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260population and culture was first to settle North Asia from about 35 000 BP (Cavalli-Sforza, 1994:197) and this is the possible time for the appearance of the first waves ofhumans in North America from North Asia (Cavalli-Sforza, 1994:303-308).Scholars generally agree that there had been at least three migration waves toAmerica. The presence of European component has been suggested only for the firstwave (around 35-15 thousand years ago). Second wave brought Na-Dene peoples toAmerica (peoples like Dene, Apaches, Navajos, about 15-10 thousand years ago), and thethird wave is connected to the appearance of the Inuit and Aleut populations (about 10thousand years ago or later. See Cavalli-Sforza et al., 1996:307-308). Classification of thelanguages of the American Indians by into three groups (Greenberg, 1987) also suggeststhree big waves.Bering Strait is not the only route that scholars suggested for the appearance ofEuropeans to North America. New rout via the ice-covered Atlantic Ocean directly fromEurope was also proposed. There are also suggestions about the earlier (around 37 000years old) migration via the Bering Strait, during the previous ice age, and still anotherhypothesis suggested arrival of the earliest human groups to America from the Pacific.Generally more agreed model among archaeologists and anthropologists is that firstAmericans arrived from Siberia about 35-15 thousand years ago and then spread toCentral and South America (Cavalli-Sforza et al., 1994:308).Now let us have a look at the singing traditions of American Indians in the light ofdifferent settlement models existing today. Much debated settlement of Americancontinent is far from being finally settled. According to Cavalli-Sforza, “America, inparticular South America, is genetically the most variable part of the world” (Cavalli-Sforza et al., 1994:337).What can we say in this regard according to the polyphonic data? East Asianpopulations are carriers arguably the most monophonic singing traditions among humanpopulations, therefore plenty of elements of vocal polyphony that Americanethnomusicologists recorded in different isolated pockets of North America stronglycontradict the model of exclusively East Asian origins of American Indians. On the otherhand, the possible presence of European populations among the early settlers of Americareceives support from singing traditions of Native Americans. This support is morespecific, than the simple presence of the vocal polyphony per se. The type of polyphony(drone) also point to the European direction. The readers may remember from the reviewof the Native American traditions of vocal polyphony that drone had been recorded bothunder the main melody, and above the main melody. This feature is also characteristic topolyphonic traditions of European populations.Regarding the route that European drone polyphony could appear in NorthAmerica, we cannot rule out either ways (eastern – via Bering Strait, and western – viaice-covered Atlantic Ocean), although the route via Bering Strait looks much morepreferable. This is because, as we discussed during the previous “Case Studies”, there aresigns of presence of European drone polyphony among contemporary populations ofCentral Asia (Tuva, Western Mongolia and adjacent territories) and East Asia (Ainus).Therefore, the long-range migrations of European populations deep in Asia might bereflected in the musical traditions of Central and East Asian peoples.Therefore, summarizing this case study, we can say that vocal traditions ofAmerican Indians support the suggestions about the European elements in their