THE ANCESTRAL ORIGIN
In recent years, thanks to the development of gene technology, the question on the ancestral origin of some peoples has been solved with genetic method. Probably, the Chinese are the most enthusiastic in this field. Several prestigious universities in Beijing and Shanghai have joined their Han colleagues at famous universities in the USA in the big research program “Chinese Human Genome Diversity Project”. This project has led to optimistic results:
1-. In 1998 professor Chu and colleagues at Texas University analyzed 15-30 microsatellites (mtDNA) to test the genetic distance between 24 Han populations, 4 Southeast Asia populations, 2 American native populations, 1 Australian Aborigine population, 1 New Guinea population and 4 Europid Caucase populations.
The result of the analysis showed that :
- Southeast Asian ethnic populations gather in a genetic group.
- The clusters with genetic features close to Southeast Asian populations are American natives, Australian Aborigines and New Guinea natives.
- The genetic features of Han people in the north are different from the ones of Han people in the south.
As a result, professor Chu and colleagues introduced a model: North Asian peoples evolved from Southeast Asia and came to a conclusion: The ancestors of current peoples in East Asia are derived from Southeast Asia. This conclusion also shows that the ancestors of people speaking the Altaic language in north China are derived from Southeast Asia, not from Middle Asia. (1)
However, the study of professor Chu has a weak point, only based on mtDNA, a very sensitive genetic factor; therefore, it is not stable, easily mutative and it may lead to a wrong result.
2-. To overcome the above weak point, another research group applied Y-chromosome to survey Han clusters in 22 provinces of China, 3 clusters in Northeast Asia, 5 clusters in Southeast Asia (Kampuchea, Thailand, Malaysia, Batak and Java) and several clusters outside Asia.
The result of the study shows that the level of polymorphic variation in the cluster of Southeast Asia is higher than that in Northeast Asia.
Analyzing population genetics comes to a conclusion: Humans migrated from Africa to Southeast Asia about 60,000 years ago and then moved to northern Asia and Siberia. Polynesian clusters are also derived from Southeast Asia. (2)
3-. Another study group applying 5 genes in Y-chromosome to survey 2 clusters in North Asia (China, Japan, Korea and Mongolia) and South Asia (Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam) showed that the Vietnamese are more close to the populations in North Asia (especially Korea) than the populations in South Asia. (3)
4-. In a study group applying mtDNA, Ballinger shows that F-value in the Vietnamese is the highest among humans in Southeast Asia. As a result, he drew a conclusion: Asian peoples are derived from the South Mongoloid. (4)
5-. An American scientist of Han origin, Jin Li, from Texas University in Houston, through the survey work on microsatellites in the continuity of mtDNA of 43 Han clusters distributed across Asia, drew a conclusion:
- About 160,000 years ago, Homo Sapiens migrated from Africa to Middle East. From Middle East a group moved eastward across Pakistan and India, then followed the coast line in South Asia. This cluster arrived in Southeast Asia about 60,000 to 70,000 years ago. They rested there for about 10,000 years, then a part of them continued moved northward to China. From this locus a part of them moved higher to Siberia, crossing Bering strait to Alaska, America, to become the Indians of Americas.
6-. Two works, by Peter Savolainen & Jenifer A. Leonard with their colleagues, on analyzing ancient dogs bone found in Mexico, Peru, Bolivia, etc. showed that the dog traits taken to Americas before Columbus are derived from Euro-Asian traits. The ancestors of domestic dogs are Southeast Asian wolves because analyzing DNA indicates genetic variation value of the Southeast Asian dogs is much higher than that of the dogs in Europe. It may be from only the forest dogs tamed 15,000 years ago. (5)
This conclusion strongly certifies the previous idea by C. Darwin in the book On the Origin of the Spieces: All the domestic chickens in the world are derived from the wild chickens in Southeast Asia.
7-. In the book “ Eden in the East, from the persuasive evidences, doctor Stephen Oppenheimer stated that 7,500 years ago, due to a deluge, the residents living in Southeast Asia migrated to the upper land to create Neolithic ages in China. (6)
To summarize the above studies, we come to the following statement:
1. About 160,000 years ago, Homo Sapiens migrated from Africa to Middle East. From here a branch moved eastward, crossing Pakistan and India, following the coastal route of South Asia to Southeast Asia about 70,000-60,000 years ago. Resting here for about 10,000 years, their descendants migrated northward to China and Siberia and then crossed Bering strait and stepped on Americas 30,000 years ago. Also from Southeast Asia, a branch arrived in Australia 50,000 years ago and in New Guinea 40,000 years ago.
2. The phenomenon that the Vietnamese are close to North Asian peoples, especially Koreans (study 3) is obvious because after Bai Yue (百粵) populations had changed waste land in China into cultivated areas, they spread to the sea, to Japan and Korea. Modern Japanese and Koreans are the descendants of U Vietnamese in the Bai Yue (百粵) lineage. As for Koreans there is also another historical factor: in the Ly dynasty (XIII century) two princes Ly Long Xuong and Ly Long Tuong led two groups of royal migrants of 5,000-6,000 to go to Korea as refugees. These migrants added Vietnamese gene flow to Korean lineage.
3. The conclusion by Ballinger that the Asians are derived from South Mongoloid has good bases: prehistoric humans arriving in Southeast Asia consisted of two big races: Mongoloid and Australoid. A Mongoloid cluster moved northward by way of Ba Shu (巴蜀) route and then settled in northwest China to become northern Mongoloid. Latest of all, about 5,000 BC. There were contacts and admixtures between Mongolians and Bai Yue (百粵), to create southern Mongoloid. Being hybrids, southern Mongoloid lived in the communities of Bai Yue (百粵) and they were the owner of Yangshao culture.
About 2,600 BC. Mongolians spread down and invaded. A part of the Vietnamese evacuated from the Yellow river delta, returning to Southeast Asia. In the migration flow, southern Mongoloid admixed with Australoid in the loci, making genetic transform of most residents in Southeast Asia to south Mongoloid.
