[MCC Anthro Discussion Web] [ASB 238] [discussion]

ASB 238
archaeology of north america

Coming to America
Is There Pre-Clovis

Clearly, the evidence of a Clovis people is compelling. Clovis style projectile points are found scattered across the Americas. But is there and earlier migration into the Americas that predates Clovis? What role do the sites of Monte Verde and Meadowcroft Rockshelter play in support of a pre-Clovis occupation in the Americas?

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writer: Russ Zinck (MCC)
date: Friday, February 16, 1996
subject: Arguements for pre-Clovis occupation

I feel strongly that there was pre-clovis occupation of North and South America. A few sites have been dated much further back than 11,500 b.c., but these dates are disputed by some. I feel that some people are eager to throw out these early dates without really considering all of the important factors. Naysayers argue that if there really were people here before Clovis, why isn't there more evidence? I think that people made it to the Americas thousands of years before Clovis. The number of migrants at this time were probably much smaller than the number of migrants coming over during Clovis time though. So what does this mean? If there were fewer people, there were fewer artifacts. We also may not discover many artifacts because we don't really know what to look for.

Another important thing to consider is where theses people may have settled. While a few may have continued their roaming (to places like Monte Verde and Meadowcroft), most probably settled as soon as they got through the ice. To me this means that in the next coming of the glaciers, all of these areas would have been totally wiped out!

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writer: Mary Ann Waite-Henkel (MCC)
date: Friday, February 23, 1996
subject: Migrations to Americas by Sea Routes

Early man has demonstrated his creativity in solving how to cross water barriers by 50,000 years ago when he traveled to Australia. It seemms completely logical to me to suggest that he also had the capability of traversing the coastal areas in a leap-frogging kind of way. Trips of one or two days could have been made followed by several days of local foraging. There are still bands of people along the South American coast today who live a nomadic lifestyle on the rugged and bleak shores. They could easily be the remnants of an earlier people who lived much the same way.

Artifacts of this kind of life would be impossible to find today. The sea level raised more than 200 feet at the end of the ice age, and would have covered any settlements that might have been established. However, I don't believe this possibility of migration should be dismised too hastily merely because of a lack of sites to explore.


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