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Coming to America Directions:WhowerethefirstAmericans,andhowdidtheygethere?Workinyourgroupsoffourtoexaminethe

documents,considertheirimplications,anddiscussandanswerthequestionsthatfollow.TwoCompetingTheoriesScientistshaveputforthmanytheoriesonhowandwhenpeoplefirstarrivedintheAmericas.Accordingtoonetheory,thelasticeagecausedoceanlevelstofall,exposingdrylandacrosstheBeringStrait,betweenpresent-dayRussiaandAlaska.Atthattime,sometimebetween25,000and14,000yearsago,smallbandsofpeoplefromAsiacouldhavecrossedthis“landbridge,”knownasBeringia,astheyfollowedtheanimalstheywerehuntingintoNorthAmericaandformedsettlements.Fromthere,thepeoplewouldhavecontinuedmigratingsouthwardastheylookedforfood.However,recentarchaeologicaldiscoveriessuggestthatthelandbridgetheorymaynotfullyexplainthearrivalofthefirstAmericans.OneimportantrecentdiscoveryistheMonteVerdesiteinsouthernChile.Remainsfoundthereareatleast12,500yearsold—andmaybeasoldas30,000years!Iftheremainsarethatold,itmighthavebeenimpossibleforhumanstohavemigratedtherefromtheBeringialandbridge.ManyscientistsnowthinkthatearlypeoplemayhavearrivedtotheAmericasalongthecoasts,perhapsusingboats.Howevertheygothere,astheyspreadacrossthecontinents,earlyAmericanshadtolearntoadapttomanydifferentenvironments.

Source:“NativeAmericansactuallycamefromatinymountainregion,”RobWaugh,DailyMail.co.uk

1. WhatarethetwocompetingtheoriesforhowthefirsthumansreachedandpopulatedtheAmericas?AmericanAncestorsfromtheEurasianSteppe?

AltaiinsouthernSiberiasitsrightatthecentreofRussia.Butthetiny,mountainousrepublichasaclaimtofameunknownuntilnow-NativeAmericanscantracetheiroriginstotheremoteregion.DNAresearchrevealedthatgeneticmarkerslinkingpeoplelivingintheRussianrepublicofAltai,southernSiberia,withindigenouspopulationsinNorthAmerica…LookingattheYchromosomeDNA,theresearchersfoundauniquemutationsharedbyNativeAmericansandsouthernAltaiansinthelineageknownasQ...Astudyofthe

mutationsindicatedalineageshiftbetween13,000and14,000yearsago-whenpeoplearethoughttohavewalkedacrosstheicefromRussiatoAmerica.ThisroughlycoincideswiththeperiodwhenhumansfromSiberiaarethoughttohavecrossedwhatisnowthe

BeringstraitandenteredAmerica…Roughly20-25,000yearsago,theseprehistorichumanscarriedtheirAsiangeneticlineagesupintothefarreachesofSiberiaandeventuallyacrossthethen-exposedBeringlandmassintotheAmericas.TheAltairegionliesattheintersectionofwhatisnowRussia,Mongolia,ChinaandKazakhstan.

Source:“NativeAmericansactuallycamefromatinymountainregion,”RobWaugh,DailyMail.co.uk2. WhathasgeneticresearchrevealedabouttheoriginsofNativeAmericans?Howdotheyknowthis?

IceFreeCorridorHypothesisTheIceFreeCorridorhypothesishasbeenanacceptedrouteforhumancolonizationoftheAmericancontinentssinceatleastthe1930s.ThisroutewaspostulatedbyarchaeologistslookingforawaybywhichhumanscouldhaveenteredNorthAmericaduringthelateWisconsinaniceage.Essentially,thehypothesissuggestedthatClovisculturehuntersarrivedinNorthAmericachasingaftermegafauna(giantanimalslikemammothandbison)throughacorridorbetweentheiceslabs.ThecorridorcrossedwhatisnowtheprovincesofAlbertaandeasternBritishColumbia,betweentheLaurentideandCordilleranicemasses.Source:“PopulatingtheWorld,”KKrisHirst,ArcheologyExpert,About.com

3. AccoringtotheIceFreeCorridorHypothesis,howdidthefirsthumansentertheAmericas?

4. Examinethemapstotheright.Howlongdidhumanslivein“Beringia,”theareathatistodaytheBeringStrait?DoyouthinkthisshouldbecalledtheBeringland“bridge”ornot?Explain.

