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SPEAKERS Dr. Benjamin B. Olshin is a professor of philosophy, history, and history of science at The University of the Arts in Philadelphia. Initially, his work looked at Greek and Roman texts dealing with cartography and exploration in the Atlantic Ocean. Later, his research turned to early European maps and texts concerning Atlantic exploration, and as a Fulbright scholar, he studied Portuguese navigations and cartography in Lisbon, Portugal. A skeptic by nature, he is nonetheless interested in an open-minded attitude towards evidence, and believes that a "systems" approach is needed to sort out the many claims concerning early ventures into the oceans. Despite his European focus, Dr. Olshin has also written on early Chinese navigation and cartography. Romeo H. Hristov is an
archaeologist specializing in Mesoamerica. He holds an undergraduate studies in
archaeology from the National School of Anthropology and History of Mexico, and
Ph.D. (ABD) in Prehistory/Archaeology from the University of Salamanca, Spain.
At present he is an Associate of Anthropology in the University of New Mexico in
Albuquerque, and currently concluding his Ph.D. dissertation and a book on possible Trans-Atlantic voyages before Columbus. Mark and Wendy Phillips of the Anishinaabe Tribe have carried the teachings of their people for many years and preserve it for future generations. Now, as directed by their teachers, the time has come to share with the wider world those stories that speak of one people separated by many years who soon will be reunited. They also will share the stories of early contact, including those which happened many years before Columbus. Mark has carried the stories of his teacher, Wilson Ashkewe for over 35 years. Wendy's family carries a prophesy for the Anishinaabe people. The preservation of these teachings has been the work of their life. Danny Hennigar, author and
amateur historian, has long been fascinated by the history of Oak Island. In
1973 he got what he describes as his “dream job” when he became an Oak Island
tour guide hired by the Nova Scotia Provincial Department of Tourism. Since that
time, Mr. Hennigar has diligently researched the history of Nova Scotia’s
longest running and most famous treasure hunt. He is a respected member of the
Oak Island Tourism Society dedicated to establishing a world class tourism
project on the famous island. He is also a founder of Explore Oak Island Days, a
festival celebrating the mystery of Oak Island. Richard White, a native of New London, Connecticut, is an author and historian. His latest work is an account of the Sinclair expedition, These Stones Bear Witness. Its aim is to provide a clear-headed look at the evidence of the Sinclair voyage of 1398 and, in particular, the influence of Scandinavia's Queen Margrete. Margrete I’s ambitious unification of Norway, Sweden and Denmark, as well as the Orkney, Shetland and Faroe Islands, brought together a short-lived empire in the North Atlantic and Henry Sinclair was her premier Earl. Mr. White earned a bachelor’s degree at the red-brick state college in New Britain, CT, where he majored in English. He went on to acquire an M.A. at Trinity in Hartford. Diane E. Wirth spent 10 years
researching and meticulously documenting the similarities between two ancient,
venerable civilizations - Mesoamerica and the ancient Middle East - and presents
convincing evidence that the similarities in customs, beliefs and iconography of
these two cultures are likely more than coincidence. Diane has a B.A. from
Brigham Young University and was a post-graduate student at Harvard University.
She has journeyed extensively throughout Mexico and Central America, including
seven weeks of travel with the renowned Mayanist, the late Dr. Linda Schele
(recognized as one of the best epigraphers in the field). For more than 30
years, Diane has studied ancient Mesoamerican cultures, specializing in
iconography, mythology, religion and cultural traditions. Diane has delivered
over 50 lectures on these topics and has authored numerous articles for
journals, magazines and digests as well as her book, "Parallels:
Mesoamerican and Ancient Middle Eastern Traditions." Stephen J. Augustine
is Hereditary Chief on the Mi'kmaq Grand Council, Curator of Ethnology for
Eastern Maritimes, in the Ethnology Services, Division of the Canadian Museum of
Civilization , Gatineau, Quebec. He obtained a Bachelor of Arts in
Anthropology and Political Science from St. Thomas University (New Brunswick),
and also holds a Master of Arts in Canadian Studies from Carleton University
(Ottawa, Ontario. Over the years, he has shared his expertise in research and
traditional knowledge with many organizations, including the Assembly of First
Nations, government departments, and various Aboriginal communities across
Canada. He has organized cross-cultural workshops for a wide variety of agencies
(the United Nations as well as federal and provincial universities and museums).