In the Yellow river delta, most Bai Yue (百粵) humans could not evacuate, so they remained and together lived with the invaders. Here they admixed with North Mongoloid to create a new generation of South Mongoloid. It is Hua Xia (華夏) humans, the ancestors of Han humans.
4. The conclusion of study 2: the polymorphic variation of South Asian humans is higher than that of North Asian humans and study 4: the F-value of the Vietnamese is the highest among Southeast Asian humans. These two conclusions indicate that the Vietnamese are the oldest residents in Southeast Asia, it also means that they are the oldest in East Asia.
5. Study 6 deals with dogs, and also with humans because those domestic animals could not make such a ten-thousand-mile journey. They belonged to the properties of humans in their migration. This fact also adds more evidence that Southeast Asian humans migrated to Americas at least 5,000 years ago.
♣♣♣
The genetic evidences are believable. They shed light on the obtained accomplishments on the prehistoric Southeast Asia. However, to get a panorama of this age, it is necessary to imagine through hypotheses.
S. Oppenheimer in the book Eden in the East thought that 60,000-70,000 years ago when the prehistoric humans stepped on Southeast Asia, the level of sea went down. The level of sea was 130m lower than that today. People could walk to Australia and some islands at sea. Vietnamese land stretched to Hainan island. He called the coastal land in the Tonkin sea and the Red river delta Nanhailand. Prehistoric humans gathered in this continent to fish, collect fruit, hunt and make pottery. Thanks to warm climate, the vegetation and animals grew rapidly, so the source of food was abundant. Humans easily tamed vegetation and animals and soon created an agricultural civilization.
About 30,000 years ago, from here a part of them moved to the Central in the west and they became the owner of Son Vi (山微) culture in pro-neolithic age.
About 18,000 years ago the sea level began to rise, reaching 1cm every year. The residents in Nanhailand had to move to the upper land in the west, creating Hoa Binh (和平) culture in mid-paleothic age of 18,000 to 7,000 years.
In 7,500 BC, due to a deluge, water rose to Viet Tri, Nanhailand and Sundaland drowned, creating a big migration of the pre-historic Vietnamese to the west and the south of the Yangtze river.
Nanhailand might be the center for developing agriculture and pottery earliest in the world. However, it is a pity that when the continent drowned, it left nothing except for Son Vi (山微) and Hoa Binh (和平), which were later and were not typical. Because of that fact, Hoa Binh (和平) lacks archaeological evidence to show that such early-developing agriculture had to have ancient pottery and rice seeds.
Another hypothesis that could put some light on prehistoric Southeast Asia is the study of Buckminster Fuller, an English geographer and mathematician. He thought that it was possible to find the sources of civilizations based on direct proportion between the levels of the cultures, migrations and human concentrations. From that hypothesis, he made Dymaxion world maps. With his maps, he drew to a conclusion: “The coastal areas of East and Southeast Asia only consisted of 5% of the area of the world, but 54% of extant humans”. From his calculation, it is inferred that in millennium IV- III BC the Vietnamese could be composed of 15-20% of the world population. (7)
Clearly, the above presentations are only hypotheses. However, to some extent, they provide a more general observation of prehistory in this land.
After beholding a panorama with some daydream, it is time to come back to scientific reality.
Among the extant cultures in Vietnam, Hoa Binh (和平) culture accounts for a special position. Hoa Binh (和平) is considered the most paleolithic agricultural and industrial center in the world by the global archaeology. Formerly, it was thought that Mesopotamia with C14 of 7,000 years was the most Paleolithic center of the world. However, when it was discovered that the vegetation and animals were tamed in Hoa Binh (和平) 10,000 years ago, the world was rocked and completely agreed on the opening role of Hoa Binh (和平) culture. In 1932, an international conference on Far East prehistory confirmed: “Hoa Binh (和平) culture was the first center inventing agriculture and agricultural production as well as culturing cattle in the world. Hoa Binh (和平) agricultural center was 3,000 years older than Mesopotamia” (8)
One most distinguishing feature of Hoa Binh (和平) culture is the technique making pebbles. Pebbles are extremely hard stone, so sharpening them is very difficult. However, they are very necessary to make other stone tools such as plowshares, hoes, spades, etc. It was called mainframe as it often considered later. People in Hoa Binh (和平) led the world to invent this technique and Hoa Binh (和平) products were exported to many loci. Hoa Binh (和平) is also the earliest place where vegetation and animals were tamed. From here it was the first time in the world that water rice and taro came into being.
American scholars, W.G. Solheim II, Jorhman, Truong Quang Truc (China) and a Russian scholar, N. Vavilow, recognized: “Southeast Asia, especially Vietnam, had a prehistoric culture, developing very early, forward-looking, rapidly, creative and vividly, better than anywhere in the world”. (9)
An American scholar, C. Sauer wrote a book Country: “It is true that the world agriculture developed for two stages the first of which is Hoa Binh (和平) culture. Water rice was grown at the same time as taro was”. (10)
Probably recognizing it insufficient, he continued to write a book Source of Agriculture and its Diffusion: “I testified that Southeast Asia is the cradle of the most ancient agriculture. And I also testified that Agricultural culture has an origin closely related to fishing by net in this land. I also testified that the most ancient cattle are derived from Southeast Asia, and this is an important world center of technique on culturing and taming vegetation by plant reproduction”.(11)
And this is the idea of Mr W.G. Solheim II. In 1967 he wrote:
“I think that when we study many materials on Southeast Asia, we can completely discover that Hoa Binh (和平) residents carried out the early taming the first vegetation in the world about 10,000 B.C.”
“That Hoa Binh (和平) culture is a native one, not influenced by alien factors and it leads to Bac Son (北山) culture”.
“That North and Central Southeast Asia had advanced cultures among which the first tool for sharpening was developed in Asia as well as in the world, and pottery was invented.”
