Origin Of American Indians In North Americaorigin Of America

Origin of American Indians in North America

Joseph Parish

In this rant I have chosen to discuss the various theories concerning the origin of the American Indians in North America. Many of the tribes have their own versions of the origination of the natives in America, however, in this report, we shall reply only upon those theories which are supported by scientific evidence. We will likely never know the true answer to this question, however, there are several very strong scientific theories which have been developed by anthropologists and archaeologists. These theories are worth reviewing and worthy of proper consideration. Several of the more popular views of how the Indians came to be here are the Bering Strait Land Bridge, other experts contend that the Indians came to America via boats and finally we shall review the theory known as Solutrean which basically states that the Indians arrived in North America the same way as the Vikings did. I will briefly discuss each of these individually.

There is a considerable amount of evidence which indicates that the ancestors of the American Indian arrived in America during the later period of the ice age. This data implies that the Native Americans migrated from Asia in small groups or bands over an extended period of time. Proponents of this theory use the similarities in appearance, linguistic factors, the distribution of the native blood types and genetic composition as the basis for their theory. Genetic evidence offered by the scientific community supports the concept of possible multiple migrations of people coming from several geographical locations in Asia. The supporters of this theory believe that the first Americans in North America arrived by walking across a "land bridge" which existed at the time between Alaska and Siberia. It is now known that these land bridges appeared several times during the ice age, providing a gateway to the North American continent. There are even beliefs that perhaps these same series of glaciers that created the land bridge between Asia and Alaska also established similar bridges along the Pacific coast of North America allowing an additional pathway to the continent. According to the professionals involved in this theory the migrations from Eurasia to America took place approximately 13,500 to a possible 40,000 years ago. Crossings made over the Bering Sea were also possible during the times when it was frozen. One supporting discovery for this migration was the human chipped Mammoth bones found in the Yukon's Bluefish Caves around 1980.

Another suggestion on how these first immigrants arrived here in America was by the use of boats. Although there is no direct archaeological evidence to support this theory, it may not be as strange as it first sounds. Some indications from 30,000 years ago reveal that people migrated to Australia from the mainland by such means. During the ice age Australia was never connected to the mainland, therefore boats were the logical means of immigration. Why could there not be a similar situation which took place here in North America as well. If there were boat people residing in the coastal locations of northeast Asia, they would have had a natural waterway into the Americas continent. The theory also suggests that these people in their boats navigated the coastline from the Kurile Islands of Alaska and downward south to the coast of North America. This Pacific coastal route encountered one major problem which the researchers experience as they attempted to prove the facts concerning the boat people. The evidence of these boats tends to disappear below the ever-changing coastline. This eventually leaves the evidence hundreds of feet under the water. On the other hand, we have growing support for those migrations by boat from the people of Europe. The European boat people would likely have employed a similar route that the Vikings used to arrive here. Acceptance of the watercraft theories could result in broad implications that some of these seaboard Indians in America may not have been game hunters but rather were more maritime skilled.

Coastal travel by boat may not have been restricted to the Pacific side of the nation as increasing evidence points to a possible Atlantic excursion as well. The Solutrean theory is backed up from an analysis of the evidence found at the Clovis Complex as well as an examination of their tool making skills. Around 15,000 years ago the Solutrean tool making industry disappeared completely in Europe. These people are credited for possession of skills which are similar to those of specific European people. There are additional similarities noted in their technology, which do not have any counterparts in the Asian Communities. This theory tends to promote the concept that Europeans were instrumental in settling the first communities in America. The theory is based upon the cultures discovered France, Portugal and Spain from approximately 21,000 ago. The Clovis tools found are characterized from distinctive types of spear points which have common traits with those made in Europe. According to the hypothesis the Ice Age Europeans made their voyage cross the North Atlantic Ocean by following the edge of pack ice, which extended from the Atlantic coast in France to North America. These voyages were completed in small boats employing the skills which are currently used by the modern Inuit people. They were very efficient in existing on the ice floes at night, the collection of fresh water by melting, hunting the surrounding seals and fish for their food and using the seal blubber as their fuel for heat. Examples of this evidence can be found in digs from not just the Clovis Complex but also from Cactus Hill in Virginia and from the Meadowcroft Rock shelter located around Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. This Pennsylvania site indicates early man occupied America from 16,000 to 19,000 years ago. Perhaps for many professional researchers this Solutrean theory may be considered too far-fetched to be valid however it is a feasible solution and could perhaps be a viable answer to the question on how the Indians arrived in America.

It is not an easy task to explain the origin of the American Indians and no one can say one theory is better than another and as was stated in the introduction we may never know the true answer to that question. We have covered several of the top arguments which have been developed scientifically in favor of the origin of the Indian tribes. Presented were established claims for the Land Bridge theory, the watercraft migration and for the Solutrean theory, all of which offer some strong points in the discussion. Within each of the proposed solutions we can view some admirable evidence as well as some which might be doubtful at best. Perhaps the best solution of all is a mixture of all theories being proposed. Possibly the northeastern Indians come about from the land bridge while those in the southern localities might have been boat people. Again, the tribes that developed on the east coast may very well have come from Europe. In time many tribes may have intermingled and the DNA was crossed during their presence here in America. In either case most of the tribes have their own opinion and folklore which surrounds their arrival or development within the American continent.

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