His recent book, Mi'kmaq & Maliseet Cultural Ancestral Material (Mercury Series,
CMC, 2005), promises to be a valuable resource for academic researchers and
educators alike. In his role as a Hereditary Chief on the Mi'kmaq Grand Council,
and by Elders' training since an early age, Stephen J. Augustine has a thorough
command of traditional practices, his language, and the history of his people. Gunnar Thompson,
Ph.D., an author and anthropologist, has been called “the Sherlock Holmes” of
American History. Among his most notable achievements are the discovery of the
Omnibus Power Sign—which proved ancient contact between China and Mexico, and
the discovery of Albertin di Virga’s 1414 Map which includes North and South
America nearly a century before Columbus. He is the author of several
controversial books including Nu Sun, American Discovery, The Friar’s Map, and
Secret Voyages to the New World. The Norwegian adventurer Thor Heyerdahl
endorsed Gunnar's first book about voyages by the ancient Chinese to Mexico in
300 BC. The Smithsonian archeologist, Betty Meggers, called him “the vanguard of
a new generation of scholars.” In May of 2005, he gave a presentation about
Marco Polo’s West Coast voyages at the Library of Congress. In March of 2006, he
was awarded the Zheng He Trophy in Beijing for his work on the Ming World Map.
This map features a Chinese version of North and South America nearly a century
before Columbus. Michael Thrasher
(KA-WHYWA-WEET) is a nationally recognized Métis teacher of Anishinabi First
Nations philosophy, tradition and culture. He was initiated into pre contact
traditional teachings and ceremonies by the Elders of his community. These
ancient traditions came from spiritual teachers with a lineage dating back to
the early civilization of First Nation’s. In addition, he was the co-chair of
the first Round Table Hearings for the Royal Commission in Edmonton. His
contacts and experience extend from the grass roots of the First Nations
community to the offices of governments and multi-national corporations. He will
be speaking on ancient Native traditions regarding early trans-Atlantic contact.
Scott F. Wolter P.G. is a geologist by trade and owns American Petrographic Services in St. Paul, Minnesota. He will be speaking on the Kensington Runestone. Eminent geologists and complete skeptics of the authenticity of the much-debated stone have walked away from a presentation by Mr. Wolter utterly convinces of it's history as a relic of very early Norse visitation to Minnesota. Scott Wolter worked to bring the Runestone to a modern geophysics laboratory so that the chiseling of the runes and the weathering of the stone could be examined under high-power scanning. His work raised the probability that the Kensington Stone is authentic, Alice Kehoe agreed to assist in presenting this research to the 2000 Plains/Midwest Archaeological Conference. Preparing an introduction to the session, Kehoe looked at the historical situation in Scandinavia in 1362 and found it to be in economic and political crisis, likely to stimulate efforts to extend the Canadian Maritimes Norse/Indian/Inuit trade up the St. Lawrence, into the Great Lakes and west –trade routes used for centuries by Indians. Alice B. Kehoe refers to Wolter as "a hard scientist...who understands the methodology of science and inference, from data, to the best explanation. As Kehoe says, "The notion that the Kensington Runestone is a hoax is not supported by contemporary data." Click to learn more >> Edo Nyland, a world renowned Linguistic Archaeologist, is digging up artifacts of language. He is a well-known author of such books as Linguistic Archaeology: An Introduction. He identified a subset of the Basque language, the core words of which have come through five millenia in almost unchanged form, as the nearest equivalent of the neolithic universal language which has been spoken in Europe and the Near East before the 'babylonian speech confusion.' His presentation for the Atlantic Conference will be regarding be the translation of a large encoded inscription in West Virginia, written in Basque about 600 AD. Click here to learn more >>
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