“That not only was the first vegetation invented as Mr Sauer suggested and testified, but furthermore, this locus provided the West with the agricultural thoughts. And later some plants were transferred to India and Africa. And Southeast Asia continued to be an advanced locus in Far East until China stood for this impulse in the first half of millennium 2 B.C. , that is, 1,500 B.C.”. (12)
Four years later in March 1971, from the surveys in Thailand, this scientist, for magazine National Geographic, wrote an article New Light on the Forgotten World:
“I think that the earliest sharp stone tools found in North Australia in 20,000 B.C. were derived from Hoa Binh (和平)”.
“It is hypothesized that prehistoric humans in Southeast Asia migrated from the north, bringing important development in arts. I know that Proto-Neolithic culture from North China is called Yangshao civilization being derived from lower Hoa Binh (和平) culture which developed from North South-Asia in millennium VI or V B.C.”.
“I think that later culture is called Lungshan which ancient people often thought that it was derived from Yangshao in North China and then spread to the east and southeast. Truly, both those cultures developed from the basis of Hoa Binh (和平)”.
“ Dug-out canoes were used in the small rivers in Southeast Asia long time ago, maybe before millennium V B.C. I believe that using boats to go to sea began in 4,000 B.C., by chance traveling to Taiwan and Japan, bringing culturing taro and maybe other auxiliaries”.
“People in Southeast Asia moved westward, reaching Madagascar, probably in 2,000 B.C. Maybe, they devoted some tamed plants to the economy in East Africa”.
“About that time there was the first contact between Vietnam and the Mediterranean, probably by sea. Some unpopular bronze tools that confirmed the Mediterranean proof were found in Shandong (山東)”.(13)
The above studies by honest scientists help the world and us get a completely new look at the prehistory of the Vietnamese.
The cultural strata in Vietnam are successive. The possessor of Hoa Binh (和平) culture is 4 Vietnamese races: Indonesien, Melanesien, Vedoid and Negriotid. Following Hoa Binh (和平) culture, Bac Son (北山) culture lasted from 8,000 to 6,000 B.C. Last of all, Dong Son (東山) culture lasted from 800 to 111 B.C. This is the most brilliant developing stage of bronze tools among which the totem of the Vietnamese was bronze drums. Bronze drums have been found in a large area, including Southeast Asia, from Sichuan (四川) to Malasca. According to a Chinese professor, Lan Thuan Thanh, “bronze drums began to be cast in Bai Yue (百粵) China. Hoa Trung was a long-time locus of Bai Yue (百粵) population. Most drums have been found in Xiong Wen district, Sichuan (四川) province. As for Indochina peninsula, Luo Yue (貉越) most famous drums have been found in the north and central. F. Heger called Luo Yue (貉越) drums the first rank”. (14) According to this Chinese scholar bronze drums began to be cast in Bai Yue (百粵) China. That is only half-true: Chinese drums were cast by the Vietnamese. However, bronze drums bega n to be cast in Dong Son (東山). Dong Son (東山) bronze drums are older than those in Xiong Wen (興文) and the former are superior.
According to gene and archaeology journeys, the ancestral migration way is found:
- Approximately 40,000 years ago, the Vietnamese in North Vietnam moved to live in China and to be Chinese populations nowadays. This is a revolutionary discovery, changing the old point of view . The Vietnamese originating in Northwest China migrated to southeastward.
Then a new question raised: How to explain the conflicts between the Han and the Vietnamese lasting thousands of years?
The following situation was hypothesized:
1. Approximately 40,000 B.C. (maybe later), after the ice age, the climate warmed up. Some Mongoloid, who lived on hunting and collecting fruit, migrated from Southeast Asia to the north. Tracing the clues of preys, they entered Ba Shu (巴蜀) and then moved to Northwest China to be North Mongoloid populations. That Mongoloid bone remains were found in China and Mongolia 30,000 years ago testifies this fact.
2. Meanwhile, many Vietnamese populations moved northward by coastline. Their mode of living, at first, was hunting and collecting fruit, then it gradually changed to be agriculture. The migration took place slowly, but successively in turns. Approximately 30,000 years ago, the Vietnamese moved to Siberia, crossing Bering strait and conquering Americas. Besides gene flow, as evidence, they brought dogs and chickens tamed in Hoa Binh (和平) Sociological observations in Caduveo populations residing in Northwest Canada showed that they have some elements the same as the ancient Chinese such as the important role of women, or the attention to the army among the different principles (Levi Strauss. Tristes tropicques page 196. Extracted from Kim Dinh – The structure between Vietnamese-Sino, SG 1972 page 22), as the residents in South China have strangely similar features with some American populations (Tristes tropicques page 267). Who are ancient Chinese, the residents in South China if they are not the ancient Vietnamese bringing the Vietnamese civilization to new lands?
3. Approximately 7,500 B.C. due to a deluge, the sea water rose to Viet Tri, so a big migration took place from the coastline to the north and the upper land in the west. Many populations came to China, gathering around Taishan (太山) area and spread to the Yellow river delta. The Vietnamese exploited this land by agricultural mode, creating a developed agricultural civilization. Because of living in a large area for a long time the Vietnamese split to many Vietnamese different subpopulations called Bai Yue (百粵) by historical books.
4. Approximately 2,600 B.C. from the northwest the Mongolians crossing the Yellow river invaded the land of the Vietnamese. Thanks to the superiority of their nomadic armed strength, the Mongolians defeated the agricultural Vietnamese and enlarged their distribution. This stage is called Chih You (蚩尤) warrior emperor in Chinese history books. Down to the south of the Yellow river, the Mongolians admixed with the native Vietnamese to create a new race called South Mongoloid. This is Hua Xia (華夏) race, the ancestors of later Han race. For about 2,000 years now, the expansion of Han has been very strong, creating three waves spreading southward, changing the Han to be the most crowded race in the world. The result of this conflict is that most of Bai Yue humans living in China became South Mongoloid.
