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Paleoindians Essay

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Who were the Paleoindians and what were their subsistence strategies? ‘

The Paleoindians were believed to be the first people to enter the New World. They are often referred to as the “ancestors of the New World natives”. When the paleoindians first arrived to what we now know as Maine their stays were thought to be seasonal because most of Northern Maine was still emerging from under sheets of ice. The parts that weren’t under ice had started to grow small plants and trees, also known as a tundra. It was first believed that the Paleoindians were hunters of only big game but, as time went on scientists realized that most Paleoindians within the New World had many different food resources that they used.

2. What are the areas of uncertainty …show more content…

Scientists can usually tell what type of big game was hunted based on the bones that were left at certain sites. Unfortunately plants and small animals that prehistoric cultures used as a source of food wouldn’t be able to survive as long as the bigger bones. Another thing that is uncertain is where the paleoindians originated from. There is evidence of them living all over the United States, stretching from northern Maine all the way to northern Mexico. Where they originated from also comes with the question of what happened to the animals that are now extinct that were around when they paleoindians arrived?

3. What environmental forces seem to be shaped by the evolution of Archaic-Indian culture?

One environmental force that played a huge role in the growth of the Middle Archaic Indians was the growing changes in marine life, specifically in the Gulf of Maine. During the Early Archaic era the gulf was tideless and there wasn’t evidence of a lot of marine life but as time went on things started to change. The gulf started to get more tidal and turbulent and as this happened it started to cause a rise in sea level, which brought in an abundance of different marine life. This was a big step for the Middle Archaic Indians because fish soon became on of their main sources of food.

4. What is a "shell midden" and why is it

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