ARCHAEOLOGY AND THE FIRST PEOPLES

Chapter 1

Image Source: http://www.thefurtrapper.com/prehistoric_indians.htm

CLOVIS SPEARPOINT

Folsom New Mexico

• In 1927 spear points embedded in bison

• Carbon dated to 11 000 years BP

• Timeframe for how long people have been in North America

THE CLOVIS MODEL:

• Clovis New Mexico 1935•  projectile points date to 11 500- 11 000 years BP • Until recently this was the earliest identified

period in the history of the America’s First Peoples

• It showed that hunters were probably chasing big game such as mammoth, camel and bison

• Many researchers believe such practices led to the extinction of these large mammals

Image Source: http://www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2007/05/did_ice_age_spa.html

CHALLENGES TO CLOVIS

• The evidence at Clovis instilled a paradigm bias• Researchers therefore did not dig below Clovis era

soil (reference to stratigraphy)• Monte Verde (Chile) is 1000 years older than

Clovis • Cactus Hill in Virginia dated to 16 000 years BP

PLANO PERIOD•  Named for the

Spanish words for “plains”

• 10 000- 7000 BP big game disappeared from North America

  •During this period the Plano people emerged- marked by a change in technology•Different edge made by stone chipping

www.civilization.ca

http://www.civilization.ca/cmc/archeo/cvh/maritim/v65-7.htm

ALTERNATIVE EVIDENCE:LINGUISTICS

 • The study of structures in language• Language evolves over time • Studied to understand culture and how

languages are interconnected• Variations in language take a great deal of

time • The more varied languages in a region the

more time has passed

LINGUISTICS (2)

• North America is one of the most linguistically diverse regions in the world,

• Many archaeologists believed First Peoples here pre-date Clovis

• There is no way there could be so many languages during the Clovis era

PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY

• Physical Anthropologists analyze human remains

• They reveal a great deal about human evolution and genetic development

• Human remains that have been studied show the peopling of the Americas happened in different waves of migration

PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY (2)

• Examples:

• The oldest bones of the First Peoples are closer in resemblance to civilizations from Japan, Polynesia and Europeans than to those of modern Aboriginals

Stop and Think!!

• Is it ethical to study human remains?

• Record your initial response on your sheet

CASE STUDYKENNEWICK MAN

• Dated to 9200 BP• Remains discovered in the

Columbia River in Washington State in 1996

• Extremely well preserved

Legal Issues• NAGPRA (law in the USA- remains

over 500 yrs old are Aboriginal)

• A coalition of 5 Aboriginal groups claimed him as an ancestor

• Wanted the remains returned to them for burial

• They won the 4 year court battle

• Stopped any further study of the remains

KENNEWICK MAN

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/low/science/nature/4651831.stm

http://www.sciencedaily.com/gallery/fossils_ruins/archaeology/8/

2002 update- Excerpt #1 (click here for article)

• “This treatment of Native American remains as scientific specimens deprives native people of the basic right to properly bury or care for these ancestors," the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation said in a statement.”

Excerpt #2

• “Scientists have argued, however, that Kennewick Man has the potential to greatly increase evolving knowledge of how the Americas were populated and where the early inhabitants came from.”

• Source: Handwerk, Brian National Geographic News, “Disputed Prehistoric Bones OK to Study, U.S. Rules”, September 5, 2002. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2002/09/0905_kennewick.html

Perspective of Archaeologists

• Science: value of information is a priority over individual subjective needs

• What one person defines as sacred may not be the same as another’s perspective

• To inquire, analyze and preserve is central to scientific point of view

• Native populations can benefit from knowing about their ancestry

Robbins, Gwen. "Bioarchaeology." Appalachian State University. North Carolina, Boone. 8 Feb. 2010. Lecture.

Perspective of some Aboriginal groups

• Anthropology in the past was used to search for proof that one group is superior to another- racism

• Scientific interpretation does not leave room for

alternative understandings – misrepresentation of how Aboriginals see themselves

• Excavation shows little empathy or respect for Aboriginal spiritual beliefs

• Associated costs and issues concerning reburialRobbins, Gwen. "Bioarchaeology." Appalachian State University. North Carolina, Boone. 8 Feb. 2010. Lecture.

What Kennewick Man will never tell us…

• “…we would never know the form or color of his eyes, skin and hair, whether his hair was curly or straight, his lips thin or full -- in short many of the characteristics by which we judge living peoples' racial affiliation.” Jim Chatters

• “We will never be certain if his wound was by accident or intent, what language he spoke, or his religious beliefs.  We cannot know if he is truly anyone's ancestor.  Given the millennia since he lived, he may be sire to none or all of us.” Jim Chatters

"Kennewick Man." Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History NMNH. Web. 08 Feb. 2010. <http://www.mnh.si.edu/arctic/html/Kennewick_man.html>. Jim Chatters