How Did Ivan Van Sertima's African Influence Upon The Olmecs?
Halle August
HIS 153-1
Mr. John Newport
September 6, 2013
An Analysis of Ivan Van Sertima’s African influence upon the Olmecs
The Olmecs were considered to be the first pre-classic civilization in Mesoamerica that flourished in the year C. 1500 to 300 BCE who lived in the Tropical lowlands of south-central Mexico. The word Olmec comes from Aztec origin meaning “people of the rubber country”. The Olmecs were the first civilization to practice ritualistic bloodletting and played the Mesoamerican ballgame, Pok-A-Tok. Ivan van Sertima was born January 26, 1935 was a linguist, literary critic, an anthropologist and an Associate professor of African studies at Rutgers University. In 1977, he published, through Random House publishing, the book They Came Before Columbus: The African Presence in Ancient America, a detailed documentation of analogies between the Olmecs and the African culture before the time of Columbus. This topic has been much debated in the historical community, with some historians agreeing and disagreeing with his claim. …show more content…
The first piece of evidence that supports Van Sertima’s theory is the colossal stone heads that have facial features similar to that of African culture.
The colossal stone heads are 14 large stone structures, with heights varying between 5 to 12 feet, weighing between 5 to 50 tons, and sculpted from basalt. The first stone structure was founded at Tres Zapotes in the nineteenth century and sparked an archeological investigation leaded by Matthew Sterling in 1938. All of the structures depict men with general facial features that were common during the time among the Olmecs. These heads were transported over long distances, requiring a great deal of human labor to transport them, although the method by which the Olmecs did so still remains a
mystery.
The explanation in which these stone heads have led some historians to believe that African culture influenced the Olmecs lie between the facial features of the stone head carvings. These structures depict the generalized facial features of Olmec men at those time, thick lips, flat faces and broad noses, which are characteristically African features. Van Sertima also claimed that the hair braiding technique founded upon the structures at Tres Zapotes was embodied with an Ethiopian braiding technique. Historians believed that Africans had emigrated to the new world, made contact with the Olmecs and intermingled with them, causing a blend between the two cultures and traditions, to which the Olmecs have an African influence in these art works.
Not all historians support Van Sertima’s claim although. Arguments that historians have introduce to counter Van Sertima’s claim include the possibility of the shallowness of the basalt boulders have led the Olmecs to carve the stone heads in that manner. Some historians have found that the facial features that bare a resemblance to the Africans, along with the eyes of which have an Asian epicanthic fold, can be evidently seen in the descendants of the Olmecs today, and also lead to a resemblance to Polynesian ethnicity. So, this had lead historians to believe that these are general features of the Olmec men at the time, and do not pinpoint to one specific culture. Also, Van Sertima’s claim with the hair braiding technique failed for he could provide any evidence of an Ethiopian hair braiding technique dating to the era of the Olmecs.
The second piece of evidence to support Van Sertima’s claim is the similarities between Olmec and African languages. The Olmecs were the first civilization to develop a writing system in the Western Hemisphere which date from 650 BCE to 900 BCE. “The Olmec had both a syllabic and hieroglyphic script. The hieroglyphic signs were simply Olmec syllabic signs used to make pictures. There are two forms of Olmec hieroglyphic writing: the pure hieroglyphics (or picture signs); and the phonetic hieroglyphics, which are a combination of syllabic and logographic signs.” A discovery in 2006, from a site in San Lorenzo, has showed a set of 62 symbols arranged in horizontal rows, which is not common to Mesoamerican scripts, which are typically in vertical rows.
The explanation of the African influence upon the Olmec writing system are studies done by Clyde Winters to show the similarities between the Olmec hieroglyphs and the Mende script used in West Africa. Hieroglyphs that were found in parts of Ancient Mexico proved to be similar to the Mende language spoken by modern Mende speaking people of West Africa. When the writings were translated, it was proven that the language spoken by the Olmecs was Mende.
Although the Mende language and that spoken by the Olmecs are similar, they are not identical. At that time, when the world was developing, and these cultures were advancing, the use of pictographs were popular and common between civilizations around the world. Then, these cultures were experimenting with a new system of communicating, so symbols used for “God” and “hill” was similar, but not identical. To at the point that this is modern day Mende into which the Olmec language was translated, it is more evident to say that the Mende civilization took after the language spoken by the Olmecs, rather than the other way around.
