The Mapuche Indians are of interest because they live in and influence all of the southern parts of Chile and Argentina.

This means that they are the southernmost geographical extreme of the migration of the Peoples of the North from the Eastern Hemisphere (Siberia and Northern Asia), Across the Bering Strait, and throughout the Western Hemisphere to the bottom of the world.

They just did not make it to Antarctica.

Genetic blood-sampling research has shown that these individuals are also of African ancestry, because they are significantly different from the native populations of Brazil, but still rather closely related.

HOWEVER,

There is more genetic evidence to support the belief that Indigenous peoples traveled from Eastern Hemisphere to Western Hemisphere.

Some significant similarities exist between the blood protein DNA of the North American and South American Indian populations.

This supports the notion that they are all related closely and likely did migrate from north to south over the centuries. This research was performed by Haas et al., 1985; Carnese et al., 1996; and Hutz et al., 1997:

• Carnese, F.R. (1995). Genetic markers in the aboriginal populations of Argentina. Braz. J. Genet. 18: 651-656.
• Haas, E.J.C., Salzano, F.M., Araujo, H.A., Grossman, F., Barbetti, A., Weimer, T.A., Franco, M.H.L.P., Verruno, L., Nasif, O., Morales, V.H. and Arienti, R. (1985). HLA antigens and other genetic markers in the Mapuche Indians of Argentina. Hum. Hered. 35: 306-313.
• Hutz, M.H., Mattevi, V.S., Callegari-Jacques, S.M., Salzano, F.M., Coimbra Jr., C.E.A., Santos, R.V., Carnese, F.R., Goicoechea, A.S. and Dejean, C.B. (1997). D1S80 locus variability in South American Indians. Ann. Hum. Biol. 24: 249-255.

NOT ONLY THIS,

It seems that the indigenous peoples migrated back up through South America, Central America, and Mexico and once again into North America.

They are very probably people that eventually migrated up into the Ohio Valley as well and perhaps somewhat farther northward and eastward until their migration was stopped by Europeans claiming lands back toward them in the other direction and by harsh winters.

In addition, the long term mass migration seems to have reached as far north and east as Greenland and Iceland, which will be discussed in another Hub.

Native South Americans of Chile

The indigenous nations include the following list and perhaps others as well:

• Mapuche
• Aymara
• Atacaman
• Colla
• Rapa Nui
• Aónikenk or Tehuelche
• Selknam or Ona
• Kawashkar or Alacaluf
• Yamana

The following list may not be inclusive, given the constant migration of indigenous peoples in South America.

• Calchaquí
• Diaguita
• Huarpe
• Kolla/Colla
• Ava Guarani; Guarani; Tupi Guarani
• Mapuche
• Toba
• Wichí