Olmec, Mayan, Xi People, Writing, Otomi, Mande & Yoruba

Researchers have found that some Mayan people have genetic markers, which point to African ancestors. For example Underhill, et al noted that:"

One Mayan male, previously (has been) shown to have an African Y chromosome." - Underhill, et al (1996) " A pre-Columbian Y chromosome-specific transition with its implications for human evolutionary history", Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci USA, Vol.93, pp.196-200.

Paul Manansala has observed that: Mestizos in Mayan or nearby areas show significant African admixture. The East Coast had extensive admixture according to a recent study by Lisker et al. ("Genetic Structure in Mesoamerica," _Human Biology_, June 1996).

The following percentages of African ancestry were found among East coast populations: The Olmecs built their civilisation in the region of the current states of Veracruz and Tabasco.

  According to Lisker et al in the image above these 3 are the percentages of African ancestry.

 Many scholars refuse to admit that Africans early settled in America.

But the evidence of African skeletons found at many Olmec sites, and their trading partners from the Old World found by Dr Andrzej Wiercinski prove the cosmopolitan nature of Olmec society.

The major evidence of the African origin of the Olmecs comes from their writing. The writing system used by the Olmec and later adopted by the Maya was first used by Mande speaking people in North Africa and is called Libyco-Berber (even though it can not be read in Taurag).

 The first scholar to recognise the African origin of the Olmec writing was Leo Wiener, in Dr Wiener, highlighted the fact that the writing on the Tuxtla statuette was identical to writing used by the Mande speaking people.

In addition to the Mande speaking Olmec or Xi people influencing the Mayan languages they also influenced the Otomi language of Mexico. The Otomi language also shows affinity to the Mande languages.

Haslip-Viera, Ortiz de Montellano and Barbour (1997) have argued that Olmec civilisation was not influenced by Africans and therefore Afrocentrism should have no standing in higher education, but in fact it can be illustrated that the facial types associated with the Olmec people and Meroitic people are identical;

And that Olmec figurine such as the Tuxtla statuette excavation are inscribed with African writing used by the Mande people of West Africa. (Wiener, 1922; Winters, 1979, of Manding writing, provide the "absolute proof " recovered by archaeologists from "controlled excavations in the New World" as demanded by Haslip-Viera, Ortiz de Montellano and Barbour (1997: 419) to "proof"/confirm Olmec and African contact.

 The Olmec spoke a variety of the Mande language, which is still spoken in West Africa today.

Haslip-Viera, Ortiz de Montellano and Barbour (1997: 419, 423-25) argue that the claims of the Afro-centrists claims that the Olmecs were Africans, must be rejected because 1) the Olmecs do not look like Nubians, and 2) the absence of an African artefact recovered from an archaeological excavation.

These authors are wrong on both counts, there are numerous resemblances between the ancient Olmec people and ancient Nubians, and an African artefact: Manding writing, is engraved on many Olmec artefacts discovered during archaeological excavation (Winters, 1979, 1997).

Haslip-Viera, Ortiz de Montellano and Barbour (1997) argue that the Olmecs could not have been Nubians or Kushites of the Napata-Meroe civilisation, as claimed by van Sertima (1976) because the Olmec civilisation preceded the civilisation of the Kushites by hundreds of years.

 They also claim that the Olmecs had flat noses, while the Nubians had "thinner noses" because they lived in the desert (Haslip-Viera, Ortiz de Montellano & Barbour, 1997:42

This view is false. The ancient Nubians like African- Americans today were not monolithic, they had different hues of skin, facial features and nose shapes (Keita, 1996: 104). This is evident in from the wall-painting from the tomb-chapel of Sebekhotep at Thebes, c.1400 BC, which show Nubians, of different types bringing rings of gold, incense and other luxury items to the Egyptian Pharaoh (Taylor, 1991).

Sources: Underhill, et al, Paul Manansala, Dr. Andrzej Wiercinski, Dr. Leo Wiener, van Sertima, Haslip-Viera, Ortiz de Montellano and Barbour, Translation from Otomi and Mande to English A Winters and Dr. Leo Wiener, Translation from Otomi and Mande to Yoruba and English Samuel A Akinyemi.