Who Traveled to America Ice Age Aboriginal

The dominant story in archaeology has long been that humans came to N America effectually 12,000 years ago. But Indigenous archaeologist Paulette Steeves points to mounting evidence suggesting homo migration may have occurred closer to 130,000 agone.

In her book The Indigenous Paleolithic of the Western Hemisphere, archaeologist Paulette Steeves argues that the settlement of the Americas may accept occurred closer to 130,000 ago. (University of Nebraska Press/Algoma University)

Ideas 53:59 The Old Stone Age of the Western Hemisphere

An old story about the "Old Rock Age" in Due north America is now giving way to new evidence — or to exist precise, testify that is much, much older than scientists used to accept.

Archaeologists long believed that the starting time peoples to set foot on this continent arrived by crossing a land connection, the Bering Strait, from Siberia at the end of the last ice historic period, effectually xi,500 to 12,000 years ago. They are often called 'Clovis people' — named afterwards the first discovery of stone tools used around this time, at a site nearly Clovis, New Mexico.

These artifacts are chosen the Gault Assemblage from the Gault Site in Texas, and are dated to exist 16,000 - 21,000 years old. (A to D, F, and L) Bifaces. (E) Blade cadre. (Yard) Quartz projectile point. (H and I) Projectile points. (K) Projectile indicate tip. (Yard, V, and Due west) Blade. (N) Unifacial tool. (O and T) Gravers. (P) Discoidal biface. (Q) End scraper. (R to U) Modified flake tools. (Ten and Y) Lanceolate projectile points. (Nancy Velchoff, Gault School of Archaeological Research) (Nancy Velchoff, Gault School of Archaeological Research)

This menstruum is relatively recent when compared to the history of homo sapiens, and information technology can disharmonize with the view of many Indigenous people who believe their ancestors have lived here "since time immemorial."

"For many, many years, people thought the Clovis were the outset people of North America, and that was the primary paradigm," said Steven Holen, research manager at the Middle for American Paleolithic Research.

That image has now shifted, due to studies such as the 2017 analysis of fossilized footprints at White Sands National Park in New Mexico, which suggested a human presence dating back at least 20,000 years.

Footprints found in New United mexican states were dated to betwixt 21,000 - 23,000 years old, and were likely left by prehistoric teenagers. (National Park Service, USGS and Bournemouth University)

However, for those archaeologists who once faced aggressive pushback for challenging the so-called 'Clovis First' theory, the recent relaxing of archaeological dogma is likewise little, and too lacking in humility.

"This was an area that was an academic violence against Ethnic people," said Paulette Steeves, writer of The Indigenous Paleolithic of the Western Hemisphere. Her book gathers together the latest evidence and arguments in favour of believing the human being presence in North America goes back many tens of thousands of years — at a minimum.

• Fossilized Footprints at White Sands | National Park Service

• Evidence of an early projectile betoken engineering in North America at the Gault Site

"Nosotros're supposed to believe that early hominids got to northern Asia 2.1 million years ago and and so for some reason didn't become any further north," Steeves explained. "A few chiliad more kilometres, they would accept been in North America. So it does not make any sense whatsoever."

Steeves is a professor of sociology at Algoma University in Sault Ste. Marie, and a Canada Inquiry Chair in Healing and Reconciliation. For her, the meaning of "time immemorial" demand not conflict with the archaeological project of dating the initial peopling of this hemisphere.

"This is where their cultures grew," she said. "This is where their languages grew. This is where they're from. They tin tell their story in any way they want."

Guests in this episode:

Kathleen

and Steven Holen from the Center for American Paleolithic Inquiry.

Tom Williams is a project archaeologist working on the oldest cultural materials recovered from the Gault Site in Texas.

Paulette Steevesis the writer of The Ethnic Paleolithic of the Western Hemisphere, and associate professor of sociology at Algoma University. Dr. Steeves as well created the publicly available Indigenous Paleolithic Database of the Americas.

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*This episode was produced past Tom Howell.

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