The use of metals in the Americas has been a fascination for me for some time. I had the opportunity to go to Mexico City and Lima where in museums you can see the use of nonferrous metals and alloys to make decorative and functional objects mainly weapons. Not being able to examine pieces I could not tell whether the objects where formed by casting alone or by a combination of casting and swaging as in , forging iron and steel , using stone hammers and shaped stone formers. It is not rocket science. A bell with a pea in it is a simple example of manipulating metal. There has been archaeological finds in Alaska of ancient bronze objects you can find about recent finds searching the internet. As has been mentioned the manipulation of metal by the Native Americans is undeniably sophisticated. In the pacific north west metal marvels where made. The Inuit also work metal. I do not want to appear to be a Graham Hancock fan though underwater towns are there, I think iron working has been done long before the European US conquest of the Americas. I am not saying there was smelting 'unless archaeological proof is found' but I do think that iron most probably did arrive early. If you think of the south pacific islands in the late 18th and early 19th century. Metals arrived in islands that where on trade routes first and island not on trade route would not have metals until much wider trade and colonisation. I suggest that south pacific island could not express there culture and art in metal as the North West Pacific native Americans did and do because metal working was new. The work by the north west pacific peoples could have been developed to such brilliant achievement through an old north pacific maritime trade route which for some reason stopped not unlike many trade route in history. Just a suggestion, you know how long held views often get challenged and with evidence can be found wanting.
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