Another question was raised: How did our ancestors live in China? To solve this problem, we based on another source of materials: the ancient Chinese bibliographies.
From the ancient Chinese bibliographies, many researchers state that the Vietnamese prehistory is divided into the three following stages:
1. Taishan (太山) stage: it is also called Three Kings stage, including: Toai Nhan (燧人) was the king inventing fire, he is also called Heaven Emperor. Fu Xi (伏羲) is Human Emperor, who taught how to raise and make the eight Trigrams. Together with his wife, Nuwa (女媧), he was in charge of the climate. The last king is Shen Nong (神農), who taught people how to culture rice, so he was called Land Emperor. Chinese history wrote that Shen Nong (神農) bequeathed 8 generations, lasting 530 years. In this stage wars with North Mongoloid often happened. In book Qimendunjia Daquanshu (奇門遁甲大全書) a song says: ”Tich Nhat Hoang De Chien Si Vuu, Trac Loc Kinh Kim Vi Nhuoc Huu” (Formerly, the Emperor fought Chih You, the war in Zhuolu (卓祿) has not finished yet- extracted by Kim Dinh). Chinese history says that Zhoulu (卓祿) battle occurred in 2,600 B.C. Chih You (蚩尤) is a bad name that the Han named Di Lai (帝來). In this battle Di Lai (帝來) was killed, and Hien Vien (軒轅) won and was elected Emperor. Therefore, Shen Nong (神農) dynasty began about 3,530 B.C.
2. Wu Linh (五嶺) stage:
The grandchild of Shen Nong (神農) was Di Ming (帝明), bearing Di Yi (帝宜) and Loc Tuc (祿續). Di Yi (帝宜) was the king in the Yellow river delta, and Lu Xi was the king in Xich Quy in the south of the Yangtze river, naming himself Kinh Duong Vuong (涇陽王). Di Yi (帝宜) bearing Di Lai (帝來) stood for his father to be the king in the north. Loc Tuc (祿續) bearing Sung Lam (崇纜) was the king in the south, naming himself Lac Long Quan (貉龍君). In Zhuolu battle, Di Lai (帝來) was killed. His followers followed Au Co (嫗姬) to run away to Xich Quy (赤鬼). Lac Long Quan (貉龍君) and his men ran to the sea. In this stage the Vietnamese gathered around Wu Linh (五嶺) area.
3. Fong Zhou (峯州) stage: Lac Long Quan (貉龍君) ran to the sea and landed in Nghe An. At first he settled in Rum plain and Ngan mountain, then went up to Ao Viet to found Van Lang (文郞). (15)
Up to now, all the knowledge on the source of the Vietnamese race has stopped there.
It is recognized that the division of the Vietnamese prehistory into such three above stages is very accurate. That is the contribution of many generations of historians having searched from Chinese legends and bibliographies. This helps the Vietnamese partly understand their relatively close source.
However, the above concept is also the consequence of a wrong traditional recognition that the Vietnamese ancestors moved southeastward from Tienshan plateau. So it is not only insufficient but also wrong.
It is wrong that:
- The origin land of the Vietnamese is Vietnam, which is pushed up to the Yellow river delta.
- The historical duration of the Vietnamese is reduced from 60,000-70,000 years to 5,000-6,000 years.
Such historical concept break the lineage relation between the modern Vietnamese and their ancestors living tens of thousand years ago, and of course, which abolishes the right of inheritance on our lineage with Son Vi (山微), Hoa Binh (和平), Bac Son (北山) cultures.
Therefore in common psychology, we can only considered ourselves the heirs of the territory of the prehistoric cultures!
On the other hand, according to the new discoveries:
- The Vietnamese ancestors originated in the central and north Vietnam, being the off-springs of prehistoric Africans migrating along South Asia coastline to Southeast Asia.
- The historic duration that the Vietnamese resided in Vietnam took place 60,000-70,000 years ago.
The way of migration northward at first and then returning to the source allows us to explain why in the Vietnamese blood the Mongoloid element is strong: due to the blood admixture with the Mongolians during the residence in the Yellow river delta.
From the new discovery, it may be confirmed that:
About 40,000 years ago, the Vietnamese from Vietnam moved northward, overwhelming China. This age has not been mentioned in the legendary history. About 5,000 B.C. the Vietnamese ancestors appeared in the legendary history with Toai Nhan (燧人) , Fu Xi (伏羲), etc. and locus Taishan (太山). Taishan (太山) was the gathering center of the Vietnamese during the northward migration. Formerly it was considered the origin of the Vietnamese. From 2,600 B.C. on, due to the conflicts with the Mongolians, the Vietnamese prehistory was written. This is also the time when the Vietnamese left Taishan (太山) to run away to gather in Wu Linh (五嶺) area. Then due to the urgent chasing of the Han, the Vietnamese ran from Wu Linh (五嶺) to Fong Zhou. When Lac Long Quan (貉龍君) led the Vietnamese to land in Nghe Tinh to found Van Lang government, our ancestors came back to their origin, to be the legal heirs of both the lineage and the territory of the Vietnamese ancestors. A flow of history was bequeathed successively. This discovery completely changes our conception on the source of national history.
Formerly, we had a complex of chased Chinese hybrids, trying to run away southward by existing instinct. So we considered ourselves immigrants in the alien land, especially when we found that the Mongoloid blood was strong in our lineage. With the brilliant cultures of Hoa Binh (和平) and Phung Nguyen of the prehistoric humans, we are also proud; however, of the borrowing pride because of the complex of the alien race, not related to the possessors of those cultures!
As a result, it is found that: from Vietnam our ancestors took swords (axes) to expand and exploit China. Here appeared an ancestor closer than Shen Nong (神農) in Taishan (太山), where residents were taught to culture cereals. Our ancestors changed waste land to used one and fought bravely with the invaders, and then they could not stay and returned to home land. It is those descendants that moved a long way and returned, contacting, facing the nomadic civilizations and fighting the stronger enemies. They became stronger and wiser. The most wisdom that Hung kings brought back to the south Vietnamese was organizing government. It is the government that was still loosed changed the quality in the relation among the Vietnamese communities: from tribal relation to government one. This relation helped Hung kings create brilliant culture of Dong Son (東山) and obtained the strength in fighting the enemies.
