes to you.

Answer 2

There is a popular and interesting theory that postulates that all Asian people groups are descendants of the Chinese. That is why Asians have a very similar orientation as far as using pictographs for language and many other cultural similarities. I know Inuits are considered a part of this grouping but I am not sure about American Indians. The theory believes that all the continents were at one time intact and that people from China made their way all over the world using this land bridge that now does not exist as the continents are now separated. Each group of "Chinese" descendants then settled in different places and over time developed their own distinctive cultural characteristics and language. It does make a lot of sense if you read and study the whole theory. *The two other people (above) who responded don't know what they are talking about, and have probably never even heard of the theory! China is one of the oldest if not the oldest civilization, so again that is why this theory would make sense. I am rusty on that point, as it was a while since I took linguistics.

Answer 3

It is true. Before the glaciers began their retreat around 10,000 or more years ago there was a land bridge between asia and alaska that humans crossed either hunting or due to local droughts or other natural reasons that rather migratory species (like our own). From that perspective, all Native Americans are directly linked to the very old asian connection. The only flaw with what your history teacher is saying is "Why would one stop there?" If you are going to go ten thousand or so years back, why not go 50- 100 thousand years back and say thet the entire human race's ancestry is actually african, yours, mine, and your professors. So bring it to his attention that if you go back far enough we all have the same ancestry.

Answer 4

Hi,,,, i am part native american also... what the teacher was probably referring to was the migration from the west to east across the bearing sea ...... millions of years ago by our ancestors..... I dont know if i would call them Chinese,,,, or more Mongol ,,, but you can look at some of us here and see the asian eyes better than other tribes....

I would not argue with the teacher,, just kind of go with the flow on it.....

good luck

Answer 5

your history teacher is stupid.

he is only very remotely correct. native americans (american indians) are asian by decent yes. They followed herds of animals herer over an isthmus connecting alaska and russia many thousands of years ago. In that sense, your ancestor's ancestors were asian but not chinese. When the nomads crossed over onto america, there was no china, no chinese. Everybody was a simple hunter-gatherer without much knowledge of anything.

So yes, native americans were from asian decent but not chinese.

Answer 6

Your teacher and you both are foolish