First Peoples: Americas

Another Possible wave of migrants

8,000 years ago wider, rounder skulls wouldve wiped out the first wave and populated the Americas this is unlikely based on sequencing of kennewick man

Kennewick Man

9000 year old skeleton that caused controversy between Indians and scientists on ownership of the past. local tribes immediately wanted him reburried buried over 8500 years ago near columbia river near washington (never was returned to local tribes)- went to court with scientists 160 pounds 5' 7.5" ~40 years old sturdy/strong man, robust bones, wide-bodied, much larger/stronger right arm than left (atlatl spear) - thus strength difference in left leg versus right leg right hip bone has an embedded spear point (not fatal) 5 broken ribs (like from kicking) (also not fatal) --lived 20 years after this all happened-- marine signature (isotope signal) such high carbon levels, river fish could not have provided (more likely marine mammals like SEALS) came from as far north as central alaska lifestyle similar to other coastal migrants headed inland to columbia river later in life burial suggests he wasnt a lone traveler, but a community member likely buried with ceremony his site was covered in rubble by feds. to prevent further excavation Natives consider him an ancestor -scientists not that his skull is longer and narrower than typical modern day native american skulls (more similar to polynesians- Ainu) (not necessarily polynesian, but more similar to people from this area at the time) Eske Willerslev - extracted usable DNA for evidence of ancestry - parts that have already been sequenced indicate that he is closest related to contemporary Native Americans than any other people in the world

Ozarks rock shelter

Clovis people used it as a campsite 13000 years ago family groups may have stayed for a few days before moving on (hunter gatherers)

200, 000 years ago

H. sapiens emerged on African landscape

Eva of Naharon

Yucatan peninsula, Mexico hips, and skull indicate female (skull=delicate) (skull more similar to kennewick man than modern Natives) 4'7" and in her 20's when she died radiocarbon dating suggests she died 13,500 years ago ceremony in a cave- 'Eva" is being buried by her clan she was a hunter-gatherer (probably part of a larger clan of nomads living in forests - only used caves to bury dead) skeleton was intact and undisturbed- deliberate placement/ritual burial earliest sign of spirituality in N america believed the chambers were portals to a spirit world- where shamans communed with spirits using psychotropic drugs "first American" oldest remains found in Americas bones discovered underwater in a vast cave system under the forests of yucatan Eva was in the yucatan before we thought anyone entered N. America (was assumed that Siberians used a land bridge to cross here on foot - but couldnt cross Canada to the south until the ice sheets began melting)

Another way into N America

boat early as 16000 years ago coast of pacific was mostly ice free even though much of the land was blocked by ice "paddled down kelp highway" surviving on aquatic sources of food (ie kelp) quicker and easier than land bridge boats werent thought to be developed until 10,000 years ago (conflicting w 16,000 years, but makes since to use. Boats could decompose easily) river systems allowed access to inland and its resources

ancestors looking dissimilar to contemporaries

diet may have been enough to incite changes face/skull settling down and requiring less knowledge to survive = shrunken brains

clovis people

first archaeological evidence = 13000 years ago (Eva = 13500)

Mammoth hunting

first evidence of hunting found in 1930's series of southwest sites with spearheads near mammoth bones -these clovis points packed damage! (clovis points named after one of the sites- "first american invention")

dating dung

fungal spore (sporormiella) - thrives in nutrient rich dung of large grass eating animals lasts for thousands of years extracts fungal spores and count to determine how many animals were around in prehistoric times 15,000 years ago = lot of spores 14800 years ago = spores start declining 13500 years ago = spores gone (before first clovis points/people)

explorer gene

geneticists believe original people were driven by genes to explore, take risks, embrace change, and seek out whats new no other species do this this drive links us to our ancestors

Ainu

hunter gathereers from norther japan all but wiped out in 20th century

Leaving africa

left africa, crossed asia, reached Australia, and colonized europe final fronteir = america

cave chambers under yucatan forests

mostly animal remains, some prehistoric humans remains must've been left in cave when it was dry

hunter gatherers

probably found high ground to watch for prey seeking water

eratics and land passage from siberia

rock trapped between ice sheets that got pushed and deposited - these rocks show were an ice free land passage would have opened up into modern US. first group through moved quickly

ice age

sea levels were lower - pushed back coastline and changed shape of Americas cave system in yucatan wouldve been dry enough to enter and bury dead dry phase ended 8000 years ago, sealing remains in the cave system 8 skeletons retrieved from the system- largest collection of prehistoric humans found at a single site in N. America

mastadon rib bone

washington state bone embedded into the rib imaging revealed the embedded bone to be manmade tip broke off into mastadon while it was being hunted radiocarbon dating of bone = 13800 years ago (8 centuries before appearance of clovis in N america)