6 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 94 



cultural, and even some physical resemblances, the later advocates of 

 multiple American origins urge the acceptance of the theory that the 

 Polynesians and Melanesians, and even the Australians, participated 

 in the peopling of North and especially South America. 



DOCUMENTARY AND MATERIAL EVIDENCE 



The theories that will receive attention in this paper are only those 

 that relate to the presence on the American continent, aside from the 

 introductions through the white man's agencies, of African or Mela- 

 nesian blacks, and of the Australians. 



THE " NEGROES " OF DARIEN AND PERU 



The beginnings of the theory of Melanesian migrations into 

 America date far back. According to Pereira (1648), the first opin- 

 ions to that efifect were to be found in Martinez, Ortelio, and other 

 early writers. He says (p. 21) : 



The extension, on the south or toward the Antarctic pole and beyond the Straits 

 of Magellan of the land of Patagones, is unknown; but it is held as certain 

 that, cold as these regions must be, they will be found peopled and continuous 

 below the frigid zone. And, we are told by Martinez, Ortelio, and others, they 

 join New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, the outskirts of Peru and the kingdom 

 of Chile. Facilitating thus a transit, the population of and propagation in 

 America were not difficult. 



With these old opinions regarding the Melanesians, there are also 

 some early references to " Negroes " on the American continent. 



The first to refer to this subject is Peter Martyr, who, writing 

 within 3 years after the discovery of the Pacific by Balboa and using 

 information from letters received from the Isthmus, includes the 

 following unaccredited passage in his Thyrde Decade: 



There is a region not past two dayes iourney distant from Quarequa, in which 

 they founde only blacke Moores [in the original Latin text " Nigritos "] ; and 

 those excedynge fierce and cruell. They suppose that in tyme paste certeyne 

 blacke mores sayled thether owt of Acihiopia to robbe: and that by shippewracke 

 or sume other chaunce, they were dryuen to those mountaynes. The inhabitantes 

 of Quarequa lyue in continuall warre and debate with these blacke men. (Dec. 3, 

 lib. I, p. 139.)' 



* According to Lehmann the Latin text reads : " Mancipia ibi negra repererunt, 

 ex regione distante i Quarequa dierum spatio tantum duorum, quae solos gignit 

 Nigritos, et eos feroces atque admodum truces. Ex Aethiopia putant traiecisse 

 quondam latrocinii causa Nigritos, inque ilHs montibus naufregatos fixisse 

 pedem." (P. 330-) 



