I need comments on this idea and some familiar with
>
> > ancient Briton during the Roman era for fact checking.
THE AUTHOR'S NOTES AND FORWARD
Those who read Auria's Story: Nurse to Native and Lisa's Story: Nerd to Nude know how the Amafook lived. Amafook women have always been beautiful and sexually liberated. Most Amafook women remain sexually active and have healthy children into their 50's and occasionally in their early 60's. Centuries ago, Amafook women learned to safely control when they get pregnant and the sex of their babies. Occasionally the unthinkable became necessary. Their "plan B" or "morning after pill" is a special potion the shaman prepares potion after intense and confidential discussions with the patient. They also have a large library of medicines for all the problems life in "the wild" brings. Through the years they have learned to set broken bones and control infection. All of their medicines are made from locally available plants and minerals. Although few have compared the Amafook medicines and methods to those in the modern world there is no doubt theirs are vastly superior.
This book will attempt to explain how the Amafook Nation began. Although there are references to ancient calendars no actual dates have been recovered for two reasons. First, the Amafook people have always measured Time by children and trees growing taller and stronger not in repetitive terms and numbers. Second, the "civilized" people were not always literate nor following calendars. Another factor was the change to the Julian calendar withing this time frame.
It is not well known nor commonly accepted due to cultural and racial prejudices but the latest anthropological and linguistic research indicates Negroid people—Africans were the first to discover and colonize South America and the Caribbean islands. I will grant many came from northern Europe by island hopping across the bitter cold and treacherous North Atlantic Ocean. The vast majority of First People, Native Americans, etcetera can trace their ancestry from those crossing the Bering Strait many eons past. Unfortunately, the genetic record of Native Americans populating the Atlantic coast was destroyed centuries ago. There is no doubt the North American shoreline from the Artic south was more hospitable than anything anyone from European experienced.
Now let's move across the continent to the Bering Sea Land Bridge. I will not dwell on the various times and reasons for its appearance and disappearance. It is well documented that people from Asia came to North America many eons past. However, to get south where warmer and more hospitable domains exist is long and arduous journey on land. Therefore, I am going to agree with Thor Heyerdahl, who in Kon Tiki proved "primitive" people could traverse the Pacific Ocean. Here is the central question: Would you take your chances on the open ocean or freezing in the bitter north? Unfortunately, we do not have written records for either journey.
Here is another radical alternative—Africa—Negroid people settled the Americas eons ago. Please note the distance between Africa and South America is least for all continents separated by an ocean. For the sake of this discussion all islands and intermediary points have been ignored. The table below will aid my assertion. The distances are rounded for convenience. The cities listed are modern points of reference and did not exist when these events occurred.
Reference Points kilometers miles
Busan, SK to San Francisco, US 9050 5620
Conaktyo, GU to Recife, BR 3150 1960
Freetown, SL to Recife, BR 3020 1875
Hong Kong to Darwin, AS 4270 2650
Lisbon, PT to Saint Augustine, US 6530 4060
Malaga, SP to Saint Augustine, US 6990 4340
Stravengar, NO to Newfoundland, CA 3900 2400
The Canary Current runs south from the British Isles to equatorial Africa and then turns west to the Americas depending on the season moves at 8.6 km/hr to 2.6 km/hr. Any vessel traveling on this ocean highway will be aided by the Portugal Current as it moves south. Near present day Sierra Leone and Guinea, the current turns west and on most modern charts becomes the South Equatorial Current and parallels the Gulf Stream Current. Near what is now Brazil and French Guyana the currents divide. The Canary Current turns south and becomes the Brazil Current. The northern branch becomes the Gulf Stream continues west into the Caribbean Sea and then north into the Gulf of Mexico and points along North America.
Ancient Rome is remembered for many things. The Roman Navy is remembered for significant victories in wars with Carthage and then taming the vile pirates that plagued the Mediterranean Sea thus insuring commercial and military dominance for centuries. Even so, the Mediterranean and Black Seas are relatively speaking giant salt lakes compared to the open Atlantic. As the Empire grew and conquered Iberia, Gaul and Britain the need to travel on the open ocean increased. Yes, Roman ships had sails but their main power was oars, specifically men pulling hard on well-shaped pieces of wood for relatively short distances. Accommodations for long voyages such as sleeping quarters, food storage and other human needs were never important design or operational considerations. Nor did they design or build their ships for the large waves and swells common to ocean voyages. Although their navigation and seafaring skills were vastly superior to all in that era, they did not have telescopes, sextants or the compass. Those items would all come 10 centuries later. The Roman navy almost always remained within sight of shore as its vessels traveled to and from Britain and other far flung provinces. At night or when inclement weather struck Roman ships anchored in coves or harbors where a small garrison was able to supply, feed and house the crews. It is quite likely some Roman ships were blown off course or otherwise scattered by the ocean. Roman era artifacts have been found on some Caribbean islands and the shores of South America. Perhaps some ships found refuge in the Canary and Cape Verde Islands or Madeira. However, no Roman relics have been found in those locations. All three island chains remained unknown and uninhabited until the 15th century. Although some speculation and rumors of distant isles occurred no stories of return exist. In other words, the traveling was always away from Rome.
I will now ask a few more questions. What if the Romans integrated and intermarried with native populations? What if captured female slaves overthrew the yolk of male oppression? What if the surviving women joined with others? What if... Remember the great plagues and diseases that bedeviled Medieval Europe were unknown in the Roman era. No satisfactory explanation has ever been given for the blonde fair skinned female warriors Gaspar de Carvajal described while traveling down the Amazon River. Indeed, that is how the river was named. Unfortunately, he did bring those dreaded diseases to the new world with devastating losses to native people.
These are not the only possibilities. The evidence scholars collect will undoubtedly add to the debate. Until we have a complete record, I sincerely hope the stories contained in this volume will give you some insight into people no longer here.
Please enjoy,
Maria Bordelon
