(Front line of Research)Initial Peopling of America
Who were the Maritime Beringians?
DNA analysis of new and ancient Native Americans indicates that origin had been formed before 25,000 BP in Beringia or in East Asia. Important environmental situation in ancient north America has to be noted that great ice sheet had covered large portion of continent from the west coast to the east and had not been opened up as the Ice Free Corridor until 14,500 0r 12,600 BP.
It means human migration had to be conducted in coastal route to those archaeological sites in Canada and CONUS made before IFC clearance period. “Maritime Beringians” group had got down southward along “kelp Highway” and the best duration of it was during 25,000 to 16,000 BP by recent analysis of ancient environment and way of life in the related region.
Siberian mammal hunters and inland Asians of same kind had to adapt to maritime life using boat in freezing northern sea. Big change of image of them!
Anyway, scholars now face a new question. Who had come into Canadian island and west coast region of CONUS during closed Ice Free Corridor period? And, candidates are “Marinerized” Siberian and East Asian Subgroup, hopped AHC, and SHK on stepping-stone by using boat along Kuril/Chishima islands way. Some US scholar supports the theory of SHK, but it doesn’t seem possible as SHK had reached Hokkaido in 25,000 years ago of the same finishing time in Beringia.
本土米国への進入が注目される人類のベリンジア陸峡への到達3~2.5万年前の時代には、内陸の無氷回廊(IFC)は大氷床が融けて開かれた状況には未だなっていません(3~1.4万年間)ので太平洋沿岸ルートという事になり、定説だったマンモスを追ってベリンジア陸峡に入って来たとされるシベリア狩猟族C、北東亜族Bは、大槍を捨ててフネに乗り換えベリンジア海民(Maritime Beringian)化したという衝撃のイメージ転換になります。北米太平洋岸の海洋・流氷、地形、気候、生物等の古環境の最新の研究分析と極北の民イヌイットの月光・オーロラの地での氷上での暮らし振りなど(Ice and ocean constraints on early human migrations into North America along the Pacific coast February 6, 2023)から、人類の大氷床時代のアラスカ~カリフォルニア沿岸の南下は可能とみられ、条件的には2.5~1.6万年前の間が最適とする学術報告がなされており、これまでの発見遺跡やDNA分析と齟齬がありませんので、「When」と「Where/How北米沿岸/フネ・徒歩」が見え、「Who」に関しては古シベリア狩猟族C、古北東亜族B、カムチャッカ東岸北上グループAの3区分となりますが、アメリカ先住民(古人骨含む)の米国でのDNA調査からCと考えられており、東シベリアを東進するルートと樺太回りSHKが考えられています。