First Americans were stuck on Bering land bridge

[Itoero]

It seems that the people who colonized America were first stuck on the Bering land bridge for about 10.000 years, during the last glacial maximum.

 

Genetic data shows that founding populations of Native Americans diverged from their Asian ancestors more than 25,000 years ago. This means that Native Americans diverged from their Asian ancestors long before they started to colonize America...some 15.000 years ago.

http://www.livescience.com/43726-bering-strait-populations-lived.html

 

What do you think of this hypothesis?

[Endy0816]

Strait can be walked across in the winter. Main problem with supposing the landbridge played a role. Isolated possibly though.

Edited November 13, 2016 by Endy0816

[rangerx]

America as we know it was not described as such until the 1400's. Aboriginal is more correct term than Native American, after all today's Canadian first nations are not and never have been American.

That said, the land bridge theory is not exclusive to the migration. In fact, there's a theory some groups, namely Haida Gwaii on Canada's Queen Charlotte Islands were proto-Polynesian, having arrived by boat 14,000 years ago.

[Delta1212]

America as we know it was not described as such until the 1400's. Aboriginal is more correct term than Native American, after all today's Canadian first nations are not and never have been American.

 

That said, the land bridge theory is not exclusive to the migration. In fact, there's a theory some groups, namely Haida Gwaii on Canada's Queen Charlotte Islands were proto-Polynesian, having arrived by boat 14,000 years ago.

 

 

 

 

I generally take "Native American" to mean at least "Native of North America" or possibly "Native of the Americas."

[arc]

America as we know it was not described as such until the 1400's. Aboriginal is more correct term than Native American, after all today's Canadian first nations are not and never have been American.

 

That said, the land bridge theory is not exclusive to the migration. In fact, there's a theory some groups, namely Haida Gwaii on Canada's Queen Charlotte Islands were proto-Polynesian, having arrived by boat 14,000 years ago.

 

 

 

 

 

Is there genetic evidence supporting this? Many migration hypotheses have been thrown out solely on the lack of genetic support, Thor Heyerdahl's opinions for example.

Edited November 13, 2016 by arc

[rangerx]

I generally take "Native American" to mean at least "Native of North America" or possibly "Native of the Americas."

 

Of course. As a Canadian, it sounds odd when visiting Americans refer to our first nations as native Americans. Technically anyone born in the USA is a native American. Captializing the word native suggests American origin.

 

The term Indian was used for centuries, although technically not from India. However, if the proto-Polynesian theory is true, then being of the Indies would be correct.

 

I'm merely being pedantic.

 

Moving forward, there's also the suggestion Chinese (and other Oriental races) as mariners visited North America before Europeans and invariably mixed into the populations. Therefore genetics cannot be accurately linked to the land bridge theory.

 

Is there genetic evidence supporting this? Many migration hypotheses have been thrown out solely on the lack of genetic support, Thor Heyerdahl's opinions for example.

 

http://thetyee.ca/News/2012/04/03/Did-Chinese-Discover-British-Columbia/

 

I was on the UASBC expedition when the pot was revealed. I also know the owner of vessel the "Beaufort Sea", who discovered the shards in his net.

 

As to the former, the story has no credibility because marine growth on the object was inconsistent with the in situ description by the finder. And the latter, artifacts dragged from the sea floor do not necessarily imply a timeline. It's possible they may have been jettisoned from any vessel at any subsequent time.

 

Land based archaeology has not confirmed a proto-Polynesian connection to the people of Haida Gwaii. Much of it is speculation based upon physical features. Natives from HG appear East Indian, where mainland natives appear Mongolian (for all that's worth)

 

There is the theory however, a portion of Vancouver Island, Brooks Peninsula and perhaps Haida Gwaii (far offshore from mainland BC) were a glacial refugium. If it's true and there were people there all along, it's not known what their genetic origin would be.

 

So all in all, it's still very confusing, but interesting nonetheless.

[arc]

 

it's not known what their genetic origin would be.

 

Although the Polynesians are in my opinion the greatest seafarers to date they would undoubtedly push their luck or find themselves in unexpected situations beyond their control. I can imagine a group of proto-Polynesians finding their way to northern waters as the last glacial came to an end and unfortunately finding themselves getting caught unprepared by the Younger Dryas or one of its predecessors.

[rangerx]

 

Although the Polynesians are in my opinion the greatest seafarers to date they would undoubtedly push their luck or find themselves in unexpected situations beyond their control. I can imagine a group of proto-Polynesians finding their way to northern waters as the last glacial came to an end and unfortunately finding themselves getting caught unprepared by the Younger Dryas or one of its predecessors.

 

Indeed.

 

They wouldn't have to try that hard. The Kuroshio current prevails in a clockwise, northeasterly direction from the Orient.

 

Fourteen months following the earthquake in Japan, this motorcycle washed ashore on Haida Gwaii.

 

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/tsunami-motorcycle-owner-located-in-japan-1.1279536

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuroshio_Current

[Itoero]

America as we know it was not described as such until the 1400's. Aboriginal is more correct term than Native American, after all today's Canadian first nations are not and never have been American.

 

That said, the land bridge theory is not exclusive to the migration. In fact, there's a theory some groups, namely Haida Gwaii on Canada's Queen Charlotte Islands were proto-Polynesian, having arrived by boat 14,000 years ago.

