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Origin: A Genetic History of the Americas

Origin: A Genetic History of the Americas

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  • Create Date：2022-03-16 02:17:38
  • Update Date：2025-09-24
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  • Author：Jennifer Raff
  • ISBN：1538749718
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Summary

From celebrated anthropologist Jennifer Raff comes the untold story—and fascinating mystery—of how humans migrated to the Americas。

Origin is the story of who the first peoples in the Americas were， how and why they made the crossing， how they dispersed south， and how they lived based on a new and powerful kind of evidence: their complete genomes。 Origin provides an overview of these new histories throughout North and South America， and a glimpse into how the tools of genetics reveal details about human history and evolution。

20，000 years ago， people crossed a great land bridge from Siberia into Western Alaska and then dispersed southward into what is now called the Americas。 Until we venture out to other worlds， this remains the last time our species has populated an entirely new place， and this event has been a subject of deep fascination and controversy。 No written records—and scant archaeological evidence—exist to tell us what happened or how it took place。 Many different models have been proposed to explain how the Americas were peopled and what happened in the thousands of years that followed。

A study of both past and present， Origin explores how genetics is currently being used to construct narratives that profoundly impact Indigenous peoples of the Americas。 It serves as a primer for anyone interested in how genetics has become entangled with identity in the way that society addresses the question "Who is indigenous？"

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Reviews

Fk ，

Despite my great interest in the topic （the peopling of the Americas） this book was a great disappointment。 It was way too long， too rambling， packed with nonessential footnotes， discontinuous sidebars that interrupted the narrative flow， and irritatingly excessive "wokeness。" The technical content， its main point， could have been much more concisely and clearly explained。 Even the images were badly done， with many maps printed in small scale in low contrast grey-on-grey with microscopic fonts。 Despite my great interest in the topic （the peopling of the Americas） this book was a great disappointment。 It was way too long， too rambling， packed with nonessential footnotes， discontinuous sidebars that interrupted the narrative flow， and irritatingly excessive "wokeness。" The technical content， its main point， could have been much more concisely and clearly explained。 Even the images were badly done， with many maps printed in small scale in low contrast grey-on-grey with microscopic fonts。 There are implications that Native American mythology is as valid a truth as the author's own current science， and repeated insults of previous scientific techniques， which "linger like the smell of stale cigarette smoke。" The message seems to be that 19th century archeologists should have used 21st century DNA studies， after first getting permission from the 300th generation descendants of the skeletons they unearthed。 Yes， mistakes and abuses were made - but those were also made by indigenous tribes against other indigenous tribes。 Yes， scientists should be respectful of culture。 But those and other points could have been made in 80 well written pages instead of 280。 。。。more

Chris Bogg ，

The topic is super interesting but this book was disappointing。 In fairness， I listened to the audio book and the print version may be better。 The author’s voice （or whoever read the audio book） is pretty dry and difficult to follow。 It also isn’t helpful in the audiobook to hear references to sidebars that I can’t see and that are never explained。 My only other beef is the frequent asides relating to modern day political correctness。 For example， it isn’t helpful when the author laboriously exp The topic is super interesting but this book was disappointing。 In fairness， I listened to the audio book and the print version may be better。 The author’s voice （or whoever read the audio book） is pretty dry and difficult to follow。 It also isn’t helpful in the audiobook to hear references to sidebars that I can’t see and that are never explained。 My only other beef is the frequent asides relating to modern day political correctness。 For example， it isn’t helpful when the author laboriously explains the difference between sex and gender as recently defined。 It felt at times more like an ideology seeping through the storyline where the story alone is interesting enough on its own。 The modern day political color commentary weighs it down。 。。。more

Jim Witkins ，

3。5 - respectful， scientific look at what the latest archeology and DNA evidence is saying about the populating of the Americas。 Not the last word， as more discoveries are made。

Sheila ，

Novel insightsI would suggest that if the anthropology of American first Peoples is going to move forward in any significant way that archaeologists and geneticists begin the kind of cultural sensitivity addressed in this volume。 A long overdue look at the need to make research responsive to the values of the recipients and of the subjects of such research。 Ultimately this need not undermine the validity of the science， but can incorporate inclusiveness into its interpretation and application。

