The Walam Olum was once thought to be a crucial piece of Native American history, but it turns out it’s not true. Even though it was a fake, new DNA research is showing there might still be some real connections between Native Americans and ancient peoples, like the Turkic groups from Central Asia. It’s a cool twist on the story of where Native Americans might have come from.
How the Walam Olum Came to Be
Back in the 1800s, a scientist named Constantine Samuel Rafinesque said he found an old record from the Lenape (Delaware) tribe. He claimed this document explained their journey from Asia to America and their meeting with ancient civilizations in the Midwest. This story fit with the idea that Native Americans crossed the Bering Land Bridge from Asia thousands of years ago.
But when scholars took a closer look, they found problems. Rafinesque didn’t give clear details about where he got the record, and the wooden plaques he said were part of it disappeared. Even more telling, the text used words that didn’t make sense in the Lenape language. It became clear Rafinesque had probably made it all up. By the late 20th century, experts confirmed that the Walam Olum was a hoax.
What DNA Shows About Native Americans and Turkic Peoples
Even though the Walam Olum is a fake, recent DNA studies have shown that some Native American groups actually do have genetic ties to ancient people from places like Central Asia, where the Turkic groups lived. DNA research has even found markers that are shared between Native Americans and some Central Asian populations. This supports the idea that Native Americans originally came from Asia—likely through the Bering Land Bridge.
But these findings don’t have anything to do with Rafinesque’s fake story. They’re based on real scientific evidence.
The Lesson of the Walam Olum
The Walam Olum shows us the dangers of believing everything we read, especially when there’s no solid proof. But it also doesn’t change the fact that there’s still a real connection between Native Americans and ancient peoples of Asia. We’ve come a long way with genetics, archaeology, and other fields, and we’re starting to see a clearer picture of early human migration.
Maybe Rafinesque, in his effort to win a contest and make a name for himself, was on to something. Maybe he genuinely thought the Lenape came from Asia and tried to build a story around that idea. He could’ve had good intentions but just got it wrong.
Could the Oghuz Turks Be Linked to Native Americans?
Now, there’s also this interesting theory that ties the Lenape (and other Native groups) to the Oghuz Turks. The Oghuz were an ancient Turkic group from Central Asia, known for their warrior culture, horse riding, and their role in spreading across parts of Turkey and Iran. They also played a big part in the Silk Road, which connected East and West.
Who Were the Oghuz?
The Oghuz were known as skilled fighters, with advanced metalworking skills and a reputation for controlling trade routes. They were nomads, so they built homes that were easy to move—called yurts. Their influence spread far and wide, from Central Asia into modern-day Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Iran.
Any Connection to Native Americans?
While there’s no concrete proof that the Oghuz were directly connected to the Lenape, there is some evidence suggesting that Siberian, Turkic, and Native American groups shared distant ancestors. Over thousands of years, different groups could have interacted, and there’s a possibility of some cultural exchange before the Lenape became their own people.
Looking at the Bigger Picture of Migrations
To understand how these connections might work, let’s take a step back and look at the timeline of early human migrations:
- ~30,000–16,000 BCE: Humans crossed from Siberia into North America and started spreading across the continent.
- ~10,000 BCE: The first mound-building cultures started forming in North America.
Moundbuilder Cultures:
- Adena (~1000 BCE–200 CE): The first mound-building societies in the Ohio Valley.
- Hopewell (~200 BCE–500 CE): Expanded the Adena’s earthworks, making larger mounds and building trade networks.
- Mississippian (~800–1600 CE): The Mississippian culture built huge ceremonial sites and traded across a vast area.
All of these cultures developed in different parts of the continent, and there’s always been the possibility that some of their roots could be tied to ancient peoples from far away. As more research is done, we may find even more surprising links between these groups.