The Last piece of evidence to support Van Sertima’s African influence upon the Olmecs is his sighting of a boat on an Olmec stela. Izapa Stela 5 was founded in Izapa, Chiapas and was carved C. 300 BCE. The stela depicts a scene in Olmec mythology, the Tree of Life. Izapa Stela 5 was carved of volcanic rock and weighs approximately 1-1/2 tons. Due to the multiple scenes and events on the stela, it appears to be a narrative that involves humans, animals, deity figures and botanical elements. The scene depicts the Olmec’s interpretation of the creation story, to which they believe that humans emerge from a hole drilled into the tree’s left side.
Evidence to support Van Sertima’s claim is the launching of the great ships of Mali in 1311. A fleet of 400 boats left the Mali Empire, and discovered land across the ocean to the West. Due to being swept away by ocean currents, only one ship returned. The captain of the returning ship reported his discovery of a western settlement to Prince Abubakari II; he reported that both conducted trade and warfare with the people of the western land. Potatoes, yams and squash that were not evident in that part of the world came to the Americas until this expedition of the Africans. The Africans brought these produce from Africa to cultivate in this region. This evidence indicates that the Africans made contact with the Olmecs, and therefore, some may have stayed on the land instead of returning, or may have mixed with the women of the society and have children with African features.
The evidence that denies this theory is that in 1500-1000 BC, when the Olmec civilization was flourishing, due to the Greeks, Phoenicians, Assyrians and Babylonians, who were trying to gain control of the trade routes of the sea, making it hard for trade to occur between West Africa and the people of the western land. The boats that the Africans used to sail across the ocean proved to be incapable of crossing the ocean and also to make a journey back. Out of the fleet of 400 boats, only one returns to the Mali Empire to report of the discovery. The Africans were not skilled sailors, and were going into unfamiliar waters. So they were easily swept up by the ocean currents and a journey back home was unsuccessful.
To conclude, the African influence on the Olmec culture is too evident to be considered a coincidence between these two cultures. Evidence shows the likelihood of Africans coming to the Americas in the time of the Olmec in my opinion. Firstly, in the stone heads, it is more than a coincidence that the facial features resembles those of African features. If they were so skilled in pottery and a writing system, how can they not be as skilled in replicating an exact figure of a person in front of them? Secondly, in the writing system, Clyde Winters used a modern day African language to translate Olmec writing. Even though it is not identical, it is very similar. It is highly unlikely that these people are thinking the same thing without one being influenced upon the next. Lastly in the boats, it is written upon an Olmec stela, an artifact that only the Olmec could possess, to clearly state the way upon which the Africans traveled to the Americas. These evidence and many contribute to my opinion that the Olmec civilization has some sort of African influence upon it.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Aaanativearts.com. 2007. Olmec writing. [online] Available at: http://www.aaanativearts.com/ancient-indians/olmec-writing.htm [Accessed: 2 Sep 2013].
En.wikipedia.org. 1997. Olmec - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. [online] Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olmec#Writing [Accessed: 6 Sep 2013].
En.wikipedia.org. 1997. Olmec - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. [online] Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olmec#Colossal_heads [Accessed: 6 Sep 2013].
Encyclopedia Britannica. 1986. Olmec (people). [online] Available at: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/427846/Olmec [Accessed: 6 Sep 2013].
Global Black History. 2012. They Came Before Columbus: Early Evidence of African Presence in the Americas. [online] Available at: http://www.globalblackhistory.com/2012/02/they-came-before-columbus-early.html [Accessed: 6 Sep 2013].
Global Black History. 2012. They Came Before Columbus: Early Evidence of African Presence in the Americas. [online] Available at: http://www.globalblackhistory.com/2012/02/they-came-before-columbus-early.html [Accessed: 6 Sep 2013].
Hotep, A. 1991. RaceandHistory.com - BLACK CIVILIZATIONS OF ANCIENT AMERICA. [online] Available at: http://www.raceandhistory.com/historicalviews/ancientamerica.htm [Accessed: 6 Sep 2013].
Perry, L. 2010. Olmec Giant Heads. [online] Available at: https://suite101.com/a/olmec-giant-heads-a214775 [Accessed: 6 Sep 2013].