Amber Fraley ，

Accessible science for everyone Origin tells the scientific story of the peopling of the Americas。 There’s more here than what you’ve probably read casually about how and when indigenous Americans came to be here and where they came from。 Raff does an excellent job of explaining how racism and pseudo science has hindered our understanding of indigenous culture and their accomplishments， and how today’s archaeologists are trying to correct those past mistakes and injustices。

Harry Lorsbach ，

Very ScientificThis book is very well written for some studying the field or trading in the field。 Otherwise， too much scientific details for a casual interested reader。

Ann Otto ，

Raff warns that those interested in a "final， complete story of the peopling of the Americas" will not be satisfied with this work。 Even with the work of DNA specialists， archeologists， and other specialties， scientists still disagree on who of the various human species came first and how they got here。 But the work provides unique insights into what is currently known and provides a framework for understanding the continuing and future developments in the field。 She is greatly focused on Native Raff warns that those interested in a "final， complete story of the peopling of the Americas" will not be satisfied with this work。 Even with the work of DNA specialists， archeologists， and other specialties， scientists still disagree on who of the various human species came first and how they got here。 But the work provides unique insights into what is currently known and provides a framework for understanding the continuing and future developments in the field。 She is greatly focused on Native Americans for possible clues to inhabiting the Americas。 One interesting fact she provides is the stories of how， until recent history， Europeans and Anglo-Americans refused to believe that the many ancient intelligent remains of civilizations- mounds， temples， etc。- could not have been made by Native Americans who they considered sub-human， but perhaps by aliens or human types who are now extinct。 。。。more

Deedee ，

Dewey 576。58

Jack Swanzy ，

much more than I expected The author presents a lot of evidence from archaeology and genetics in telling the complex story of the peopling of this hemisphere。 In some sections the details were overwhelming but for the most part were fascinating and engaging。

Lis Carey ，

The peopling of the Americas， the arrival here of anatomically modern humans， and their development into the peoples I was originally taught to call American Indians and a little later Native Americans， is far more complicated than I was taught in school。 It's pretty clear at this point that humans didn't first arrive here a mere ten to twelve thousand years ago。 It also appears clear， based on genetic evidence， that they arrived in more than one wave。And beyond that， it's really， really complic The peopling of the Americas， the arrival here of anatomically modern humans， and their development into the peoples I was originally taught to call American Indians and a little later Native Americans， is far more complicated than I was taught in school。 It's pretty clear at this point that humans didn't first arrive here a mere ten to twelve thousand years ago。 It also appears clear， based on genetic evidence， that they arrived in more than one wave。And beyond that， it's really， really complicated。 The reasons for the complexities are partly the fact that it's very difficult to recover ancient DNA， especially from bones that were buried in warm， wet environments。 We also don't have a lot of tools much older than 12 to 15 thousand years ago that are clearly human-made tools。 Some， but not enormous numbers。There are indigenous oral traditions--that for a very long time， non-indigenous scientists and researchers ignored， that governments in the USA and Canada， as well as countries in the Americas tried to destroy along with indigenous languages。 Now that there are researchers listening to the indigenous oral histories that do survive， they often provide information that matches up with genetic information with the result that the two information sources enhance each other。 Of， as did make some real news in the last decade or so， useful information about the dangers of settling close to the shore （i。e。， periodically there are major natural disasters that we can't deal with by having better building codes。） Raff doesn't mention that one （she's a geneticist， not an earth scientist）， but I do remember when in it was in the news。Further complicating things are not just the various major and obvious atrocities against indigenous peoples of the Americas， but specifically arrogance， disrespect， and deceit in conducting genetic research on indigenous peoples。 Lying to people about what you're going to use their genetic material to research is a guaranteed way to miake people angry， and consequently hostile to future requests。 Rebuilding relations with specific indigenous communities， to gain their cooperation and ensure respect and consideration to start to heal the rifts and continue to learn more， is both essential and difficult。Raff tells the story very well， far better than I can describe it。 It makes this an interesting and enlightening story。Recommended。I bought this audiobook。 。。。more

Chris ，

A book very respectful of Indigenous peoples and chronicles how science has harmed those cultures and how some scientists are becoming more respectful and working with tribes to help untangle the history of the peopling of the Americas。 It’s about the past and how we got here and how we might move forward。 The author acknowledges she is non-native。

Leah ，

Dr。 Raff presents a fascinating overview of prevailing knowledge of the original peopling of the Americas， and she does so with a clear respect for Indigenous peoples that is so often lacking in this field。 While I found her writing most engaging in the stories she tells to give depth to the site discoveries， I found myself regularly wondering just how much of those stories themselves is supported by the evidence。 That said， the book overall is full of an incredible amount of evidence and discus Dr。 Raff presents a fascinating overview of prevailing knowledge of the original peopling of the Americas， and she does so with a clear respect for Indigenous peoples that is so often lacking in this field。 While I found her writing most engaging in the stories she tells to give depth to the site discoveries， I found myself regularly wondering just how much of those stories themselves is supported by the evidence。 That said， the book overall is full of an incredible amount of evidence and discussion of what is readily agreed upon in the field and where there is controversy。 I'm hardly a geneticist or an anthropologist， but I do read a lot of scientific texts （both peer-reviewed and for more lay audiences）， and there were times where I had a lot of trouble keeping up。 It wasn't that the book is laden with jargon （it's not）， but it does assume a certain familiarity with the fundamentals of the science。 More impactfully， for me at least， is that the discussion of these ancient sites and timelines was really hard for me to imagine or contextualize。 Having grown up in the United States with a public school education， we really only learned about US History from 1492 onward， with a very dominant and rose-colored lens on European colonization。 We didn't learn about history anywhere else or the history of the Americas prior to European colonization at all。 So the difference between 12，000 years ago and 15，000 years ago doesn't mean anything to my brain - my perception of human history only extends back about 500 years。 While I obviously know people have existed a lot longer， I know next to nothing about them， and that makes some of the details here really hard for me to follow。I also don't want to hit on this point too hard because I received an eARC and the figures were clearly not finalized， but I really felt like some additional figures could have helped A LOT。 Some visual timelines， maps of the sites， more pictures of artifacts all could have really helped me understand better what I was reading。 Overall， there were elements of this book that I really enjoyed -- especially around partnership with communities in research and the way she described the lives of those who inhabited the sites -- but overall a lot of this book felt kind of like a slog to me with time periods tough to differentiate。 I'm still glad to have read it though， and maybe I'll have to learn more about human history and read it again。Much appreciation to Twelve and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for the review。 。。。more

Robert Ham ，

First rate distillation of the current understanding about where the first peoples of the American continents came from， but don't expect much in the way of conclusions， as the genetic evidence discussed raises more questions than answers。 She also argues persuasively for a methodology more respectful of the rights and sensibilities of indigenous peoples， the past record of which has been a series of insults and atrocities。 The only negative thing I can think of to say about the book， that the i First rate distillation of the current understanding about where the first peoples of the American continents came from， but don't expect much in the way of conclusions， as the genetic evidence discussed raises more questions than answers。 She also argues persuasively for a methodology more respectful of the rights and sensibilities of indigenous peoples， the past record of which has been a series of insults and atrocities。 The only negative thing I can think of to say about the book， that the information will likely be out of date before the ink dries on the pages， is freely admitted by the author。 As someone deeply interested in new world prehistory， I found this book to be a fine explanation of a rapidly changing and expanding science， and an honest and sensitive expression of how this kind of science ought to be done。 。。。more

James ，

I wanted to like this book better， but ultimately the poor summary figures （migration directions and phylogenetic trees） stopped me。 If they had been printed larger and darker （faded look in my copy of the book）， I would have given this book 4 stars。 Alas。

Jenny ，

I love pop science but this one bogged down

Sunsette Skye ，

Good， but occasionally annoyingDr。 Raff clearly has a talent for making the science accessible and for that reason alone， as a former educator， I must recommend this book。I find the many caveats， warnings， and apologies frustrating to the point of really distorting the flow of the book so I had to dock it a few points; this is not a book you can straight read and enjoy。 However， I respect Dr。 Raff's professional and ethical commitment to doing the right thing， even if I don't always love the way Good， but occasionally annoyingDr。 Raff clearly has a talent for making the science accessible and for that reason alone， as a former educator， I must recommend this book。I find the many caveats， warnings， and apologies frustrating to the point of really distorting the flow of the book so I had to dock it a few points; this is not a book you can straight read and enjoy。 However， I respect Dr。 Raff's professional and ethical commitment to doing the right thing， even if I don't always love the way she's chosen to show it， so I cannot criticize that too much。Used this book to have a great discussion of historiography with some of my former students。 。。。more

Stefanie ，

Jennifer Raff has written a book on the history of First Peoples in the Americas that contemporary Indigenous people could actually read and enjoy - no small feat。 I would have loved to have her go a bit deeper into the cutting-edge genetics research， but the most vibrant （and significant， both in topic and page count） parts of this book are the discussion of ethical missteps and harms in the early （and current） fields of archaeology and paleogenetics， her first-person description of extracting Jennifer Raff has written a book on the history of First Peoples in the Americas that contemporary Indigenous people could actually read and enjoy - no small feat。 I would have loved to have her go a bit deeper into the cutting-edge genetics research， but the most vibrant （and significant， both in topic and page count） parts of this book are the discussion of ethical missteps and harms in the early （and current） fields of archaeology and paleogenetics， her first-person description of extracting ancient human DNA， and the mind blowing （for me） presentation of the fact that geneticists have known the “Clovis First” theory was BS since the 1990s。 The writing style is somewhere between “lay audience” and “academic”， and definitely assumes some knowledge of the fields， but Raff does do a great job laying out the evolution of the theories around the peopling of the Americas。 She’s pretty fair even in presenting the ones that genetics evidence disproves or makes unlikely， although she does at one point state that she believes people were in the Americas previous to Clovis， at least 16-14kya （I agree with her）。 She mentions the White Sands footprints （dated to ~22kya） a few times but without much detail。 And kudos to her for also covering the Arctic Circle and the Caribbean， which get much less attention。 So this isn’t a true history with conclusions， but more a summation of where the theory is today， and how we got there。 And certainly that we won’t go much farther without thoughtful partnerships with Indigenous communities in the lead。 If reading that last sentence twists your panties， this probably isn’t the paleogenetics book for you。 。。。more

Voice_of_Reason ，

While overall I enjoyed the book， it really needs a good editor。Example: It should have started with Chapter 5 and left all the rather complex & technical subject matter for later in the book。 Another example: Make your apology to the First Inhabitants at the beginning and be done with it。 Her repeated references to how shabbily these First Inhabitants were treated by early anthropologists who failed to respect their remains， etc。， appears through the book and simply gets tiresome after awhile。 While overall I enjoyed the book， it really needs a good editor。Example: It should have started with Chapter 5 and left all the rather complex & technical subject matter for later in the book。 Another example: Make your apology to the First Inhabitants at the beginning and be done with it。 Her repeated references to how shabbily these First Inhabitants were treated by early anthropologists who failed to respect their remains， etc。， appears through the book and simply gets tiresome after awhile。 Enough of the breast-beating， mea culpas， please。 。。。more

