Were There People in the Americas Before the Native Americans?

Your question brings to mind a different question that I saw on Quora some years ago. Yes, Quora has been around for quite a while!

Regrettably, I don’t recall the exact phrasing, but it went something like this: “Why and when were Native Americans granted American citizenship”. When I saw it, it truly blew my mind! Of course, there were people here before the Native Americans.

Early Evidence of Human Presence in the Americas

A mammoth slaughter site was unearthed in San Diego and dated at about 125,000 B.C.E. This staggering discovery not only pushes back the timeline of human habitation in the Americas but also suggests that early humans may have been more widespread than previously thought.

The Clovis People: Descendants of the First Americans

Native Americans are generally regarded as the descendants of the Clovis culture, which came over the Russian/Alaska land bridge approximately 13,000 years ago. However, archaeological digs have unearthed artifacts dating back 16,000 to 20,000 years, indicating the presence of people in the Americas before the Clovis group.

For instance, the Clovis Man, featured in the video, likely looked quite different from what we today associate with Native Americans. While there is some genetic dissimilarity, evidence suggests that people occupied various areas of the Americas well before the arrival of the first Europeans.

Pre-Clovis Cultures: Unearthing the Past

Examples of pre-Clovis cultures include the Anasazi cliff dwellers, who were present in the region before what is now referred to as Native Americans. Additionally, the Seri people, originally from the Samoan Islands, were also ancient inhabitants of Baja California.

Early Human Migration into the Americas

Many thousands of years ago, not a single human being lived in the Americas. This changed during the last Ice Age, a period when much of North America was covered by a thick sheet of ice, making it difficult to inhabit.

Adventurous humans began their journeys into this new world, likely coming on foot from Siberia across the Bering Land Bridge, which existed between Alaska and Eurasia from the end of the last Ice Age until about 10,000 years ago. Today, this area is submerged under water.

There is still debate about when these first Americans actually arrived and where they came from. Nonetheless, recent advancements in archaeology and genetics are bringing us closer to uncovering the original narrative and understanding the true identity of the first Americans.

Conclusion

While the Clovis culture is often highlighted as the first inhabitants of the Americas, it is important to recognize that there were people here before them. The presence of pre-Clovis cultures and the ongoing scientific research into early human migration continue to shed light on the rich and complex history of our shared past.