The first inhabitants of America probably came from the
Old World. At a remote epoch a land-bridge connected northwest Europe with
Greenland, and Iceland still remains a witness to its former existence. Over
this bridge animals and men may have found their way into the New World.
Another prehistoric route may have led from Asia. Only a narrow strait now
separates Alaska from Siberia, and the Aleutian Islands form an almost complete
series of stepping-stones across the most northerly part of the Pacific.
THE AMERICAN ABORIGINES
The natives of America, whom Columbus called Indians,
certainly resemble Asiatics in some physical features, such as the
reddish-brown complexion, the hair, uniformly black and lank, the high
cheek-bones, and short stature of many tribes. On the other hand, the large,
aquiline nose, the straight eyes, never oblique, and the tall stature of some
tribes are European traits. It seems safe to conclude that the American
aborigines, whatever their origin, became thoroughly fused into a composite
race during long centuries of isolation from the rest of mankind.