HIS 153-1
Mr. John Newport
September 6, 2013
An Analysis of Ivan Van Sertima’s African influence upon the Olmecs
The Olmecs were considered to be the first pre-classic civilization in Mesoamerica that flourished in the year C. 1500 to 300 BCE who lived in the Tropical lowlands of south-central Mexico. The word Olmec comes from Aztec origin meaning “people of the rubber country”. The Olmecs were the first civilization to practice ritualistic bloodletting and played the Mesoamerican ballgame, Pok-A-Tok. Ivan van Sertima was born January 26, 1935 was a linguist, literary critic, an anthropologist and an Associate professor of African studies at Rutgers University. In 1977, he published, through Random House publishing, the book They Came Before Columbus: The African Presence in Ancient America, a detailed documentation of analogies between the Olmecs and the African culture before the time of Columbus. This topic has been much debated in the historical community, with some historians agreeing and disagreeing with his claim. …show more content…
The first piece of evidence that supports Van Sertima’s theory is the colossal stone heads that have facial features similar to that of African culture.
The colossal stone heads are 14 large stone structures, with heights varying between 5 to 12 feet, weighing between 5 to 50 tons, and sculpted from basalt. The first stone structure was founded at Tres Zapotes in the nineteenth century and sparked an archeological investigation leaded by Matthew Sterling in 1938. All of the structures depict men with general facial features that were common during the time among the Olmecs. These heads were transported over long distances, requiring a great deal of human labor to transport them, although the method by which the Olmecs did so still remains a
mystery.
The explanation in which these stone heads have led some historians to believe that African culture influenced the Olmecs lie between the facial features of the stone head carvings. These structures depict the generalized facial features of Olmec men at those time, thick lips, flat faces and broad noses, which are characteristically African features. Van Sertima also claimed that the hair braiding technique founded upon the structures at Tres Zapotes was embodied with an Ethiopian braiding technique. Historians believed that Africans had emigrated to the new world, made contact with the Olmecs and intermingled with them, causing a blend between the two cultures and traditions, to which the Olmecs have an African influence in these art works.
Not all historians support Van Sertima’s claim although. Arguments that historians have introduce to counter Van Sertima’s claim include the possibility of the shallowness of the basalt boulders have led the Olmecs to carve the stone heads in that manner. Some historians have found that the facial features that bare a resemblance to the Africans, along with the eyes of which have an Asian epicanthic fold, can be evidently seen in the descendants of the Olmecs today, and also lead to a resemblance to Polynesian ethnicity. So, this had lead historians to believe that these are general features of the Olmec men at the time, and do not pinpoint to one specific culture. Also, Van Sertima’s claim with the hair braiding technique failed for he could provide any evidence of an Ethiopian hair braiding technique dating to the era of the Olmecs.
The second piece of evidence to support Van Sertima’s claim is the similarities between Olmec and African languages. The Olmecs were the first civilization to develop a writing system in the Western Hemisphere which date from 650 BCE to 900 BCE. “The Olmec had both a syllabic and hieroglyphic script. The hieroglyphic signs were simply Olmec syllabic signs used to make pictures. There are two forms of Olmec hieroglyphic writing: the pure hieroglyphics (or picture signs); and the phonetic hieroglyphics, which are a combination of syllabic and logographic signs.” A discovery in 2006, from a site in San Lorenzo, has showed a set of 62 symbols arranged in horizontal rows, which is not common to Mesoamerican scripts, which are typically in vertical rows.
The explanation of the African influence upon the Olmec writing system are studies done by Clyde Winters to show the similarities between the Olmec hieroglyphs and the Mende script used in West Africa. Hieroglyphs that were found in parts of Ancient Mexico proved to be similar to the Mende language spoken by modern Mende speaking people of West Africa. When the writings were translated, it was proven that the language spoken by the Olmecs was Mende.
Although the Mende language and that spoken by the Olmecs are similar, they are not identical. At that time, when the world was developing, and these cultures were advancing, the use of pictographs were popular and common between civilizations around the world. Then, these cultures were experimenting with a new system of communicating, so symbols used for “God” and “hill” was similar, but not identical. To at the point that this is modern day Mende into which the Olmec language was translated, it is more evident to say that the Mende civilization took after the language spoken by the Olmecs, rather than the other way around.
