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charisstomahttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/one-oldest-north-american-settlements-found-180962750/
Found: One of the Oldest North American Settlements
The discovery of the 14,000-year-old village in Canada lends credence to the theory that humans arrived in North America from the coast
By Brigit Katz
SMITHSONIANMAG.COM
APRIL 5, 2017
The oral history of the Heiltsuk Nation, an Aboriginal group based on the Central Coast of British Columbia, tells of a coastal strip of land that did not freeze during the ice age, making it a place of refuge for early inhabitants of the territory. As Roshini Nair reports for the CBC, a recent archaeological discovery attests to an ancient human presence in the area associated with the tradition. While digging on British Columbia’s Triquet Island, archaeologists unearthed a settlement that dates to the period of the last ice age.
The archaeological team, supported by the Hakai Institute, sifted through meters of soil and peat before hitting upon the charred remains of an ancient hearth. Researchers painstakingly peeled away charcoal flakes, which were then carbon dated. In November, tests revealed that the hearth was some 14,000 years old, indicating that the area in which it was found is one of the oldest human settlements ever discovered in North America. Or as Randy Shore of the Vancouver Sun contextualizes, the village is “three times as old as the Great Pyramid at Giza.”
Alisha Gauvreau, a PhD student at the University of Victoria and a researcher with the Hakai Institute, presented the team’s findings at the annual meeting of the Society for American Archeology this week. She tells Shore that archaeologists also found a number of artifacts in the area: fish hooks, a hand drill for igniting fires, a wooden device for launching projectiles and a cache of stone tools near the hearth.
“It appears we had people sitting in one area making stone tools beside evidence of a fire pit,” Gauvreau says. “The material that we have recovered … has really helped us weave a narrative for the occupation of this site.”
These findings may have significant implications for our understanding of ancient human migration patterns. As Jason Daley reports for Smithsonian.com, the traditional story of human arrival to the Americas posits that some 13,000 years ago, stone-age people moved across a land bridge that connected modern-day Siberia to Alaska. But recent studies suggest that route did not contain enough resources for the earliest migrants to successfully make the crossing. Instead, some researchers say, humans entered North America along the coast.
In a radio interview with the CBC, Gauvreau says that the ancient settlement on Triquet Island “really adds additional evidence” to this theory. “[A]rchaeologists had long thought that … the coast would been completely uninhabitable and impassible when that is very clearly not the case,” she explains.
The discovery is also important to the Heiltsuk Nation, lending credence to oral traditions that place their ancestors in the region during the days of the ice age. "[I]t reaffirms a lot of the history that our people have been talking about for thousands of years," William Housty, a member of Heiltsuk Nation, tells Nair. He added that the validation by “Western science and archeology” can help the Heiltsuk people as they negotiate with the Canadian government over title rights to their traditional territory.
Researchers Drain Niagara Falls, Only To Discover Something That Was Meant To Stay Underwater
https://explore.reference.com/researchers-drain-niagara-falls-only-to-discover-something-that-was-meant-to-stay-underwater?utm_subid=4636230&utm_adset=1186374&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=812643&utm_template=infinite4&utm_content=dm-alpha&fbclid=iwar15aedahn4pjxonucy0oyacsmzylzkcuyt3_uei_lm2rv48iotfosnsn34
... a crew of archeologists got their own taste of such a lesson when they unearthed an ancient clue that brought them to a piece of history long thought to be forgotten. This is the lesson - history is waiting for us to rediscover it.
Claims To Land
The Heiltsuk people of British Columbia's Great Bear Rainforest are the first nation indigenous to the area, and have stated that they were the first to be on Triquet Island when they arrived on it almost 5,000 years ago.
However, archeologists have dismissed this claim of theirs as a result of on of their many finds in the area. They had proof that there were people there before the Heiltsuk, and they were going to share that with the world.
Glaciers
The major evidence against the Heiltsuk's claims comes in the form of ice. Canada had a continental glacier form over it during the last Ice Age, which would have completely covered Triquet Island, making it impossible to live on.
However, even with this piece of evidence against the Heiltsuk, a small team of archeologists wanted to look into their claim and find the indisputable truth. This way, the argument can be settled and it can be put to rest.
Excavating
The team of archeologists started their intense excavation project on the remote island of Triquet. They were hoping to find traces of an ancient civilization. You know what they say - be careful what you wish for.
The archeologists proceeded with their excavation work and came upon something. Not only did their discovery stun the whole of the archeological community, it also altered the history books. They never imagined that when taking this project on, that the impact would be this extensive.
Digging and Digging
The team of archeologists dug through multiple layers of earth until they found it. They didn't know what they were looking for exactly, but when the found it they stopped immediately. After digging through the layers, they discovered the remnants of an ancient hearth.
How was this even possible? Researchers have said that it would have been impossible for people to dig through glacial ice to get to the earth under it. Well, perhaps not everything is at it seems.
Additional Finds
As the team of archeologists continued to dig through the earth, they found more relics, including weapons and other tools. The researchers were confused, as the Heiltsuk people also did not use these kinds of instruments in their own culture.
This brought even more questions than it did answers for everyone involved. They went in to prove or disprove the Heiltsuk claim, but now they were faced with a possible third option that they didn't plan for. Whose artifacts were those?
Sourcing Their Food
The Heiltsuk people sourced their food from their fishing. They would smoke salmon, using a tiny and precise tool that would yield the product that they needed from the fish. But the tools that the archeologists found were a lot bigger and looked like they would be used to hunt big sea mammals, like sea lions, walruses, and seals.
It did not make sense, this did not match up. There was more to this area than anyone had thought before and they were going to get to the bottom of it.
Additional Finds
In addition to the tools that do not add up with the Heiltsuk people, the archeologists also found shards of obsidian, which is a glass-like rock that is only discovered in areas of the world that have experienced serious volcanic activity.
This was getting even more confusing, as there were no volcanoes in the area. So this all begged the question - how did this rock and the people who used it get to this remote island? The answer was going to be hunted.
Hunting For Answers
Upon these discoveries, historians put together a theory that the artifacts were left in the area by those who walked the land bridge that used to exist in the area between Alaska and Siberia during the prehistoric era.
While that is plausible, actual proof of this needed to be found. The researchers were adamant on getting facts rather than theories and they would continue to pursue this until they got what they were after, not a moment before.
Carbon Dating
The archeologists had a lucky strike when they went into the hearth that they found and took a deeper look. Upon inspection, they saw that the ancient hearth also contained some charcoal remains.
What that meant was that the charcoal could be brought to a lab and carbon dated. This was the proof of just how old this hearth was. When they got the results of the carbon dating, however, they were thrown aback. Everything they had learned was forever changed.
Results
According to the results of the carbon dating process, the charcoal pieces that they found dated back a staggering 14,000 years! This made the find the oldest carbon remains found on the continent of North America.
This also meant that someone lived here far before the Heiltsuk people, who said that they were there for 5,000 years. The archeologists had no idea what to make of this, this changed everything they ever knew about the area. Who were these people?
Older Than A World Wonder
This find was astounding, and not just by local standards - global ones. This 14,000 year old find predates the Great Pyramid of Giza! It also predates the invention of the wheel, making it ancient indeed.
However, while this is all so much to take in, especially for the archeologists, there was more to this incredible discovery. As if there could be something that would shock them more than this piece of historic evidence, but alas, there was, and it was remarkable.
Timelines
The Triquet Island is, well, an island so it is surrounded by water on all sides. What that means is that the Heiltsuk people needed to get there and did so by using boats. However, boats were not thought to have been invented until many centuries after this historic find.
The people that were on the island 14,000 years ago were not a part of the Heiltsuk people. While this was a wilding conclusion, it left it open as to who was there.
Crossing Paths
While the Heilstuk people may have not been the first, other discoveries of tools that they did indeed use were found. They were dated 2,000 years before they initially said to have been settled on the island, dating them back 7,000 years.
In this case, it meant that these early men had most likely met these earlier settlers on the island. What happened between the two was now the follow up question, considering the Heilstuk people are the ones who remained to this day.
The Land Bridge
The earlier Heiltsuk people who crossed the land bridge between Alaska and Siberia, probably had to fight off huge animals like woolly mammoths, mastodons, and giant sloths. These animals are obviously not a threat today as they are extinct, but they were very real back then.
However, despite the difficult conditions and animals that could scare the greatest of predator, these people survived, and they managed to do so for one vital reason. This is what changed the course of mankind.
Sea Level
The Pacific Ocean has kept its sea level around Triquet Island pretty much the same for the last 15,000 years. What that means is that while the sea slowly eroded the islands surrounding the area, the terrifying animals of the Pacific Northwest and bridge were kept far away and unable to reach them.
The ocean was the great protector of the island and of the Heiltsuk people. The people were then able to continue their traditions and thrive to this day.
Oral Tradition
One of the most incredible parts to this story that was discovered when the story of these people came to light, was that the Heiltsuk people knew their histories and were able to preserve their tale for 14,000 through the practice of oral traditions.
They shared their history with every new generation and drilled it into their being so that they may continue the tradition after them, this was their surviving power. While they know who they are, they are still being deprived of the legitimacy of their history.
Skewed View
As the story of this find reached the media, they wanted to share the news with the world. However, they focused on the discovery itself and what it would mean for the historical and scientific community, and less on what it meant for the Heilstuk people.
Many of those who saw the media coverage, felt that the way the nation was shown did not only portray them wrongly, but in a manner that was disrespectful. In the end, this story was about them.
Changing Focus
The skewed media coverage of this excavation upset a lot fo people, including Alisha Gauvreau, a University of Victoria student who was a part of the excavation itself. She decided that it was so unfair how the Heitsuk people were being portrayed, that she was going to change her focus directly to the Heiltsuk people.
She felt that they needed proper representation and have someone speak to their long and rich history among the other stories about scientific finds.
Spirited People
The Heiltsuk people laid claim to Triquet Island remains as it was. It is one of the oldest land ownership claims on the planet. It speaks to their spirited traditions as a people, but also about the strength they have as they endured so many years and are still as in touch with their traditions as they were thousands of years ago.
They represent the whole spirit of humankind - surviving and thriving on earth as it continues to change and evolve.
Found: One of the Oldest North American Settlements
The discovery of the 14,000-year-old village in Canada lends credence to the theory that humans arrived in North America from the coast
By Brigit Katz
SMITHSONIANMAG.COM
APRIL 5, 2017
The oral history of the Heiltsuk Nation, an Aboriginal group based on the Central Coast of British Columbia, tells of a coastal strip of land that did not freeze during the ice age, making it a place of refuge for early inhabitants of the territory. As Roshini Nair reports for the CBC, a recent archaeological discovery attests to an ancient human presence in the area associated with the tradition. While digging on British Columbia’s Triquet Island, archaeologists unearthed a settlement that dates to the period of the last ice age.
The archaeological team, supported by the Hakai Institute, sifted through meters of soil and peat before hitting upon the charred remains of an ancient hearth. Researchers painstakingly peeled away charcoal flakes, which were then carbon dated. In November, tests revealed that the hearth was some 14,000 years old, indicating that the area in which it was found is one of the oldest human settlements ever discovered in North America. Or as Randy Shore of the Vancouver Sun contextualizes, the village is “three times as old as the Great Pyramid at Giza.”
Alisha Gauvreau, a PhD student at the University of Victoria and a researcher with the Hakai Institute, presented the team’s findings at the annual meeting of the Society for American Archeology this week. She tells Shore that archaeologists also found a number of artifacts in the area: fish hooks, a hand drill for igniting fires, a wooden device for launching projectiles and a cache of stone tools near the hearth.
“It appears we had people sitting in one area making stone tools beside evidence of a fire pit,” Gauvreau says. “The material that we have recovered … has really helped us weave a narrative for the occupation of this site.”
These findings may have significant implications for our understanding of ancient human migration patterns. As Jason Daley reports for Smithsonian.com, the traditional story of human arrival to the Americas posits that some 13,000 years ago, stone-age people moved across a land bridge that connected modern-day Siberia to Alaska. But recent studies suggest that route did not contain enough resources for the earliest migrants to successfully make the crossing. Instead, some researchers say, humans entered North America along the coast.
In a radio interview with the CBC, Gauvreau says that the ancient settlement on Triquet Island “really adds additional evidence” to this theory. “[A]rchaeologists had long thought that … the coast would been completely uninhabitable and impassible when that is very clearly not the case,” she explains.
The discovery is also important to the Heiltsuk Nation, lending credence to oral traditions that place their ancestors in the region during the days of the ice age. "[I]t reaffirms a lot of the history that our people have been talking about for thousands of years," William Housty, a member of Heiltsuk Nation, tells Nair. He added that the validation by “Western science and archeology” can help the Heiltsuk people as they negotiate with the Canadian government over title rights to their traditional territory.
Researchers Drain Niagara Falls, Only To Discover Something That Was Meant To Stay Underwater
https://explore.reference.com/researchers-drain-niagara-falls-only-to-discover-something-that-was-meant-to-stay-underwater?utm_subid=4636230&utm_adset=1186374&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=812643&utm_template=infinite4&utm_content=dm-alpha&fbclid=iwar15aedahn4pjxonucy0oyacsmzylzkcuyt3_uei_lm2rv48iotfosnsn34
... a crew of archeologists got their own taste of such a lesson when they unearthed an ancient clue that brought them to a piece of history long thought to be forgotten. This is the lesson - history is waiting for us to rediscover it.
Claims To Land
The Heiltsuk people of British Columbia's Great Bear Rainforest are the first nation indigenous to the area, and have stated that they were the first to be on Triquet Island when they arrived on it almost 5,000 years ago.
However, archeologists have dismissed this claim of theirs as a result of on of their many finds in the area. They had proof that there were people there before the Heiltsuk, and they were going to share that with the world.
Glaciers
The major evidence against the Heiltsuk's claims comes in the form of ice. Canada had a continental glacier form over it during the last Ice Age, which would have completely covered Triquet Island, making it impossible to live on.
However, even with this piece of evidence against the Heiltsuk, a small team of archeologists wanted to look into their claim and find the indisputable truth. This way, the argument can be settled and it can be put to rest.
Excavating
The team of archeologists started their intense excavation project on the remote island of Triquet. They were hoping to find traces of an ancient civilization. You know what they say - be careful what you wish for.
The archeologists proceeded with their excavation work and came upon something. Not only did their discovery stun the whole of the archeological community, it also altered the history books. They never imagined that when taking this project on, that the impact would be this extensive.
Digging and Digging
The team of archeologists dug through multiple layers of earth until they found it. They didn't know what they were looking for exactly, but when the found it they stopped immediately. After digging through the layers, they discovered the remnants of an ancient hearth.
How was this even possible? Researchers have said that it would have been impossible for people to dig through glacial ice to get to the earth under it. Well, perhaps not everything is at it seems.
Additional Finds
As the team of archeologists continued to dig through the earth, they found more relics, including weapons and other tools. The researchers were confused, as the Heiltsuk people also did not use these kinds of instruments in their own culture.
This brought even more questions than it did answers for everyone involved. They went in to prove or disprove the Heiltsuk claim, but now they were faced with a possible third option that they didn't plan for. Whose artifacts were those?
Sourcing Their Food
The Heiltsuk people sourced their food from their fishing. They would smoke salmon, using a tiny and precise tool that would yield the product that they needed from the fish. But the tools that the archeologists found were a lot bigger and looked like they would be used to hunt big sea mammals, like sea lions, walruses, and seals.
It did not make sense, this did not match up. There was more to this area than anyone had thought before and they were going to get to the bottom of it.
Additional Finds
In addition to the tools that do not add up with the Heiltsuk people, the archeologists also found shards of obsidian, which is a glass-like rock that is only discovered in areas of the world that have experienced serious volcanic activity.
This was getting even more confusing, as there were no volcanoes in the area. So this all begged the question - how did this rock and the people who used it get to this remote island? The answer was going to be hunted.
Hunting For Answers
Upon these discoveries, historians put together a theory that the artifacts were left in the area by those who walked the land bridge that used to exist in the area between Alaska and Siberia during the prehistoric era.
