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Proto-Indians are not well understood. There are a range of issues. One is that very old sites have been found not in North Anerica, but in South America, such as Monte Verde. Monte Verde is located near Puerto Montt in southern Chile. This has thrown the Clovis First theories in doubt. As late as the 1980s there was a neat, widely accepted theory as to the peopleing of the Americas. The Clovis Point people were thought to be the earlist American culture. For many years this Clovis First theory dominated the anthropological view of the peopleing of the Americas. Anthropolgists theorized that as the Ice Age receeded, a corridor opened for Asian nomads to penetrate into the heart of North America. The disappearance of the mega-fauna of North America at this time seemed to confirm that these nomads armed with Clovis Point weapons were responsible. (the fact that Clovis points appeared, the ice sheets receeded and the mega-fauna disappeared at the same time about 13,500 years ago seemed to confirm the theory, but their could be environmental factors at play as well.) The stone tools found at Clovis, New Mexico are believed to date to about 9000-11000 BC. The Clovis Point is esentially a elgantly flutted stone spearhead that was a major technological advance. Modern anthropological work has brought this theory into question. One problem is that nomadic tribes in Siberia did not have Clovis Point weapons. Some antropologists have noted similar technology in Europe pointing to Ice Age Solutrians. Other arcelogists see a link between Solutrian and Clovis technology in artifacts found at Medow Lark that date to about 15,000 years ago. Other finds have been dated to as far back as 22,000 years ago. DNA studies have found evidence of non-Asian bloodlines, but there is no known Solutrian DNA signature yet to confirm it was the Solutrians involved. One journalist looking into the Solutrians tells, us that the problem with using DNA to assess Solutrian settlementof the Americ "is that the geneticists don't have a genetic signature for what a Solutrean's DNA should look like. So they don't know what to look for in native Americans." [Vastag] Comparisons have been made between native Americans and the people of northeast Asia - and from that, it is clear that northeast Asians left a lasting genetic legacy in the Americas. The question Dennis Stanford is exploring is whether another group got here first - and possible contributed a genetic legacy as well. The answer to that seems to be 'maybe'. Another complication is that archeological finds in South America suggest human settlement much earlier of the Clovis Point people. Cultures have sence been found in South America that significant pre-date the Clovis people of North America. [Koppel] There have also been earlier discoveries in North America such as along the coast of Oregon. [Jenkins] These discoveries have, however, been questioned and the debates over Clovis First continue. Many archeologists still clining to the Clovis First theory are dubious about reports of much earlier settlement. Further complicating the story, anthropolgists disagree as to weather the spread of Clovis Point technology chroicles the migration of a people or a technology accorss different people. These issues are the subject of enormous debate among archeologists and anthropolgists which will probably take a geneation to resolve.
The Siberians who migrated to North America were nomadic hunter-gatherers who crossed the Bering Land Bridge. This is one of the few events that archeologists agree about. During the Ice Age sea levels were lower, much lower. So much water was tied up in the Northern Hemisphere ice cap, that sea levels may have been an incredible 100-150 meters lower than today. This created a land bridge over what is now the shallow but forbidding Bearing Straits. Prescisely when this crossing took place, however, is a matter of considerable controversy. For years Archeologists based on the Clovis First theory dated the crossing at about 13,500 years ago. This was the time when the glacial ice of the Ice Age was believed to have receeded and a ice free-corridor appeared south from Alaska into the Noth American heartland. There is now, however, considerble disagreement among Native American specialists as to just when these crossings began. how they were made, and how long they continued. Some scientists now believe that Ice Age people arrived in North America over the Bering Sea land bridge much earlier, perhaps 20,000-30,000 years ago or even earlier. We note dates as early as 45,000 years ago, but only because of the early archeological sittes fojund ii both North and south america, especially Monte Verde in Chile. Archeologists for the most part clung to Clovis First. Other specialists, however, raised some chincks in the Clovis First orthodoxy. Preliminary DNA studies suggest that these migrations took place in multiple, perhaps three waves. These estimates are based on recent DNA studies assessing when Asians and Native Americans diverged genetically. Not all researchers working with DNA agree as to the dates involved. Some also suggest that it was about 15,000 years ago. One study suggest that the first crossing was made by extrenmely small groups, perhaps only 10-20 people. Then the linguists chimed in to the debate. They noted an incredible linguistic diversity, far greater than the Old World. This suggested a much earlier initial crossing than estimated by the Clovis First theorists. These new contributors to the subject were not invested in Clovis First like the archeological community.