Ben ，

Heavily padded。 Raff stresses that she is not an archaeologist， but the book would really have benefited from more archaeological detail。 （And a little less hitting us over the head with cultural sensitivities。 We get it。） > Jefferson’s approach—direct testing by excavation and observation—previewed the best and worst of the scientific approaches in modern archaeology and physical anthropology by more than a century， and he is often referred to as the “Father of American archaeology。”> The Clovi Heavily padded。 Raff stresses that she is not an archaeologist， but the book would really have benefited from more archaeological detail。 （And a little less hitting us over the head with cultural sensitivities。 We get it。） > Jefferson’s approach—direct testing by excavation and observation—previewed the best and worst of the scientific approaches in modern archaeology and physical anthropology by more than a century， and he is often referred to as the “Father of American archaeology。”> The Clovis culture was swift to rise but short-lived。 Clovis points disappear from the archaeological record about 200 years after they first appeared。 The nomadic North American hunters were so skilled with the lethal Clovis points that just a millennium later all the megafauna—some 70 species—had been hunted to extinction> to apply the term failed migrations to these cases is demeaning and highly problematic from an archaeological standpoint。 “‘Failed migration’ is a phrase used to sweep （pre-Clovis sites） under the rug and not confront or think about （them），” archaeologist Michael Waters told me in an email。 They were people with their own histories and stories that deserve to be acknowledged as more than “failures，” regardless of whether or not they contributed DNA to later generations。> genetic studies of present-day dogs in the Americas show that the original dogs （First Dogs？） are all but extinct。 Of all dogs sampled， only a few （including a chihuahua） showed any ancestry from the First Dogs。 Population history models show that they were largely replaced by dogs brought over from Europe 。。。more

Larry ，

Origin: A Genetic History of the Americas by Jennifer RaffIf you want to understand what the latest research shows about the peopling of the Americas， then Origin: A Genetic History of the Americas by Jennifer Raff may be the book for you。 Raff is an assistant professor of Anthropology at the University of Kansas and is the President of the American Association of Anthropological Genetics。 How and when did the Native Americans of the Americas and the Inuit of the northern lands come to live in t Origin: A Genetic History of the Americas by Jennifer RaffIf you want to understand what the latest research shows about the peopling of the Americas， then Origin: A Genetic History of the Americas by Jennifer Raff may be the book for you。 Raff is an assistant professor of Anthropology at the University of Kansas and is the President of the American Association of Anthropological Genetics。 How and when did the Native Americans of the Americas and the Inuit of the northern lands come to live in the Western Hemisphere？ She explains that the theory until recently that all the inhabitants came in three waves out of Asia isn’t quite supported by the most recent evidence and that there is strong evidence to support some earliest inhabitants actually came by water along the Pacific Coast。A few minor criticisms。 The writing is not elegant but it is clear。 Usually， but not always。 One case was the following sentence: “Now imagine the temperature about twice as cold。” What does that mean？ If it was 40 degrees Fahrenheit， does it mean now imagine day when it was 20 degrees？ Or is the measurement in Celsius？ That would be different。 But usually the meaning is clear throughout the book。A bigger problem is the paucity of footnotes， even where they are definitely called for。 I trust that she knows her material， but there are some issues like the evolution of the dogs who accompanied the first inhabitants where more footnotes are called for as she says the recent research has changed。 This problem of fewer footnotes （or endnotes）—in some cases many fewer footnotes—seems to be an increasing problem in works of serious nonfiction。 She is very repetitive in her statements about lack of sensitivity in the treatment by researchers of the remains of Native Americans/First Peoples。 But I’m not sure at all that that should be a criticism。 I think that she is generally right to make this point on a number of occasions。 And at the end of the book， when she recounts the why the Kennewick Man’s remains were handled and tested， she really tells this story as well as any account that I I have read。 （The Kennewick Man refers to a skeleton found along the Columbia River。 The remains were about 9，000 years old， and some who first examined those remains postulated that he was of European origin。 The final results proved otherwise。）She easily provides the best detailed description I’ve ever read about DNA extraction and laboratory handling of ancient bones … she makes it methodical （she mentions that it can be so boring at times that listening to music or podcasts in the lab as she works is necessary） and fascinating at the same time。 She does such a good job of reporting excitement shared with the need for cautious reporting of results。She is clearly cognizant of the latest work going on in the lab of David Reich at Harvard。 She cites it several times， and it is important work indeed。 Reich’s Who We Are and How We Got Here: Ancient DNA and the New Science of the Human Past is probably the best work available on the overall peopling of the Earth。 It is a more difficult read than Raff’s book but is still a work to read either before or after the book by Raff。Finally， she is excellent about the state of play in what we know and what we believe we know about the peopling of the Americas。 As an important case， she reports the latest research including the anomaly relating to a discovery in 2016 of possible Australasian ancestry in some native South American populations。 And she explains how strange this result is。 I’ll just say that after much analysis it does not suggest a Transpacific migration。 You can read the book to understand the two different possibilities that it does suggest。 And if you have any interest at all how the Western Hemisphere came to be populated before Europeans arrived in 1492， that’s exactly what I recommend。 Read the book。 。。。more