Now a question raised: Why did during the time of tens of thousand years Bai Yue (百粵) population increase quickly and the scope of distribution enlarge immensely, while the Mongolian population increased not considerably and they moved around the northern side of the Yellow river? This fact can be explained in three reasons: climate-soil, mode of living and genetics.
1. Cold climate did not create comfort for childbearing. That the population slowly increased was not necessary to enlarge the distribution area.
2. Because of the mode of nomadic living, the Mongolians had to cling to steppe meadows and were not able to conquer the low humid land on the southern side of the Yellow river.
3. The North Mongoloid had the gene of ancestral mongoloid migrated upper and lived isolatedly, so they could not admix with other races. The gene that was relatively pure made their childbearing low. It can be seen in the modern Mongoloid.
From this fact, it can be concluded: The Mongolians moved southward, admixed with Bai Yue (百粵) in the lineage of Indonesien, Melanesien and grew water rice, which made a good chance for the Mongolians, not only saving them from low childbearing but also providing them with a brilliant development of agricultural civilization. It is the three elements that create crowded populations and advanced cultures for the modern Chinese.
The result of the analysis showed that :
- Southeast Asian ethnic populations gather in a genetic group.
- The clusters with genetic features close to Southeast Asian populations are American natives, Australian Aborigines and New Guinea natives.
- The genetic features of Han people in the north are different from the ones of Han people in the south.
As a result, professor Chu and colleagues introduced a model: North Asian peoples evolved from Southeast Asia and came to a conclusion: The ancestors of current peoples in East Asia are derived from Southeast Asia. This conclusion also shows that the ancestors of people speaking the Altaic language in north China are derived from Southeast Asia, not from Middle Asia. (1)
However, the study of professor Chu has a weak point, only based on mtDNA, a very sensitive genetic factor; therefore, it is not stable, easily mutative and it may lead to a wrong result.
The result of the study shows that the level of polymorphic variation in the cluster of Southeast Asia is higher than that in Northeast Asia.
Analyzing population genetics comes to a conclusion: Humans migrated from Africa to Southeast Asia about 60,000 years ago and then moved to northern Asia and Siberia. Polynesian clusters are also derived from Southeast Asia. (2)
- About 160,000 years ago, Homo Sapiens migrated from Africa to Middle East. From Middle East a group moved eastward across Pakistan and India, then followed the coast line in South Asia. This cluster arrived in Southeast Asia about 60,000 to 70,000 years ago. They rested there for about 10,000 years, then a part of them continued moved northward to China. From this locus a part of them moved higher to Siberia, crossing Bering strait to Alaska, America, to become the Indians of Americas.
To summarize the above studies, we come to the following statement:
1. About 160,000 years ago, Homo Sapiens migrated from Africa to Middle East. From here a branch moved eastward, crossing Pakistan and India, following the coastal route of South Asia to Southeast Asia about 70,000-60,000 years ago. Resting here for about 10,000 years, their descendants migrated northward to China and Siberia and then crossed Bering strait and stepped on Americas 30,000 years ago. Also from Southeast Asia, a branch arrived in Australia 50,000 years ago and in New Guinea 40,000 years ago.
2. The phenomenon that the Vietnamese are close to North Asian peoples, especially Koreans (study 3) is obvious because after Bai Yue (百粵) populations had changed waste land in China into cultivated areas, they spread to the sea, to Japan and Korea. Modern Japanese and Koreans are the descendants of U Vietnamese in the Bai Yue (百粵) lineage. As for Koreans there is also another historical factor: in the Ly dynasty (XIII century) two princes Ly Long Xuong and Ly Long Tuong led two groups of royal migrants of 5,000-6,000 to go to Korea as refugees. These migrants added Vietnamese gene flow to Korean lineage.
3. The conclusion by Ballinger that the Asians are derived from South Mongoloid has good bases: prehistoric humans arriving in Southeast Asia consisted of two big races: Mongoloid and Australoid. A Mongoloid cluster moved northward by way of Ba Shu (巴蜀) route and then settled in northwest China to become northern Mongoloid. Latest of all, about 5,000 BC. There were contacts and admixtures between Mongolians and Bai Yue (百粵), to create southern Mongoloid. Being hybrids, southern Mongoloid lived in the communities of Bai Yue (百粵) and they were the owner of Yangshao culture.
About 2,600 BC. Mongolians spread down and invaded. A part of the Vietnamese evacuated from the Yellow river delta, returning to Southeast Asia. In the migration flow, southern Mongoloid admixed with Australoid in the loci, making genetic transform of most residents in Southeast Asia to south Mongoloid.
In the Yellow river delta, most Bai Yue (百粵) humans could not evacuate, so they remained and together lived with the invaders. Here they admixed with North Mongoloid to create a new generation of South Mongoloid. It is Hua Xia (華夏) humans, the ancestors of Han humans.
4. The conclusion of study 2: the polymorphic variation of South Asian humans is higher than that of North Asian humans and study 4: the F-value of the Vietnamese is the highest among Southeast Asian humans. These two conclusions indicate that the Vietnamese are the oldest residents in Southeast Asia, it also means that they are the oldest in East Asia.
5. Study 6 deals with dogs, and also with humans because those domestic animals could not make such a ten-thousand-mile journey. They belonged to the properties of humans in their migration. This fact also adds more evidence that Southeast Asian humans migrated to Americas at least 5,000 years ago.