The Last piece of evidence to support Van Sertima’s African influence upon the Olmecs is his sighting of a boat on an Olmec stela. Izapa Stela 5 was founded in Izapa, Chiapas and was carved C. 300 BCE. The stela depicts a scene in Olmec mythology, the Tree of Life. Izapa Stela 5 was carved of volcanic rock and weighs approximately 1-1/2 tons. Due to the multiple scenes and events on the stela, it appears to be a narrative that involves humans, animals, deity figures and botanical elements. The scene depicts the Olmec’s interpretation of the creation story, to which they believe that humans emerge from a hole drilled into the tree’s left side.
Evidence to support Van Sertima’s claim is the launching of the great ships of Mali in 1311. A fleet of 400 boats left the Mali Empire, and discovered land across the ocean to the West. Due to being swept away by ocean currents, only one ship returned. The captain of the returning ship reported his discovery of a western settlement to Prince Abubakari II; he reported that both conducted trade and warfare with the people of the western land. Potatoes, yams and squash that were not evident in that part of the world came to the Americas until this expedition of the Africans. The Africans brought these produce from Africa to cultivate in this region. This evidence indicates that the Africans made contact with the Olmecs, and therefore, some may have stayed on the land instead of returning, or may have mixed with the women of the society and have children with African features.
The evidence that denies this theory is that in 1500-1000 BC, when the Olmec civilization was flourishing, due to the Greeks, Phoenicians, Assyrians and Babylonians, who were trying to gain control of the trade routes of the sea, making it hard for trade to occur between West Africa and the people of the western land. The boats that the Africans used to sail across the ocean proved to be incapable of crossing the ocean and also to make a journey back. Out of the fleet of 400 boats, only one returns to the Mali Empire to report of the discovery. The Africans were not skilled sailors, and were going into unfamiliar waters. So they were easily swept up by the ocean currents and a journey back home was unsuccessful.
To conclude, the African influence on the Olmec culture is too evident to be considered a coincidence between these two cultures. Evidence shows the likelihood of Africans coming to the Americas in the time of the Olmec in my opinion. Firstly, in the stone heads, it is more than a coincidence that the facial features resembles those of African features. If they were so skilled in pottery and a writing system, how can they not be as skilled in replicating an exact figure of a person in front of them? Secondly, in the writing system, Clyde Winters used a modern day African language to translate Olmec writing. Even though it is not identical, it is very similar. It is highly unlikely that these people are thinking the same thing without one being influenced upon the next. Lastly in the boats, it is written upon an Olmec stela, an artifact that only the Olmec could possess, to clearly state the way upon which the Africans traveled to the Americas. These evidence and many contribute to my opinion that the Olmec civilization has some sort of African influence upon it.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Aaanativearts.com. 2007. Olmec writing. [online] Available at: http://www.aaanativearts.com/ancient-indians/olmec-writing.htm [Accessed: 2 Sep 2013].
En.wikipedia.org. 1997. Olmec - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. [online] Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olmec#Writing [Accessed: 6 Sep 2013].
En.wikipedia.org. 1997. Olmec - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. [online] Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olmec#Colossal_heads [Accessed: 6 Sep 2013].
Encyclopedia Britannica. 1986. Olmec (people). [online] Available at: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/427846/Olmec [Accessed: 6 Sep 2013].
Global Black History. 2012. They Came Before Columbus: Early Evidence of African Presence in the Americas. [online] Available at: http://www.globalblackhistory.com/2012/02/they-came-before-columbus-early.html [Accessed: 6 Sep 2013].
Global Black History. 2012. They Came Before Columbus: Early Evidence of African Presence in the Americas. [online] Available at: http://www.globalblackhistory.com/2012/02/they-came-before-columbus-early.html [Accessed: 6 Sep 2013].
Hotep, A. 1991. RaceandHistory.com - BLACK CIVILIZATIONS OF ANCIENT AMERICA. [online] Available at: http://www.raceandhistory.com/historicalviews/ancientamerica.htm [Accessed: 6 Sep 2013].
Perry, L. 2010. Olmec Giant Heads. [online] Available at: https://suite101.com/a/olmec-giant-heads-a214775 [Accessed: 6 Sep 2013].