Paleo-Indian
The Paleo-Indian tradition represents the earliest known human inhabitants of the Americas, dating back to between 15,000 and 7,000 BCE. This prehistoric culture is characterized by its distinctive fluted spear points, commonly known as Clovis points, which were used for hunting large Ice Age animals such as mammoths and mastodons. The Paleo-Indians migrated from Asia over the Bering land bridge during the Pleistocene epoch, employing advanced hunting techniques, including the use of spear throwers (atlatls) to enhance their hunting efficiency.
The Paleo-Indian period is categorized into three phases: the Early Paleo-Indian period, which includes the Clovis culture (9500-9000 BCE) and the Folsom tradition (9000-8000 BCE), followed by the Late Paleo-Indian tradition. The Clovis culture is distinguished by its large fluted points, while Folsom points are smaller and designed for hunting extinct bison. With the extinction of many large animals at the close of the Pleistocene, Paleo-Indians adapted their subsistence strategies to focus on smaller game and plant gathering, leading to the subsequent Archaic tradition.
Paleo-Indian artifacts have been discovered across North, Middle, and South America, indicating a widespread presence and cultural significance. Their legacy provides crucial insights into early human life and adaptation in the Americas.
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Paleo-Indian
- CATEGORY: Prehistoric tradition
- DATE: 15,000-7,000 BCE
- LOCATION: North, Middle, and South America
- CULTURES AFFECTED: Pancultural
SIGNIFICANCE: The Paleo-Indian tradition represents the earliest clear evidence of human occupation of the Americas by people hunting Ice Age animals, using distinctive fluted spear points
There is artifactual evidence of human occupation throughout the Americas by Paleo-Indians by 9500 BCE. They hunted large Pleistocene (Ice Age) animals. The Paleo-Indian fluted points, sometimed called Clovis points, were finely made spear points chipped on both sides, with a distinctive flute removed from the base on both sides. The fluted points were hafted to the end of a spear. Spears were thrown with the aid of a spear thrower, or “atlatl,” which increased the throwing distance.
The Paleo-Indian period is divided into the Early Paleo-Indian period, consisting of the Clovis culture (9500-9000 BCE) and the Folsom tradition (9000-8000 BCE), and the Late Paleo-Indian tradition. The Clovis tradition is named for the discovery site of Clovis, New Mexico, and their environmental adaptation focused on hunting Pleistocene mammoths and mastodons. The Folsom tradition, named for the Folsom site in New Mexico, emphasized the hunting of extinct bison, Bison antiquus. Clovis points are relatively large, with a flute that extends only part way from the base toward the point tip, whereas Folsom points are smaller and have a flute that extends almost to the point tip. Late Paleo-Indian points lack the distinctive flute of the earlier periods. The adaptation of the Late Paleo-Indian people was more regionally diversified, as reflected in their greater variety of point styles. The Paleo-Indian tradition is marked by fluted points as found at such sites as Clovis, Folsom, Lindenmeier, Olsen-Chubbuck, and Casper in the western United States; Debert, Bullbrook, Shoop, Parkhill, Udora, and Sandy Ridge in the Northeast; Ladyville, Turrialba, and Los Tapiales in Middle America; and Monte Verde in South America.
The Paleo-Indians were descendants of hunting people who followed Pleistocene animals across the land bridge, Beringia, from Asia. At various times during the Pleistocene period when the glaciers advanced, the sea level was lowered, providing the opportunity for people to travel from Siberia to Alaska. During the late Pleistocene, Beringia consisted of a 1,000-kilometer (600-mile) land bridge between 75,000 and 40,000 BCE and between about 23,000 and 12,000 BCE. Once in Alaska, early humans were blocked from southward travel by the Laurentide ice sheet to the east and the Cordilleran ice sheet to the west. The occurrence of Paleo-Indian artifacts in the continental United States by 9500 BCE indicates that people were able to penetrate the ice barrier, either by a Pacific coast route or through the “ice-free corridor” between the ice sheets. With the extinction of more than thirty genera of animals at the end of the Pleistocene (associated with the climatic changes and, in some instances, perhaps related to Paleo-Indian hunting overkill), people changed their subsistence adaptations to emphasize hunting smaller animals and collecting wild plants throughout the Americas in what is termed the Archaic tradition.
Bibliography
Daniel, I. Randolph, and Michael Wisenbaker. Harney Flats: A Florida Paleo-Indian Site. U of Florida P, 2017.
Mason, Ronald, J. Late Pleistocene Geochronology and the Paleo-Indian Penetration into the Lower Michigan Peninsula. U of Michigan, Museum of Anthropology, 2020.
"Paleo Indian Culture." National Park Service, 26 July 2023, www.nps.gov/ocmu/learn/historyculture/paleo-indian-culture.htm. Accessed 10 Dec. 2024.
"Paleo-Indian Period - 10,000 to 14,500 Years Ago." National Park Service, 17 Oct. 2024, www.nps.gov/articles/000/paleo-indian-period-10-000-to-14-500-years-ago.htm. Accessed 10 Dec. 2024.