The fair-haired mummies of china

[Pleroma]

National Geographic investigates the fair-haired mummies of China in a documentary to air December 2. It includes DNA analysis.

Here's a link with info:

http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/viewArticle.asp?articleID=44197

[Mr. Mcd]

Thanks for posting this. It should be interesting.

[rainbow]

National Geographic investigates the fair-haired mummies of China in a documentary to air December 2. It includes DNA analysis.

Here's a link with info:

http://www.americanchronicle.com/art...rticleID=44197

Thank you very much for this info. I'm happy to hear that it's being investigated. I wish I could see the tv program, but I don't have cable.

I'd love to see some more details about it.

[Pleroma]

If anyone who watched this episode would be kind enough to relate some of what was said, that would be wonderful.

Not only would this be helpful for Rainbow and anyone else that doesn't have cable but also for any Canadians comme moi.

(Our National Geographic channel is pathetic unless you're really into "The Dog Whisperer.")

[rainbow]

what happened?

Thanks Pleroma.
I would like to know the details of what happened in that tv program.
Did anyone here see the show?

[Hando]

Here's 5 minutes of it to whet your appetite and mine. Seems quite well made and intriguing. Hopefully they someone will record the full length on youtube.

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=9-LXAfmnakg

[Hando]

Here's one from Nova. Unfortunately, the poster goes by the name of Aryancrusader.

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=MS_Mt_hseNA

[Pleroma]

Thanks Hando. I checked Youtube and the entire show is there in 6 parts, unfortunately it seems to be posted by over-excited David Duke worshipers.

I watched much of it and it's very interesting but there is far too much speculation as to how much influence a few people had in the region. Maybe they did and maybe they didn't. It's also not unusual when cultures come together for ideas to blossom and technologies develop.

One thing that is indisputable is that this is another indication of just how non-isolated human history has been and how 'mixed' modern human beings really are.

[Hando]

You bring up some good points about the influence that cultural exchanges has on advances in technology. Who knows, perhaps the Tocharians really did bring metallurgic knowledge to the Chinese, but as you say it seems that the current school of thought is to Eurocentric in its angle.
In many ways though, I tend to believe this to be a possibility. But then again, that is only because I grew up in a Western school system and since I dont know much about Asian history, I tend to view things from a western viewpoint and Chinese discoveries are quite foreign and unknown to me. When that happens, you tend to get automatically biased in your thoughts.

Sort of the way Gordon Wasson seemed to think the whole Amanita Muscaria/Soma came from Indo-Europeans and penetrated to the east.

[rainbow]

Thank you Hando & Pleroma. I watched the youtube links. Part 5 of the 6 part Nova show also shows what looked to me like at least 2 African people on the wall mural.
From what I recall from the youtube links they focused a lot on the textiles. It was a very fine sheep wool made into tartan patterns. And the people had red hair. Sounds to me like some ancient Scottish Highlanders took their sheep to Asia? They must have been traders at the furthest outpost along the silk road and that's all there is to it.. I don't think the bronze tools/weapons found with the mummies mean that they themselves created them. They just traded for it.
It was just horrible to see and hear how some of the poor mummies were mutilated and murdered.
Why didn't they just do dna analysis of the mummies and local people? That's what I wanted to see.
At one point they said the design of dancing women on the wall looked like a Bulgarian design from the same time period. I had a co-worker from Bulgaria who was very fair and redhaired. Maybe the Celts were from Bulgaria and moved in two directions, east and west?

It was nice to see handsome Spencer Wells in the NG link

[rainbow]

Since there is some Korean dna found in modern-day Norse & Scottish people, maybe these ancient tartan-wearing European people living in an Asian desert intermarried with Koreans who also ventured far into the desert. Then their surviving descendants moved to back Europe as refugees trying to escape the people that took over the desert. Those mummies were murdered by someone.

[Pleroma]

About the murder and torture visible in a couple of the mummies----it's interesting how they just seem to assume it was war and not part of a "justice" system within the tribe.

[Hando]

Since there is some Korean dna found in modern-day Norse & Scottish people, maybe these ancient tartan-wearing European people living in an Asian desert intermarried with Koreans who also ventured far into the desert. Then their surviving descendants moved to back Europe as refugees trying to escape the people that took over the desert. Those mummies were murdered by someone.

Rainbow, thanks for that as that makes a lot of sense. I know its conjecture, but I cant believe I never thought of that. Especially knowing full well that Koreans are thought to have migrated out of the Altai area. Perhaps about 4,000 years ago, come to think of it? Hmmm, interesting stuff to research there...

Although that time period is different from the Old Korean kingdom of Silla, I wanted to mention something. I went to the museum today and a lady scholar was telling a group of retired old men how the gold Silla crown on display had antlers and branches from the Life Tree symbols on it. And that to this day tribes in Pyzyrk and Altai regions practiced shamanism wherein the Shaman wears antlers at rituals.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Sillacrown.jpg

And that the Silla King was a sort of shaman/priest as well as a king, who mediated between the gods in the other spirit world and his people in this one. Come to think of it, isnt a King who mediates in such a way also part of Indo-European culture, as well as being part of Siberian culture?

Another noteworthy point is the fact that the Silla Kings of Korea were buried in mounds. And the traditional Korean way of burial is in smaller sized mounds, as is the normal practice to this very day.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Burial-Mounds-at-GyeongJu.jpg

[Jambalaia32]

Aryan Crusader/Blonde Chinese Mummies

Here's one from Nova. Unfortunately, the poster goes by the name of Aryancrusader.

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=MS_Mt_hseNA

AS for AryanCrusader ,well you can't hide who you really are, be it Black, Blonde,or Italian amongst other things. But as for myself I'm neither blonde nor Chinese. I know many people like China;every country has something good about it,so maybe those blondes wanted to go there(China). Italian Marco Polo went to China see the wonders of the great Khan,way before other Europeans ventured out. I know most ethnic Italians aren't blonde (they have pretty black hair),but they(the Italians) aren't Chinese either,and I hear Marco didn't want to Marry any Chinese girls even though he was offered wives which tend also to be very pretty. I don't call myself an Aryan-Isn't an Aryan an Indian and not a WhiteMan? And I'm not a Crusader because I'm not trying to capture Jerusalem and the HolyLand for the White Race.

[Hando]

I hear Marco didn't want to Marry any Chinese girls even though he was offered wives which tend also to be very pretty.

Probably, because he didn't want to settle in China as he was a Merchant after all and probably wanted to profit from trade rather than settle down for life. And he may have feared that marrying may have meant he would be forced to settle down.
After all he did go back to Europe.
Who knows what really is true. Perhaps, the Chinese/Mongolian aristocracy didn't want any of their daughters marrying a foreign person, who also didn't have the necessary pedigree. And marrying anyone from a lower class could have caused problems for Marco Polo's standing in the Mongol court. After all he was also a diplomat and this would have interfered with his agenda which was trade and commerce between his Venice and the East.