Most archaeologists think the first Americans arrived by boat. Now, they're beginning to prove it

Archaeologists are hunting on islands and under the waves for traces of the ancient mariners who likely settled the Americas

[tonkatoytruck]

This video is in need of an update. Footprints found in White Sands New Mexico date back 28, 000 years. We defenitely mastered ocean travel. Polynesians have a high percentage of Desnisovan DNA. Aboriginel peoples are probably those who discovered the Americas after extending to Australia, as well.

[moemuggy]

The first aboriginals arrived in Australia and the surrounding Islands almost 60, 000 years ago, but the idea that Native Americans could not have possibly sailed to the Americas blatantly highlights the bias in mainstream archaeology. It's my guess that humans, and other hominid species were accomplished Sailors long before they left Africa.

[barrypoulson]

Irritating music plays right over the speaker. Who does that?

[mikepotter]

Can you imagine floating down the west coast, probably knowing you'd never see home again, no idea where you are going just surviving, probably surviving well but having no idea what's ahead. Absolutely amazing.

[timhaug]

When I studied archaeology at WSU in the early 1990's the interior migration route was already in doubt. Clovis sites tend to get younger as they move from south to north, an interior migration should show the opposite, them getting younger as they move from north to south. Many other things in the archaeological evidence didn't support an interior migration either. A coastal migration was suspected, but at that time there was very little evidence to support it due to the rise in sea level.

[privatename]

Perhaps my favorite part about this stuff is imagining what it was like to be the first persons to enter a whole hemisphere. Just mile upon mile of no one but you. No trespassing on others’ land, no wars, no pressure, not even from other human branches. Plentiful resources—fish, game, water, wood. Fantastic in its freedom!

[sjsomething]

This was a really well presented video, a really significant amount of detail and information to support the central point in a very short amount of time. Thanks for the concise and succinct content!

[leomarkaable]

The sea coasts contain easily obtained sources of food such as clams and kelp. The idea that early humans were up to slaying mastodons is far fetched. Also, boats are faster; locomotion by walking could not account for the massive population spread in 10, 000 years or so.

[jaysilverheals]

Ive been a coastman for the past few years because the evidence is overwhelming. Island hopping to visible islands likely has been done for a hundred thousand years and they boated across sections to australia for a known 40, 000 years. Then with artifacts or footprints I am a strong believer if these rare spots are found you likely have to double it. The prints at white sands at 23, 000 that makes it AT LEAST 30, 000. The shoreline with its abundant food combined with doing forays to hunt animals plus inland cross ice sheets or corridors YOU WOULD BE EATEN. also the prevailing currents down the pacific shores are south. also the ice sheets people CAN AND DO walk along for miles and miles. not all ice sheets or pack ice are broken up glaciers and crevasses. The people lets say 50, 000 years ago also people picture them like ape men but they were as intelligent as us if not more so. A thing to note is no relic in the americas has ever been found such as "crude tools by developing apes" such as in africa. Crude tools of course would be quickly made or simply used rocks to smash open bones but they are always found along with perfect points. The clovis spear points were masterpieces.

[davelove]

How do we know it wasn’t by land and sea? Groups could have split up to explore and expand upon each route!

[ryanregan]

I dont believe they traveled over land. I find it hard to believe humans would travel through Siberia (even at its warmest 20, 000 years ago is still frigid) and the Alaskan Yukon (see Siberia) and think that they would find a place to set up shop if they pushed a little bit longer. You know many died during that journey. They didnt have maps. So they followed Animals which probably got less and leas abundant as cold as it got?

Now the Polynesians have been sea-faring for over 10, 000 years as we know it. It isnt out of the realm of possibility that they also sailed 10, 000 years even before that. So maybe those early people like the Polynesians were sea-faring as well. It would explain the dates mentioned in the video and it can finally put this preposterous idea that humans traveled over 3, 000 miles in harsh extreme cold in hopes that maybe they might find a better place to hunt. Why are the Siberian and Yukon areas almost desolate and devoid of human life? Because it is beyond what our bodies can endure to survive. Tell me how again how and why they would make this ridiculous trek?

[sergiobagnarol]

Hi i need to watch this for school who’s with me?

[kixigvak]

I live in Alaska. As I understand it, the first people to arrive here were the ancestors of the modern Aleuts and they came by sea starting about 25, 000 years ago. The short face bear kept humans out on land until it went extinct about 12, 000 years ago.

[otiebrown]

Most probably. You can see land across from Siberia to Alaska. From a boat.
( High Mountains visible. )

[rnedlo]

I'm throwing this out there, here is what I believe happened. There were three waves of closely related migrants into the Americas. The first came down the shoreline of the West Coast, island hopping from Asia along the Alaskan coast then south towards what is now California. At first, they did not go into the interior very far, finding all they needed along the coast and up rivers a short distance, their culture fully adapted to sea/river living. They kept going, and very quickly settled all the way to the Southern tip of South America.

The second, and later migration, came over the land bridge and through the ice-free corridor between ice sheets. These people went south, but past the ice sheet they turned east and spread down the Mississippi and over to the Atlantic coast. They thrived until a comet hit the Canadian ice sheet over most likely Quebec, with the force of the blast being sent south over the Eastern part of the ice free Eastern North America, wiping out the vast majority, if not all, of the population. In time, members of the first migration moved east, and even northeast from South America, to fill the void in Eastern North America left by the comet strike.

Then a wave of migration brought yet another closely related people from NE Asia which saw the Athabaskans and related peoples move east and south; Inuit peoples moving north and east. This is just what I have derived from seven decades of gathering information from eclectic sources.

[Nomatternow]

What about the Meadowcroft site in New England? Dates go back to 35, 000 years. Some First Nations on the BC coastal Islands have been separate populations for 25, 000 years.

[MetalRabit]

archaeological site, Monte Verde, Chile - 33.000 years old

[akiranara]

The life style of Northern islanders in Chishima/Kuril were paleolithic one of seafarer nomad and could be a candidate people who had
entered American new continent through kelp highway by boats.

[cavalryscout]

Why are the largest concentrations of clovis points found in eastern US if they originated from Asia?

[routerider]

Interesting theory. Maybe some went across the land bridge, some went island hopping, some sailed, people surely got split up, a hunter of small/large game takes to the land, travels distance (slower) a fisherman, the water (faster). A combination of successes and failures along the way. Thanks for posting some educational topic.