Roy Kenagy ，

DMPL。 EXAMINED 2022_02_26 Lots of unstructured detail

Steve ，

Good science book， about the original peopling of the Western Hemisphere based on archaeological and genetic research。 I liked the first-person experiences doing field work and genetics lab work。Could have been a better science book if the many discussions about the evils of one diverse group of people and the victimhood of another diverse group of people had been dialed down a little bit。

Taylor Downs ，

Dr。 Raff's look at the current science around early migrations to the Americas is smart， approachable， and nuanced。 She acknowledges the difficulties inherent in pursuing archaeology when Native peoples have been hurt and disregarded by scientists for centuries， and makes a strong case for working with and for Native tribes。 Her work shows a way to do science that is respectful and inclusive， but also groundbreaking。 As a relative newbie to ancient DNA， she gave a great look at the history of th Dr。 Raff's look at the current science around early migrations to the Americas is smart， approachable， and nuanced。 She acknowledges the difficulties inherent in pursuing archaeology when Native peoples have been hurt and disregarded by scientists for centuries， and makes a strong case for working with and for Native tribes。 Her work shows a way to do science that is respectful and inclusive， but also groundbreaking。 As a relative newbie to ancient DNA， she gave a great look at the history of the field， the process， and what we can learn from it。 Highly recommend for anyone interested in genetics， ancient civilizations， and science。 。。。more

Alan ，

Interesting material but tedious reading/listening。

Guy ，

Further proof that good science is continually disrupting our prejudices。 A nice review of what is currently known on the basis of genetics， archeology and tradition。

Jessica ，

Raff is most interesting when viscerally describing the process of harvesting DNA， when imagining the lives of ancient peoples， and when discussing bioethics。 The bulk of this book， though， is discussions of the evidence for different migration routes and timelines into the Americas， and these are written too much like a textbook to hold my interest despite the fact that I have a high interest in the subject。 Raff might do better writing vignettes or short stories based on these findings or her Raff is most interesting when viscerally describing the process of harvesting DNA， when imagining the lives of ancient peoples， and when discussing bioethics。 The bulk of this book， though， is discussions of the evidence for different migration routes and timelines into the Americas， and these are written too much like a textbook to hold my interest despite the fact that I have a high interest in the subject。 Raff might do better writing vignettes or short stories based on these findings or her experiences。 。。。more

Manuel Gómez-Ortigoza ，

a genetic history of the americas， more precisely of North America。Very well written and explained。 It uses a lot of scientific jargon， yet it is well justified。It’s focus is North America， with brief glances to the rest of the continent。It dwells at length in the ethical issues。 Adds a much needed piece to the puzzle of our common ancestral history

Neal Fandek ，

Not an easy read， for not much of a payoff: dense blizzards of genetic data that reveal a premise stated very early on。 Footnotes are rambling and personal and are really asides， her own experience。 Uh， this isn't a memoir， Jen？ And she fictionalizes finds in a women's magazine style: annoying。 Plus， Raff is uber-PC， which also gets old fast。 Not an easy read， for not much of a payoff: dense blizzards of genetic data that reveal a premise stated very early on。 Footnotes are rambling and personal and are really asides， her own experience。 Uh， this isn't a memoir， Jen？ And she fictionalizes finds in a women's magazine style: annoying。 Plus， Raff is uber-PC， which also gets old fast。 。。。more

