The First Americans

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The First Americans

• Who were they?
• How did they get here?
• When did they arrive?
• Where did they come from?

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How did they arrive in the Americas?What are the
theories?
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Beringia Land Bridge Theory Long-standing story
of their arrival in the Americas
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Why would they cross Beringia?

• Cold and arid, Beringia was clothed in the hardy
  grasses, herbs, dwarf birch and willows of the
  Mammoth Steppe.
• This plant life supported such extinct species
  as the woolly mammoth, the mastodon, the steppe
  bison,  the giant beaver, the North American
  horse, and camel.

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Need to Know
Thousands of years ago, people traveled
following herds of animals to the Americas
These people eventually developed into cultures
throughout North and South America As time
progressed these peoples lives changed
dramatically when the Europeans reached Americas
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When could they have crossed?
It is theoretically possible for people to have
entered North America from Asia at repeated
intervals between 40,000 and 13,000 years ago.
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How did they cross?

• ? Because ice takes water from the ocean, the
  sea level dropped, allowing land to show that
  would normally be underwater
• ? In the north, there is a land bridge which
  connects Siberia in Asia to Alaska in North
  America
• ? The hunters spread throughout the land looking
  for better hunting grounds
• ? They spread through North America, Central
  America, and South America

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Further Reading
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They Arrived and Populated the Continent Around
13000-14 000 YBP!
They left stone and flint tools, beautifully
crafted.
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By water?

• Earlier by boat along the Pacific Coast? (Coastal
  Theory)
• Across the Atlantic? (Solutrean Theory)
• From Africa?(Luzia)
• Across the Pacific from Japan, Polynesia, or
  Australia?
• Beringia then down the coast along the ice using
  boats occasionally?

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Luzia may support an African origin for some
First Americans! Arriving earlier than previously
thought.
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Latest News!

• Penyon III Woman is 13 000 Years old. Dated
  recently in Mexico!
• DNA testing will be done because Mexico does not
  have laws allowing the Native Peoples to
  repossess the bones.
• Skull shape, not Native American

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Latest News Continued

• South American dates at Monte Verde, 12 000 YBP.
  Confirmed!
• Other South American sites support early
  settlement.

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Latest News Continued

• Remains of Luzia appears with African (negroid)
  features
• Found in South America.
• 11 500 YBP time of burial