S. Oppenheimer in the book Eden in the East thought that 60,000-70,000 years ago when the prehistoric humans stepped on Southeast Asia, the level of sea went down. The level of sea was 130m lower than that today. People could walk to Australia and some islands at sea. Vietnamese land stretched to Hainan island. He called the coastal land in the Tonkin sea and the Red river delta Nanhailand. Prehistoric humans gathered in this continent to fish, collect fruit, hunt and make pottery. Thanks to warm climate, the vegetation and animals grew rapidly, so the source of food was abundant. Humans easily tamed vegetation and animals and soon created an agricultural civilization.
About 30,000 years ago, from here a part of them moved to the Central in the west and they became the owner of Son Vi (山微) culture in pro-neolithic age.
About 18,000 years ago the sea level began to rise, reaching 1cm every year. The residents in Nanhailand had to move to the upper land in the west, creating Hoa Binh (和平) culture in mid-paleothic age of 18,000 to 7,000 years.
In 7,500 BC, due to a deluge, water rose to Viet Tri, Nanhailand and Sundaland drowned, creating a big migration of the pre-historic Vietnamese to the west and the south of the Yangtze river.
Nanhailand might be the center for developing agriculture and pottery earliest in the world. However, it is a pity that when the continent drowned, it left nothing except for Son Vi (山微) and Hoa Binh (和平), which were later and were not typical. Because of that fact, Hoa Binh (和平) lacks archaeological evidence to show that such early-developing agriculture had to have ancient pottery and rice seeds.
Another hypothesis that could put some light on prehistoric Southeast Asia is the study of Buckminster Fuller, an English geographer and mathematician. He thought that it was possible to find the sources of civilizations based on direct proportion between the levels of the cultures, migrations and human concentrations. From that hypothesis, he made Dymaxion world maps. With his maps, he drew to a conclusion: “The coastal areas of East and Southeast Asia only consisted of 5% of the area of the world, but 54% of extant humans”. From his calculation, it is inferred that in millennium IV- III BC the Vietnamese could be composed of 15-20% of the world population. (7)
Clearly, the above presentations are only hypotheses. However, to some extent, they provide a more general observation of prehistory in this land.
After beholding a panorama with some daydream, it is time to come back to scientific reality.
Among the extant cultures in Vietnam, Hoa Binh (和平) culture accounts for a special position. Hoa Binh (和平) is considered the most paleolithic agricultural and industrial center in the world by the global archaeology. Formerly, it was thought that Mesopotamia with C14 of 7,000 years was the most Paleolithic center of the world. However, when it was discovered that the vegetation and animals were tamed in Hoa Binh (和平) 10,000 years ago, the world was rocked and completely agreed on the opening role of Hoa Binh (和平) culture. In 1932, an international conference on Far East prehistory confirmed: “Hoa Binh (和平) culture was the first center inventing agriculture and agricultural production as well as culturing cattle in the world. Hoa Binh (和平) agricultural center was 3,000 years older than Mesopotamia” (8)
One most distinguishing feature of Hoa Binh (和平) culture is the technique making pebbles. Pebbles are extremely hard stone, so sharpening them is very difficult. However, they are very necessary to make other stone tools such as plowshares, hoes, spades, etc. It was called mainframe as it often considered later. People in Hoa Binh (和平) led the world to invent this technique and Hoa Binh (和平) products were exported to many loci. Hoa Binh (和平) is also the earliest place where vegetation and animals were tamed. From here it was the first time in the world that water rice and taro came into being.
American scholars, W.G. Solheim II, Jorhman, Truong Quang Truc (China) and a Russian scholar, N. Vavilow, recognized: “Southeast Asia, especially Vietnam, had a prehistoric culture, developing very early, forward-looking, rapidly, creative and vividly, better than anywhere in the world”. (9)
An American scholar, C. Sauer wrote a book Country: “It is true that the world agriculture developed for two stages the first of which is Hoa Binh (和平) culture. Water rice was grown at the same time as taro was”. (10)
Probably recognizing it insufficient, he continued to write a book Source of Agriculture and its Diffusion: “I testified that Southeast Asia is the cradle of the most ancient agriculture. And I also testified that Agricultural culture has an origin closely related to fishing by net in this land. I also testified that the most ancient cattle are derived from Southeast Asia, and this is an important world center of technique on culturing and taming vegetation by plant reproduction”.(11)
And this is the idea of Mr W.G. Solheim II. In 1967 he wrote:
“I think that when we study many materials on Southeast Asia, we can completely discover that Hoa Binh (和平) residents carried out the early taming the first vegetation in the world about 10,000 B.C.”
“That Hoa Binh (和平) culture is a native one, not influenced by alien factors and it leads to Bac Son (北山) culture”.
“That North and Central Southeast Asia had advanced cultures among which the first tool for sharpening was developed in Asia as well as in the world, and pottery was invented.”
“That not only was the first vegetation invented as Mr Sauer suggested and testified, but furthermore, this locus provided the West with the agricultural thoughts. And later some plants were transferred to India and Africa. And Southeast Asia continued to be an advanced locus in Far East until China stood for this impulse in the first half of millennium 2 B.C. , that is, 1,500 B.C.”. (12)
Four years later in March 1971, from the surveys in Thailand, this scientist, for magazine National Geographic, wrote an article New Light on the Forgotten World:
“I think that the earliest sharp stone tools found in North Australia in 20,000 B.C. were derived from Hoa Binh (和平)”.
“It is hypothesized that prehistoric humans in Southeast Asia migrated from the north, bringing important development in arts. I know that Proto-Neolithic culture from North China is called Yangshao civilization being derived from lower Hoa Binh (和平) culture which developed from North South-Asia in millennium VI or V B.C.”.
“I think that later culture is called Lungshan which ancient people often thought that it was derived from Yangshao in North China and then spread to the east and southeast. Truly, both those cultures developed from the basis of Hoa Binh (和平)”.
“ Dug-out canoes were used in the small rivers in Southeast Asia long time ago, maybe before millennium V B.C. I believe that using boats to go to sea began in 4,000 B.C., by chance traveling to Taiwan and Japan, bringing culturing taro and maybe other auxiliaries”.