Dana ，

I'm not sure this book will be for your average reader or even your average non-fiction reader but if you have an interest in genetics or anthropology then this is a must read。 Raff explores the varied theories about how indigenous Americans came to live in Alaska， mainland America all the way into South America。 She details the evidence that has been uncovered for pre-Clovis people including tools， settlements and bones。 She challenges the idea of the land bridge from Siberia and argues for a l I'm not sure this book will be for your average reader or even your average non-fiction reader but if you have an interest in genetics or anthropology then this is a must read。 Raff explores the varied theories about how indigenous Americans came to live in Alaska， mainland America all the way into South America。 She details the evidence that has been uncovered for pre-Clovis people including tools， settlements and bones。 She challenges the idea of the land bridge from Siberia and argues for a longer occupation of Beringia。 Most interestingly for me， she explores and argues the ethics of unearthing ancient people， discusses the impact of understanding genetic lineage for indigenous Americans and the breaches of trust and betrayals of the descendants of these people。I really enjoyed this book and learned a lot。 I'd suggest doing it on audio。 While at times the sciencey parts can be a bit dry for the non-scientist， she does give sections that detail her own personal experiences to make the book more readable。 。。。more

Wallace Kaufman ，

I have begun The Wrath of Raff。 And that's how the introduction and first chapter sound to someone expecting science instead of a lecture on white guilt。 She casts a pall of suspicion over any science that is likely to follow when she talks about the virtue of researchers who "prioritize indigenous tradition and knowledge and origins。" This would be like saying of the study of earth's geological history that the best way to do it is to prioritize the knowledge and traditions of creationists。Afte I have begun The Wrath of Raff。 And that's how the introduction and first chapter sound to someone expecting science instead of a lecture on white guilt。 She casts a pall of suspicion over any science that is likely to follow when she talks about the virtue of researchers who "prioritize indigenous tradition and knowledge and origins。" This would be like saying of the study of earth's geological history that the best way to do it is to prioritize the knowledge and traditions of creationists。After all， first peoples of the Americas were almost always creationists and fundamentalists。 Respecting them and their mythologies is civil and necessary。 （Same for creationists。） Prioritizing their "knowledge" announces that science is peripheral and should not contradict tradition， especially if the science is conducted by a white person。She begins with servile approval of getting tribal approval for the study of bones and DNA over 10，000 years old。 This is like having to ask me if the DNA of the Ice Man in the Alps can be studied， or if a Jewish cemetery in Prague can be moved （my paternal great grandparents came from that area， and that's a closer connection than the Klingit have to 10，000 year old bones in an Alaskan cave。 And， of course， she demands I must begin this consideration of first peoples with "self-scrutiny。" For a far more scientific and less politicized story of ancient DNA， including in the Americas， read David Reich's "Who We Are And How We Got Here。" Compare it to Origin" and it is like astronomy compared to astrology。 Reich also draws lessons for today's ethnic and racial conflicts， but in a way that draws on science not a template of CRT。I'll read a few more chapters or maybe skip to where she's promised to talk about DNA revelations。 But if she is constantly berating me for being white and the beneficiary of what she has already called "atrocities" of Europeans several times， I won't punish myself。Maybe I'm wrong: maybe she will even mention the atrocities of Indians colonizing other Indians--like Quetzalcoatl's conquest of the Maya or the itinerant Sioux riding Spanish horses to terrorize and burn down complex Mandan villages with thousands of residents。 （My first experience in archeology was as a digger on the massive Swan Creek Mandan site in South Dakota。）I am repulsed by people like Rath not so much because of their naïve bias or their servility to indigenous people or their validation of a favored creationism， but by their obvious anger and mean spiritedness。 We have enough anger and division。 Science should be saved from it。 We have very good evolutionary psychologists and anthropologists and also neuroscientists and geneticists whose conclusions about the universality of human nature， its strengths and failings， effectively destroy prejudice with facts。 We don't need propagandists parading as scholars。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Origin: A Genetic History of the Americas

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Origin: A Genetic History of the Americas&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Origin: A Genetic History of the Americas&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0