PacificCoastalMigrationHypothesisMostexpertsbelievetheearliestAmericanstraveledbyfootacrossthelandbridge.However,somescholarsthinktheyalsomayhavepaddledfromAsiatothePacificCoastinsmallboats.AskulldiscoverednearMexicoCityhasrecentlybeendatedtoabout11,000B.C.,makingitthe

oldestskulleverfoundintheAmericas.SomescientistsstudyingtheskullbelievethatitisrelatedtotheAinupeopleofJapanandthatthesedescendantsoftheAinureachedtheAmericasbyisland-hoppingonboats.Source:“TheEarliestAmericans,”RogerBeck,WorldHistory:PatternsofInteractionOverthelast20yearshowever,thediscoursesurroundingthestoryofthefirstAmericanshascomeintoanewlight--onethatchallengesthepreviouslyacceptedtheoriesandreplacesthemwithevenmoreshockingandexcitingones…Itbeganin1997withthediscoveryofanarchaeologicalsiteinMonteVerde,Chile,datingbackto14,500yearsago-afullmillenniumolderthanwhatwaspreviouslythoughttobethefirstpeopleinthenewworld,andindicatingtheysettledmuchfurthersouththanexpected…IfhumanssettledintheAmericassomuchearlierthanpreviouslythoughtandtraveledasfarasSouthAmerica,isitpossiblethatthesehumansjourneyedtothenewworldthroughadifferentroute?Source:“InvestigatingHistory:FindingtheFirstAmericans,”NationalParkService

5. HowhavearcheologicaldiscoveriescastdoubtontheIceFreeCorridorHypothesis?Describethediscoveriesandthereasonswhytheydonotlineupwiththathypothesis.

RobsonBonnichsen,alongtimecriticofthe“ClovisFirst”theoryoftheIce-FreeCorridor,saida14,500-year-oldsiteexcavatednearMonteVerde,Chile,hasledresearcherstoexaminehowthefirstAmericansspreadsoquicklythroughouttheAmericas.Oneofthemostplausibleways,hesaid,wasbyboat."Thecoastalenvironmentwouldhaveprovidedmoresubsistencethananinteriorroute,"Bonnichsensaid."Currentthinkingisthereweresomerefugia(safeareas)alongthecoast,spotsthatweren'tglaciated.Coastalroutesprovideforeasier,fastermovementofpeople."RolfW.Mathewes,aprofessorofbiologicalsciencesatSimonFraserUniversityinBritishColumbia,saidastudyoftheancientenvironmentshowsthatthePacificcoastline10,000to15,000yearsagowasa"muchbetteroptionoftravel"thanacrossafrigidinteriorroute.Mathewesdescribedthe"lostworld"ofacoastalstripoflandfromAlaskatotheQueenCharlotteIslandsoffBritishColumbiathatisnowundermorethan300feetofwater.Hesaidglaciersdidn'tgoallthewaytothecoastinmanyspots,providingvegetated"steppingstones"wheremaritimetravelerscouldsurvive.Hesaidfoodwouldhavebeenplentifulfromtheocean,asmarinemammals,salmonandshellfishwereabundant.Hesaidthat14,000yearsago,thepresentHecateStraitbetweenQueenCharlotteIslandsandthemainlandwasatreeless,flatterraincoveredwithherbs,rootsandothervegetationsuchascrowberriesthatprovidedanabundantfoodresourceinthesummer.Driftwoodwouldhaveprovidedfuelforfire."About12,000yearsago,theenvironmentchangeddramatically,andtheopenlandscapewascolonizedbytrees,"Mathewessaid."Thisperhapswouldhavebeenwhenpeoplemadeafinalpushsouth.Aforestedenvironmentwouldhavebeenmoredifficulttolivein."E.JamesDixon,curatorofarchaeologyfortheDenverMuseumofNaturalHistory,saidtheconceptofaninterior,ice-freecorridorisflawedandthatacoastalroute"wouldhavebeenmuchmoreviable"formovingfamiliesandsupplies.Source:“America'searlypeoplemayhavecomebyboatfromAsia,”RichardL.Hill,TheOregonian,1998

ThemainhitchtothePacificCoastalMigrationmodelisthelackofarchaeologicalevidenceforaPacificcoastalmigration.Thereasonforthatisfairlystraightforward--givenariseinsealevelsof50meters(~165feet)ormoresincetheLastGlacialMaximum,thecoastlinesalongwhichtheoriginalcolonistsmighthavearrived,andthesitestheymayhaveleftthere,areoutofpresentarchaeologicalreach,sincetheyarenowhundredsoffeetunderwater.Source:“PopulatingtheWorld,”KKrisHirst,ArcheologyExpert,About.com

6. HowandwhydoexpertsbelievehumansmayhavefirstcometotheAmericasbyboat?Whatresourceswouldhavebeenavailabletopeoplealongthecoasts?

7. Doyouthinkthishypothesishasstrongersupport?Whyorwhynot?

8. Someonewhoisnotreadingthedocumentscloselyasks…“Idon’tgetit.Iftheywanttofindmoreproofforthewholecomingoveronboatsthing,andiftheythinktheywerelivingonthecoastbackthen,whycan’tarcheologistsjusttrydigginginthatareatotrytofindsomeevidence?”Howwouldyouexplainwhythatisnotsosimple?

9. Overall,howdoeswhatyoulearnedhereabouttheFirstAmericansdifferfromwhatyouthoughtyouknew?Whatinformationwasdifferentornew?