“People in Southeast Asia moved westward, reaching Madagascar, probably in 2,000 B.C. Maybe, they devoted some tamed plants to the economy in East Africa”.
“About that time there was the first contact between Vietnam and the Mediterranean, probably by sea. Some unpopular bronze tools that confirmed the Mediterranean proof were found in Shandong (山東)”.(13)
The cultural strata in Vietnam are successive. The possessor of Hoa Binh (和平) culture is 4 Vietnamese races: Indonesien, Melanesien, Vedoid and Negriotid. Following Hoa Binh (和平) culture, Bac Son (北山) culture lasted from 8,000 to 6,000 B.C. Last of all, Dong Son (東山) culture lasted from 800 to 111 B.C. This is the most brilliant developing stage of bronze tools among which the totem of the Vietnamese was bronze drums. Bronze drums have been found in a large area, including Southeast Asia, from Sichuan (四川) to Malasca. According to a Chinese professor, Lan Thuan Thanh, “bronze drums began to be cast in Bai Yue (百粵) China. Hoa Trung was a long-time locus of Bai Yue (百粵) population. Most drums have been found in Xiong Wen district, Sichuan (四川) province. As for Indochina peninsula, Luo Yue (貉越) most famous drums have been found in the north and central. F. Heger called Luo Yue (貉越) drums the first rank”. (14) According to this Chinese scholar bronze drums began to be cast in Bai Yue (百粵) China. That is only half-true: Chinese drums were cast by the Vietnamese. However, bronze drums bega n to be cast in Dong Son (東山). Dong Son (東山) bronze drums are older than those in Xiong Wen (興文) and the former are superior.
According to gene and archaeology journeys, the ancestral migration way is found:
- Approximately 40,000 years ago, the Vietnamese in North Vietnam moved to live in China and to be Chinese populations nowadays. This is a revolutionary discovery, changing the old point of view . The Vietnamese originating in Northwest China migrated to southeastward.
Then a new question raised: How to explain the conflicts between the Han and the Vietnamese lasting thousands of years? The following situation was hypothesized:
1. Approximately 40,000 B.C. (maybe later), after the ice age, the climate warmed up. Some Mongoloid, who lived on hunting and collecting fruit, migrated from Southeast Asia to the north. Tracing the clues of preys, they entered Ba Shu (巴蜀) and then moved to Northwest China to be North Mongoloid populations. That Mongoloid bone remains were found in China and Mongolia 30,000 years ago testifies this fact.
2. Meanwhile, many Vietnamese populations moved northward by coastline. Their mode of living, at first, was hunting and collecting fruit, then it gradually changed to be agriculture. The migration took place slowly, but successively in turns. Approximately 30,000 years ago, the Vietnamese moved to Siberia, crossing Bering strait and conquering Americas. Besides gene flow, as evidence, they brought dogs and chickens tamed in Hoa Binh (和平) Sociological observations in Caduveo populations residing in Northwest Canada showed that they have some elements the same as the ancient Chinese such as the important role of women, or the attention to the army among the different principles (Levi Strauss. Tristes tropicques page 196. Extracted from Kim Dinh – The structure between Vietnamese-Sino, SG 1972 page 22), as the residents in South China have strangely similar features with some American populations (Tristes tropicques page 267). Who are ancient Chinese, the residents in South China if they are not the ancient Vietnamese bringing the Vietnamese civilization to new lands?
3. Approximately 7,500 B.C. due to a deluge, the sea water rose to Viet Tri, so a big migration took place from the coastline to the north and the upper land in the west. Many populations came to China, gathering around Taishan (太山) area and spread to the Yellow river delta. The Vietnamese exploited this land by agricultural mode, creating a developed agricultural civilization. Because of living in a large area for a long time the Vietnamese split to many Vietnamese different subpopulations called Bai Yue (百粵) by historical books.
4. Approximately 2,600 B.C. from the northwest the Mongolians crossing the Yellow river invaded the land of the Vietnamese. Thanks to the superiority of their nomadic armed strength, the Mongolians defeated the agricultural Vietnamese and enlarged their distribution. This stage is called Chih You (蚩尤) warrior emperor in Chinese history books. Down to the south of the Yellow river, the Mongolians admixed with the native Vietnamese to create a new race called South Mongoloid. This is Hua Xia (華夏) race, the ancestors of later Han race. For about 2,000 years now, the expansion of Han has been very strong, creating three waves spreading southward, changing the Han to be the most crowded race in the world. The result of this conflict is that most of Bai Yue humans living in China became South Mongoloid.
Another question was raised: How did our ancestors live in China? To solve this problem, we based on another source of materials: the ancient Chinese bibliographies.
From the ancient Chinese bibliographies, many researchers state that the Vietnamese prehistory is divided into the three following stages:
1. Taishan (太山) stage: it is also called Three Kings stage, including: Toai Nhan (燧人) was the king inventing fire, he is also called Heaven Emperor. Fu Xi (伏羲) is Human Emperor, who taught how to raise and make the eight Trigrams. Together with his wife, Nuwa (女媧), he was in charge of the climate. The last king is Shen Nong (神農), who taught people how to culture rice, so he was called Land Emperor. Chinese history wrote that Shen Nong (神農) bequeathed 8 generations, lasting 530 years. In this stage wars with North Mongoloid often happened. In book Qimendunjia Daquanshu (奇門遁甲大全書) a song says: ”Tich Nhat Hoang De Chien Si Vuu, Trac Loc Kinh Kim Vi Nhuoc Huu” (Formerly, the Emperor fought Chih You, the war in Zhuolu (卓祿) has not finished yet- extracted by Kim Dinh). Chinese history says that Zhoulu (卓祿) battle occurred in 2,600 B.C. Chih You (蚩尤) is a bad name that the Han named Di Lai (帝來). In this battle Di Lai (帝來) was killed, and Hien Vien (軒轅) won and was elected Emperor. Therefore, Shen Nong (神農) dynasty began about 3,530 B.C.