I found an article which says that Polynesia was a relatively recent discovery. Samoa was probably colonized in 800 BC.

http://pvs.kcc.hawaii.edu/ike/moolelo/discovery_and_settlement.html

Edited November 14, 2016 by Itoero

[arc]

I found an article which says that Polynesia was a relatively recent discovery. Samoa was probably colonized in 800 BC.

http://pvs.kcc.hawaii.edu/ike/moolelo/discovery_and_settlement.html

 

Yes, you are right, the use of the term Polynesian is very wrong in what I was referring to, I'll let rangerx defend himself. I would think though that whatever group name you would ascribe the earliest users of inter-island transportation within in the Pacific island archipelagos, they would find themselves occasionally "migrants at large" given the currents available. Although survival would seem a long shot at best. I couldn't find any dates older than possibly 6000 BC;

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Pacific_Islands

"In the history of Vanuatu, the commonly held theory of Vanuatu's prehistory from archaeological evidence supports that peoples speaking Austronesian languages first came to the islands some 4,000 to 6,000 years ago."

 

The farther north you check, though, the farther the dates go back;

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Pacific_Islands

"In the history of Taiwan, Aboriginal peoples ancestors are believed to have been living on the islands for approximately 8,000 years before major Han Chinese immigration began in the 17th century."

 

But I would think they wouldn't be considered a proto-Polynesian group, would they?

 

So none of these get close to the date of the scenario I suggested for supporting rangerx's post;

 

 

That said, the land bridge theory is not exclusive to the migration. In fact, there's a theory some groups, namely Haida Gwaii on Canada's Queen Charlotte Islands were proto-Polynesian, having arrived by boat 14,000 years ago.

 

 

I would be curious where that;

 

"proto-Polynesian, having arrived by boat 14,000 years ago." hails from.

[rangerx]

 

I would be curious where that;

 

"proto-Polynesian, having arrived by boat 14,000 years ago." hails from.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haida_Gwaii

 

"Haida Gwaii is considered by archaeologists as an option for a Pacific coastal route taken by the first humans migrating to the Americas from the Bering Strait.^[14]"

"It is unclear how people arrived on Haida Gwaii; but archaeological sites have established human habitation on the islands as far back as 13,000 years ago,^[15]"

 

I've used the term proto-Polynesian to describe early groups in the same context as the OP.

 

"The ancestors of Native Americans may have lived on and around the Bering Strait for about 10,000 years before streaming into the Americas, researchers argue."

 

If the land bridge theory is true, the ancestors of Native Americans, would be Asians (or whatever they were called then).

 

With the caveat, it's all theory and not established fact.

 

Again, moving forward, it seems 10,000 years is a long time to wait for a land bridge. Like modern humans, I'd speculate ancient groups of people would tend to follow water when exploring new territory. It easier to follow streams and coastlines than to traverse mountains and ice fields. That would mean going south mere hundreds (possibly more (ie) the Aleutian chain being quite narrow) of miles and building crude vessels. These are actions that may have been done in single lifetimes, as opposed to double digit millennia.

Proto-Polynesians may have arrived at any time subsequent to the first settlement of Haida Qwaii. Admittedly, connecting one to the other may be a stretch.

So for the sake of this discussion we were to postulate the first settlers of North America were mariners, which groups could these be?

Edited November 15, 2016 by rangerx

[Itoero]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haida_Gwaii

 

"Haida Gwaii is considered by archaeologists as an option for a Pacific coastal route taken by the first humans migrating to the Americas from the Bering Strait.^%5B14%5D"

"It is unclear how people arrived on Haida Gwaii; but archaeological sites have established human habitation on the islands as far back as 13,000 years ago,^%5B15%5D"

 

I've used the term proto-Polynesian to describe early groups in the same context as the OP.

 

"The ancestors of Native Americans may have lived on and around the Bering Strait for about 10,000 years before streaming into the Americas, researchers argue."

 

If the land bridge theory is true, the ancestors of Native Americans, would be Asians (or whatever they were called then).

 

With the caveat, it's all theory and not established fact.

 

Again, moving forward, it seems 10,000 years is a long time to wait for a land bridge. Like modern humans, I'd speculate ancient groups of people would tend to follow water when exploring new territory. It easier to follow streams and coastlines than to traverse mountains and ice fields. That would mean going south mere hundreds (possibly more (ie) the Aleutian chain being quite narrow) of miles and building crude vessels. These are actions that may have been done in single lifetimes, as opposed to double digit millennia.

 

Proto-Polynesians may have arrived at any time subsequent to the first settlement of Haida Qwaii. Admittedly, connecting one to the other may be a stretch.

 

So for the sake of this discussion we were to postulate the first settlers of North America were mariners, which groups could these be?

I adore the Queen Charlottes:)

 

But why Haida Gwaii? Haida Gwaii was well North from the southern borders of the icesheet on Canada.

Proto-Polynesians had to travel huge distances trough open water to reach America. I don't think that was possible at that time.

Proto-Polynesians were definitely asians.

 

If the 10.000 years is true then they just lived in Beringia (like other people lived in Siberia)for that long, they were not waiting for glaciers to clear up.

It seems many people lived in Siberia during then last glacial maximum.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/225787072_Siberia_at_the_Last_Glacial_Maximum_Environment_and_Archaeology

They did migrate via the coasts, there is the kelp highway hypothesis.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jon_M._Erlandson#Kelp_Highway_Hypothesis:_The_Peopling_of_the_New_World

 

I believe in the land bridge theory because it all fits.

This map explains things I think: