First Americans: Siberia to the Great Plains | Beringia Land Bridge, Last Glacial Maximum

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This video follows the first Americans from Siberia, discussing the Yana RHS site in Siberia. First Americans crossed Beringia (the land bridge) connecting Asia and North America.

Bluefish Caves in Yukon has dates going back to 24,000 years ago, but Dawson and Old Crow might have human-caused mammoth fractures from over 40,000 years ago.

The conventional story has the Ice-Free Corridor opening through Canada about 12,000 years ago, followed by the Clovis culture. However, sites from the Great Plains exist during the Last Glacial Maximum about 19,000 years ago at La Sena, Nebraska and Lovewell, Kansas.

How did the First Americans get to lower North America before the most recent corridor opening at 12,000 years ago? If we go before the Last Glacial Maximum, to about 26,000 years ago, the corridor opens.

Beringians could then cross Canada over land or follow the coast by sea. Boat technology, as evidenced by ancient Australia crossings, has pushed boat technology deep into prehistory.

An earlier entry into America before not after the Last Glacial Maximum accounts for early sites in North America. Thus, the Clovis culture at 12,000 years ago is not the beginning, but the midpoint of American history.

A short film by Jeffrey Meyer

[LotsofStuffYT]

Human footprints in White Sands, New Mexico have been dated to 21, 000 - 23, 000 years ago. This makes a lot of sense how they got there to began with now. Thanks for the presentation.

[briannewman]

When Captain Cook was exploring the East coast of Australia in 1770 he observed hunter gathering humans who only had stone tools and used spears for hunting. These people used bark canoes to move along the coast to places where they could obtain food. Similar canoes could have been used by early North Americans to move along the north western coastline of North America.

[BELCAN]

"First Americans" is a very descriptive term. You've managed to pack a great deal of information into this video. Thank you.

[Eugene-tmfm]

Just found this channel and just watched your first colonies video. Keep up the great work; the peopling of the Americas is a fascinating subject

[Chris-uteq]

Part of the problem with our understanding of the deep past is the coast is underwater, eliminating one source of information and also the last glacial maximum would have disturbed and eliminated much evidence of migration. Seems the pre-colvis heresy is waning as more and more data is found to support much earlier migration. Thanks for the video and hope to see more videos on whatever parts of history you choose to make.

[billatkinson]

Thank you Jeffrey, very well presented and argued. I've watched your early American history and Civil War presentations for several years and always jump any new ones. You demonstrate how this medium can be so effective if done responsibly and with evidence. It also helps to explain the more recently discovered footprints in the sand, about this age as well.

[crazyviking]

Mitochondrial DNA suggests that the First Nations people have been in the Americas since 35, 000 years, and some archaeology puts habitation in South America as far back as 25, 000 years, so the 19, 000 year old sight is only a problem if you insist on the Clovis sight being the oldest in the US. The Clovis sight was simply the first one discovered in the US.

[LEONRIMES]

Much appreciated! Paints a clear picture for me, better than most I've viewed or read about in the last few years. Thanks!

[clark]

Recent discoveries in Brazil also point to much earlier migrations.

[jean-philippegarneau]

Great video, well done, easy to understand, many thanks !

[coyote]

Another well done offering. Thank you.

[larrymacdonald]

sigh, ok that land bridge think from russia never exsisted.... Graham Hanncock talks about this. Haida people west coast of Canada land claim, archeological dig dates back over 14, 000 years, nat geo did a story about it. As the story goes, the people where told " a great freeze is coming but they could survive it on the island ".
Denisovan DNA in Native people around the Great Lakes, the Denisovans went from Russia, to Africa, to Aus, the over to South America, then up too North America, however, there had to be people in North America for the Denisovan DNA to be shared.
There is evidence of people in North America 143, 000 years ago, cut Mastadon bones and the marrow take out.

[maryellenmeyer]

Appreciate the great maps with visuals like shifting gkaciers
This helped me understand the confusing information about Clovis population

Thank you

[brucepoole]

What about pack ice? I wonder how far pack ice extended? Hunting seals on ice may have been a successful way of migrating

[amciuam]

Hunger brought us there. Hunger makes us think, use our brain and come up with multitude of ideas. Interesting to once again take a glimpse at ancient times.

[marvinmartin]

During the hight of the last glacial epoch sea level was 300 feet lower! That means routes are now under water!

[eliinthewolverinestate]

I thought the first North Americans came from south America. The date that humans arrived in South America has been pushed back to at least 25, 000 years ago, based on an unlikely source: bones from an extinct giant ground sloth that were crafted into pendants by ancient people.

[jimdavidsmith]

The coast need not have been ice free, to have allowed migration. Plenty of marine based food for the taking, even along the ice edge.

[moth]

Ice and snow leave land deposits. Greater Vancouver is covered in glacial deposits. Maybe the deposits left, made a difference.

[robrussell]

As with just about everything in science, "time" is the key ingredient. These pre-historic hominids had minimum language and were lucky to live to 35. Yet they figured out boating and how to traverse a thousand miles of the Rocky Mountains (where game is scarce to non-existent. Just ask Lewis and Clark...) But with 25, 000 years to play with, I suppose anything is possible.