Speculation regarding the origins of Native Americans. As early as the 1590s, a Spanish Jesuit proposed an Asian origin for the Native American tribes. In the early 17th century, Englishman Edward Brerewood drew parallels between the Indians and the inhabitants of Northeast Asia. Other early writers speculated that the Native Americans were descended from the 12 lost tribes of Israel; still others believed that they were of Grecian, Anatolian, Phoenician, Roman, or Egyptian origin. A few even suggested that they had been transported to the Western hemisphere by the devil.
Later research showed that Brerewood was basically correct: Some Native Americans, especially the Aleut and Inuit who inhabit the polar regions, show marked similarities to Asian tribespeople. Aleutian languages are also very similar to Asian languages spoken in Siberia and other regions of Northeast Asia. One of the physical characteristics shared by Asians and Native Americans is the “shovel incisor” the front teeth are concave on the inside, as though they had been hollowed out. However, Native Americans also have some distinctive physical traits: Many have a prominent, arched nose as opposed to the relatively flat nose of most East Asians, and they lack the eyelid folds that give East Asian eyes their characteristic appearance. Anthropologists have concluded that the ancestors of the Native Americans crossed a land bridge between Siberia and Alaska several times before the end of the ice ages caused the bridge to flood.