The Paleo-Indian Era

The Paleo-Indian Tradition was considered the first humans to come to Wisconsin. Through the Bering Land Bridge, these people came into North America. They inhabited Wisconsin from 10,000-8,500 BC according to the Milwaukee Public Museum website.

Carl Zimmer’s article, “New DNA results show the Kennewick Man was Native American” focuses on a discovery made by two men wading in the Columbia River July of 1996. These two men had stumbled upon a skull (and after later excavation a complete skeleton) of a mysterious figure over 8,500 years old. Along with this discovery came a multitude of controversy as to where the skeleton had come from, and thereby, who had the rights to his remains. Recent DNA testing was released this past year that suggested that the Kennewick Man had been a Native American, contrary to other beliefs that he had been European. However, while it may be assumed that this discovery would conclude law suits concerning the remains, the dispute continues. Native American history is very rich and not a lot is known about it scientifically due to the deep mistrust between Native Americans and scientists (the Kennewick Man being a single example). Therefore new programs are being established, such as the Summer Internship for Native Americans in Genomic, to administer training to Native Americans so they can learn about their own history.

The first settlers in the Americas were not all Europeans and Africans. Many settlers spoke a variety of different languages and lived in numerous different kinds of societies. In most cases many were descendants of bands of hunters and fishers who had also crossed the Bering Strait thru a land bridge at various times between 15,000- 60,000 years ago. Others might have arrived by sea from Asia, and the Pacific Islands. However, history in North and South America did not start with the approaching of the Europeans.

The peopling of the Americas “was the last great human migration, the final leg of our journey out of Africa” (Bawaya, M. How the west was won). Precisely how and when this migration occurred is presently up for debate. Accepted archaeological wisdom stated by Hetherington “suggests that the first Americans were large game hunters who migrated from northeast Asia across the Beringian land bridge ca. 12000 years BP, spreading southward through a continental ice-free corridor” (R. Hetherington et al.). Gugliotta says that archaeologists called these pioneers the Clovis, after distinctive stone tools that were found at sites near Clovis, New Mexico, in 1929 (Gugliotta, The first Americans).

Natives Americans settled in the New World way before the Europeans. Natives settled here and began colonization. They established villages, where they got the supply of food and water. In 1492 Europeans discovered the Americas they thought this was untouched territory. But they were wrong there was already civilization there. This would mark the continuous growing New World.

While survival would have been a key goal for the first Tennesseans as the years went by, the four prehistoric tribes evolved and developed increasingly more advanced techniques to move from simply surviving to living. These four prehistoric tribes include the Paleo tribe, the Archaic tribe, the Woodland tribe and the Mississippian tribe. These tribes dealt with changing climates and fluctuating food sources, which defined their developing lifestyles and left clues for future generations to study and share.

Archaeologists believe that the first human beings to enter North America traveled from Siberia between 10,000 and 12,000 years ago. During the Ice Age, a period in time named for the reduction in the Earth's temperature, ocean levels receded, exposing land that was previously covered by the Bering Sea (2). The ancestors of Native Americans were able to walk across the land from present-day Siberia to the landmass that, today, is known as Alaska. Prior to 1550, the ancestors of Native Americans were nomadic hunters and gatherers, meaning they traveled in search of food. Around 1550, Native American tribes were practicing settlement. Settlements consisted of small villages that were centered on hunting, fishing, or farming (2). Approximately thirty Native American tribes settled on the land that is now known as North Carolina including, the Cherokee, the Catawba, the Tuscarora, the Cape Fear, and the Waccamaw tribes (2).

Very little information is documented regarding the Paleo-Indians, but research has proven this group was the first to travel to North America. The Paleo-Indians originated in Asia and went across the Bering Strait into North America in search of food (Schultz, 2013). Uneducated in agriculture, the Paleo-Indians were dependent on hunting as their source for survival in food, shelter, and clothing which led them to follow the track of large animals through what is now known as Canada and ended up in America (Schultz, 2013, p. 5).

Before the Americans and the Spanish there were many indigenous Indian tribes living and thriving with structure and culture in California. The Paleo-Indians were the first people who entered and inhabited the American continent from Asia during the late Pleistocene period (2

The first human settled in America was about 12000 to 30000 years ago. American civilization experienced many changes as people of different subcontinent settled in to America. Before European came to America, American civilization was dominated by Aztecs and Inca civilizations. Later American civilization was restructured in many ways based on thoughts of European civilizations. European civilization has lots of influence on American peoples in terms of religion, livings, and others so there is many similarities and difference between two civilizations.

The article of “How and When Did People First Come to North America?” Written by, E. James Dixon, (University of Colorado at Boulder) Athena Review: Vol.3, no.2, (2002): Peopling of the Americas.

Much of the curiosity about Native American origins stems from individuals wanting to learn about human capabilities. Knowing the time frame of when the first people of the Americas got here, gives historians insight to what tools and technology they had already developed to help them make the long trek. Historians, anthropologists, and archaeologists estimate that Native Americans arrived in North America less than 100,000 years ago (Stebbins, 2013, p. 42). The world has changed so

The first period of the American history (1491-1607) was the start of numerous things. For instance, slavery, trade system, food plantation, technological development and the list goes on. This period of time is extremely crucial to have knowledge of considering the fact of the countless things that have occurred in which connected the Old World and the New World. Also, its impact on the Natives and the Europeans. I believe that this period of time was more positive to the Europeans because they were wealthy to start with. Despite that, it was devastatingly negative to the Natives because they had to become slaves just to work their way up to the New world.

Some of the views that most Americans believe to be true about how the peoples settled North American is simply not true. Is this because of what we believed to be true in our younger years in history classes? Think about it, how many western movies or TV series have you watched and found yourself believing everything it portrays about cowboys and Indians? Most of it is just a myth. It is up to us to research the real truth behind it all, not base our beliefs on some movie or what someone else believes to be true. An example of the mythology: Christopher Columbus did not discover America. I found myself to believe that for many years. “Though he did not really “discover” the New World–millions of people already lived there–his journeys marked the beginning of centuries of trans-Atlantic conquest and colonization.” (A&E Television Networks, LLC, 2015)

They developed ongoing human inhabitance in the Western Hemisphere since the first hunters crossed Beringia until the first arrival of Europeans in 1492 and much further than that. Archaeologists named the first migrations and their descendants Paleo-Indians. A large amount of their history is still unknown due to the lack of a writing system. They did not use a system of writing, but they did have many spoken languages However, a good amount can be put together based off conclusions made from the artifacts the Ancient Americans left behind. The Ancient Americans were successful because of their ability to adapt. They adapted to new environments and climates. They were also able to modify themselves socially and culturally triggered by man-made changes. Their creativity and artistry was clearly shown in the artifacts they left behind. The diverse groups they came across along the way heavily influenced the attitudes of the Europeans arriving in 1492 in the New World. The Europeans wanted the wealth, work, and land the Natives had. At the same time, the Native American were infatuated with the technology the Europeans had such as there large ships, gunpowder and steel weapons. During the four hundred years after 1492, as the amount of foreigners increased, Native Americans and colonist encounters grew more common. Negotiations in order to keep