Proto-Indians are, to say the least, not well understood. There are a range of issues. By far the most important is that very old sites have been found not in North Anerica, but in South America, For years it waa thought that the Clovis people were the first people the migrate south from Beringa and penetrate into the heart of North America. We know now that this was not the case. W now know of several archeolical sites in both North and South America that predate earlier estimates of not only the Clovis people, but what had been accepted as the approximate date of the earliest Bearing Sea crossing. The earliest at this time appears to be in of all places Monte Verde in the Lake District of southern Chile. No one expected the earliest site would be found in the south of South America It just did not fit in with a Bearing Sea crossing. There are very wide ranges in the dating of the Bearing Sea crossing and the appearance of Proto-Indians in different localities. Some academics claim that Proto-Indians may have appeard as early as 40,000-45,000 years ago--although this early date is stiill the matter of considerable controversy . The problem with dating Proto-Indians is that often the only archeological evidence are only the stone tools which can not be carbon dated. Sometimes there are materials lovated in an ariound the tools that have been found, but that is not the same as dating the tools. Several early sites have been found in both North Amd South America. Many of these sites have been questioned, but Monte Verde has been throughly vetted by several archeologists, at least MVI. The dating of MVII is still in question. Another issue that has caused considerable turmoil is pottery. In pre-DNA days, cermaics (pottery) was widely used by archeologists to identify and date civilizations and track the movements of peoples. Pottery goes hand-in-hand with civilizations. It is to heavy for nomadic people to transport. And it requirs a degree of technological achievement. The earliest trace of pottery has been found in the Amazonian Basin. Pottery from the lower Amazon Basin (the Caverna de Pedra Pintada) near Santarém, Brazil, have been dated to 5,000-7,500 years ago. Again, this is not what archeologists expected. Most would have guessed Meso-America. In fact, until very recently, it was believed that the Amazon had been inhabited by primitive peoples with no important cultural achievements. It is veru clear that new theories are needed concerning the peopleing of the Americas.
For many years the Clovis First theory dominated the anthropological view of the peopleing of the Americas. Archeologists theorized that as the Ice Age receeded, a corridor opened for Asian nomadic hunters from northwestern Siberia penetrate into the heart of North America. The disappearance of the mega-fauna of North America at this time seemed to confirm that these nomads armed with Clovis Point weapons were responsible. The fact that Clovis points appeared, the ice sheets receeded, and the mega-fauna disappeared at riughly the same time (about 13,500 years ago seemed to confirm the theory, but their could be environmental factors at play as well. The stone tools found at Clovis, New Mexico are believed to date to about 9000-11000 BC. More current resesearch has led to estimates of this process beginning as far back as 40,000-45,000 years ago. The Clovis Point is esentially a elgantly flutted stone spearhead that was a major technological advance. Archeologists as late as the 1980s geherally accepted the Clovis First theory as to the peopleing of the Americas. The Clovis Point people were thought to be the earlist American culture. As a result,some scholars use the term Clovis People interchangeably with Proto- or Paleo-Indian. Many Archeologists believe that the Clovis people were the first important group to inhabit the Americas. They are believed to have lived in the southwestern United States and northern Mexico between 10,000-40,000 years ago. Archeologists have considerably extended the age rage in cecent years. Archeologists believe that the Clovis people inhabited North America longer than all subsequent cultures combined, but they left very little evidence of their existence, primarily their destinctive arrow and spearheads. Thus we know virtually nothing of these people. The Clovis Points tell us they were hunters. But very little more is known about them and their culture, including religion, language, celebrations or ceremonies, funeral practices, arts and dance, dance and family or clan relationships. They suddenly disappeared about 9,000 years ago, at least their destinctive Clovis points are no longer found.
Modern anthropological work has brought this theory into question. The problem with Clovis First is not just the earlir finds in South America or the eastern North America. Another problem is that nomadic tribes in Siberia did not have Clovis Point weapons. Some antropologists have noted similar technology in Europe pointing to Ice Age Solutrians. Other arcelogists see a link between Solutrian and Clovis technology in artifacts found at Medow Lark that date to about 15,000 years ago. Other finds have been dated to as far back as 22,000 years ago. And an additional problem is that Clovis points have never been found in South America.
DNA studies have found evidence of non-Asian bloodlines, but there is no known Solutrian DNA signature yet to confirm it was the Solutrians involved. One journalist looking into the Solutrians tells, us that the problem with using DNA to assess Solutrian settlementof the Americ "is that the geneticists don't have a genetic signature for what a Solutrean's DNA should look like. So they don't know what to look for in native Americans." [Vastag] Comparisons have been made between native Americans and the people of northeast Asia - and from that, it is clear that northeast Asians left a lasting genetic legacy in the Americas. The question Dennis Stanford is exploring is whether another group got here first - and possible contributed a genetic legacy as well. The answer to that seems to be 'maybe'.
Another complication is that archeological finds in South America suggest human settlement much earlier than the Clovis Point people. Cultures have sence been found in South America that significant pre-date the Clovis people of North America. [Koppel] There have also been earlier discoveries in North America such as along the coast of Oregon. [Jenkins] These discoveries have, however, been questioned and the debates over Clovis First continue. Many archeologists still clining to the Clovis First theory are dubious about reports of much earlier settlement.
Further complicating the story, anthropolgists disagree as to weather the spread of Clovis Point technology chroicles the migration of a people or a technology acorss different people. These issues are the subject of enormous debate among archeologists and anthropolgists which will probably take a geneation to resolve.
Jenkins, Dennis. University of Oregon.
Koppel, Tom. Lost World: Prehostopry--How New Science is Tracing America's Ice Age Mariners (Atria, 2003), 288p.
Vastag, Brian. E-mail message, March 6, 2012.
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