While that is plausible, actual proof of this needed to be found. The researchers were adamant on getting facts rather than theories and they would continue to pursue this until they got what they were after, not a moment before.
Carbon Dating
The archeologists had a lucky strike when they went into the hearth that they found and took a deeper look. Upon inspection, they saw that the ancient hearth also contained some charcoal remains.
What that meant was that the charcoal could be brought to a lab and carbon dated. This was the proof of just how old this hearth was. When they got the results of the carbon dating, however, they were thrown aback. Everything they had learned was forever changed.
Results
According to the results of the carbon dating process, the charcoal pieces that they found dated back a staggering 14,000 years! This made the find the oldest carbon remains found on the continent of North America.
This also meant that someone lived here far before the Heiltsuk people, who said that they were there for 5,000 years. The archeologists had no idea what to make of this, this changed everything they ever knew about the area. Who were these people?
Older Than A World Wonder
This find was astounding, and not just by local standards - global ones. This 14,000 year old find predates the Great Pyramid of Giza! It also predates the invention of the wheel, making it ancient indeed.
However, while this is all so much to take in, especially for the archeologists, there was more to this incredible discovery. As if there could be something that would shock them more than this piece of historic evidence, but alas, there was, and it was remarkable.
Timelines
The Triquet Island is, well, an island so it is surrounded by water on all sides. What that means is that the Heiltsuk people needed to get there and did so by using boats. However, boats were not thought to have been invented until many centuries after this historic find.
The people that were on the island 14,000 years ago were not a part of the Heiltsuk people. While this was a wilding conclusion, it left it open as to who was there.
Crossing Paths
While the Heilstuk people may have not been the first, other discoveries of tools that they did indeed use were found. They were dated 2,000 years before they initially said to have been settled on the island, dating them back 7,000 years.
In this case, it meant that these early men had most likely met these earlier settlers on the island. What happened between the two was now the follow up question, considering the Heilstuk people are the ones who remained to this day.
The Land Bridge
The earlier Heiltsuk people who crossed the land bridge between Alaska and Siberia, probably had to fight off huge animals like woolly mammoths, mastodons, and giant sloths. These animals are obviously not a threat today as they are extinct, but they were very real back then.
However, despite the difficult conditions and animals that could scare the greatest of predator, these people survived, and they managed to do so for one vital reason. This is what changed the course of mankind.
Sea Level
The Pacific Ocean has kept its sea level around Triquet Island pretty much the same for the last 15,000 years. What that means is that while the sea slowly eroded the islands surrounding the area, the terrifying animals of the Pacific Northwest and bridge were kept far away and unable to reach them.
The ocean was the great protector of the island and of the Heiltsuk people. The people were then able to continue their traditions and thrive to this day.
Oral Tradition
One of the most incredible parts to this story that was discovered when the story of these people came to light, was that the Heiltsuk people knew their histories and were able to preserve their tale for 14,000 through the practice of oral traditions.
They shared their history with every new generation and drilled it into their being so that they may continue the tradition after them, this was their surviving power. While they know who they are, they are still being deprived of the legitimacy of their history.
Skewed View
As the story of this find reached the media, they wanted to share the news with the world. However, they focused on the discovery itself and what it would mean for the historical and scientific community, and less on what it meant for the Heilstuk people.
Many of those who saw the media coverage, felt that the way the nation was shown did not only portray them wrongly, but in a manner that was disrespectful. In the end, this story was about them.
Changing Focus
The skewed media coverage of this excavation upset a lot fo people, including Alisha Gauvreau, a University of Victoria student who was a part of the excavation itself. She decided that it was so unfair how the Heitsuk people were being portrayed, that she was going to change her focus directly to the Heiltsuk people.
She felt that they needed proper representation and have someone speak to their long and rich history among the other stories about scientific finds.
Spirited People
The Heiltsuk people laid claim to Triquet Island remains as it was. It is one of the oldest land ownership claims on the planet. It speaks to their spirited traditions as a people, but also about the strength they have as they endured so many years and are still as in touch with their traditions as they were thousands of years ago.
They represent the whole spirit of humankind - surviving and thriving on earth as it continues to change and evolve.
