"1491" from The Atlantic Monthly

[Jeffrey Kopp]

A couple issues back, The Atlantic ran a cover story entitled simply, "1491," about the growing number of anthropologists and archaeologists who are finding pre-contact Native population, social sophistication and well-being might all have been greater than had previously been realized.

It also makes provocative comparisons between Native and European health and social justice of the day:  "I asked seven anthropologists, archaeologists, and historians if they would rather have been a typical Indian or a typical European in 1491. None was delighted by the question, because it required judging the past by the standards of today. . . .  But every one chose to be an Indian."

The article may be seen at The Atlantic Online: 

http://www.theatlantic.com/issues/2002/03/mann.htm

Regards,

Jeff