2. Wu Linh (五嶺) stage: The grandchild of Shen Nong (神農) was Di Ming (帝明), bearing Di Yi (帝宜) and Loc Tuc (祿續). Di Yi (帝宜) was the king in the Yellow river delta, and Lu Xi was the king in Xich Quy in the south of the Yangtze river, naming himself Kinh Duong Vuong (涇陽王). Di Yi (帝宜) bearing Di Lai (帝來) stood for his father to be the king in the north. Loc Tuc (祿續) bearing Sung Lam (崇纜) was the king in the south, naming himself Lac Long Quan (貉龍君). In Zhuolu battle, Di Lai (帝來) was killed. His followers followed Au Co (嫗姬) to run away to Xich Quy (赤鬼). Lac Long Quan (貉龍君) and his men ran to the sea. In this stage the Vietnamese gathered around Wu Linh (五嶺) area.
3. Fong Zhou (峯州) stage: Lac Long Quan (貉龍君) ran to the sea and landed in Nghe An. At first he settled in Rum plain and Ngan mountain, then went up to Ao Viet to found Van Lang (文郞). (15)
Up to now, all the knowledge on the source of the Vietnamese race has stopped there.
It is recognized that the division of the Vietnamese prehistory into such three above stages is very accurate. That is the contribution of many generations of historians having searched from Chinese legends and bibliographies. This helps the Vietnamese partly understand their relatively close source.
However, the above concept is also the consequence of a wrong traditional recognition that the Vietnamese ancestors moved southeastward from Tienshan plateau. So it is not only insufficient but also wrong.
It is wrong that:
- The origin land of the Vietnamese is Vietnam, which is pushed up to the Yellow river delta.
- The historical duration of the Vietnamese is reduced from 60,000-70,000 years to 5,000-6,000 years.
Such historical concept break the lineage relation between the modern Vietnamese and their ancestors living tens of thousand years ago, and of course, which abolishes the right of inheritance on our lineage with Son Vi (山微), Hoa Binh (和平), Bac Son (北山) cultures.
Therefore in common psychology, we can only considered ourselves the heirs of the territory of the prehistoric cultures!
On the other hand, according to the new discoveries:
- The Vietnamese ancestors originated in the central and north Vietnam, being the off-springs of prehistoric Africans migrating along South Asia coastline to Southeast Asia.
- The historic duration that the Vietnamese resided in Vietnam took place 60,000-70,000 years ago.
The way of migration northward at first and then returning to the source allows us to explain why in the Vietnamese blood the Mongoloid element is strong: due to the blood admixture with the Mongolians during the residence in the Yellow river delta.
From the new discovery, it may be confirmed that:
About 40,000 years ago, the Vietnamese from Vietnam moved northward, overwhelming China. This age has not been mentioned in the legendary history. About 5,000 B.C. the Vietnamese ancestors appeared in the legendary history with Toai Nhan (燧人) , Fu Xi (伏羲), etc. and locus Taishan (太山). Taishan (太山) was the gathering center of the Vietnamese during the northward migration. Formerly it was considered the origin of the Vietnamese. From 2,600 B.C. on, due to the conflicts with the Mongolians, the Vietnamese prehistory was written. This is also the time when the Vietnamese left Taishan (太山) to run away to gather in Wu Linh (五嶺) area. Then due to the urgent chasing of the Han, the Vietnamese ran from Wu Linh (五嶺) to Fong Zhou. When Lac Long Quan (貉龍君) led the Vietnamese to land in Nghe Tinh to found Van Lang government, our ancestors came back to their origin, to be the legal heirs of both the lineage and the territory of the Vietnamese ancestors. A flow of history was bequeathed successively. This discovery completely changes our conception on the source of national history.
Formerly, we had a complex of chased Chinese hybrids, trying to run away southward by existing instinct. So we considered ourselves immigrants in the alien land, especially when we found that the Mongoloid blood was strong in our lineage. With the brilliant cultures of Hoa Binh (和平) and Phung Nguyen of the prehistoric humans, we are also proud; however, of the borrowing pride because of the complex of the alien race, not related to the possessors of those cultures!
As a result, it is found that: from Vietnam our ancestors took swords (axes) to expand and exploit China. Here appeared an ancestor closer than Shen Nong (神農) in Taishan (太山), where residents were taught to culture cereals. Our ancestors changed waste land to used one and fought bravely with the invaders, and then they could not stay and returned to home land. It is those descendants that moved a long way and returned, contacting, facing the nomadic civilizations and fighting the stronger enemies. They became stronger and wiser. The most wisdom that Hung kings brought back to the south Vietnamese was organizing government. It is the government that was still loosed changed the quality in the relation among the Vietnamese communities: from tribal relation to government one. This relation helped Hung kings create brilliant culture of Dong Son (東山) and obtained the strength in fighting the enemies.
Now a question raised: Why did during the time of tens of thousand years Bai Yue (百粵) population increase quickly and the scope of distribution enlarge immensely, while the Mongolian population increased not considerably and they moved around the northern side of the Yellow river? This fact can be explained in three reasons: climate-soil, mode of living and genetics.
1. Cold climate did not create comfort for childbearing. That the population slowly increased was not necessary to enlarge the distribution area.
2. Because of the mode of nomadic living, the Mongolians had to cling to steppe meadows and were not able to conquer the low humid land on the southern side of the Yellow river.
3. The North Mongoloid had the gene of ancestral mongoloid migrated upper and lived isolatedly, so they could not admix with other races. The gene that was relatively pure made their childbearing low. It can be seen in the modern Mongoloid.
From this fact, it can be concluded: The Mongolians moved southward, admixed with Bai Yue (百粵) in the lineage of Indonesien, Melanesien and grew water rice, which made a good chance for the Mongolians, not only saving them from low childbearing but also providing them with a brilliant development of agricultural civilization. It is the three elements that create crowded populations and advanced cultures for the modern Chinese.
