Anzick-1 facts for kids

Anzick-1 was a baby boy from a very long time ago. He was a Paleo-Indian infant whose bones were found in Montana, United States, in 1968. He lived about 13,000 to 12,850 years ago.

This child was buried with over 115 tools made from stone and antlers. These tools were covered in red ocher, which is a natural earth pigment. This suggests it was a special burial. Anzick-1 is the only human found from the Clovis Complex. This makes him very important. He is also the first ancient Native American whose entire genome (all his DNA) was studied.

Scientists studied Anzick-1's DNA. They found that his ancestors came from Siberia. His DNA is also very similar to that of modern Native Americans, including those in Central and South America. These findings help prove that today's Native Americans are related to people from Asia. These people crossed a land bridge called Beringia between 23,000 and 14,000 years ago.

The discovery and study of Anzick-1 have caused some debate. His bones were found on private land. This meant that a law called the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) did not apply. Some Native American tribes in Montana felt they should have been asked before scientists studied the infant's bones and DNA. Montana state law does require talking with Native Americans about old human remains.

After discussions, Anzick-1 was reburied on June 28, 2014. This was done in a special ceremony with many tribes in the Shields River Valley. The many Clovis tools found with him are now kept at the Montana Historical Society in Helena, Montana.

How Anzick-1 Was Found

The Anzick site was found by accident in 1968. A construction worker was building something on private land near Wilsall, Montana. He found the remains in a collapsed rock shelter. This is like a small cave or overhang in a cliff. The land belonged to the Anzick family.

Anzick-1's bones were found buried under many tools. There were 100 stone tools and 15 tools made from antler. The site also had hundreds of stone projectile points, bifaces, and flake tools. All of these items were covered in red ocher. These stone points were identified as part of the Clovis Complex. This is because of their special shape and size.

At first, people thought two human skeletons found there were from the Clovis period. But later tests showed that only Anzick-1 was from that time. Anzick-1 lived more than 2,000 years before the other skeleton.

What His Bones Showed

Anzick-1's bones were found in many small pieces. They included 28 pieces of his skull, his left collarbone, and several ribs. Even though they were broken, scientists could learn a lot. They could guess his age and check for signs of health or cultural practices.

Originally, scientists thought his collarbone showed signs of being burned. But more tests showed the color was from groundwater, not fire. All of Anzick-1's bones were stained with ocher. This covered their natural color.

How Old He Was

Scientists can tell how old someone was when they died by looking at their bones. They check things like how skull bones are joined. They also look at teeth and other bone parts. Anzick-1's skull bones were small and not fully joined. This showed he was about 1 to 2 years old when he died.

He also had a special line on his forehead bone called a metopic suture. Most babies have this, but it closes before they become adults. The fact that Anzick-1 still had this line helped confirm his age of 1 to 2 years old.

Skull Shape

Some cultures in the past would gently shape the heads of babies. They used wraps or boards to change the skull's shape. This might have had special cultural or religious meaning. Scientists looked at Anzick-1's skull shape. They found no signs that his head had been shaped in this way.

What His DNA Showed

A group of scientists from different countries studied Anzick-1's bones. They looked at his mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), his full nuclear DNA, and his Y-chromosome DNA. They compared these to the DNA of people living today around the world. These studies helped them understand ancient human migration patterns. They also learned about how people first came to the Americas.

The DNA tests showed that Anzick-1 was closely related to Native Americans in Central and South America. This was a surprise to some. Before, people thought he might be more related to people in the Canadian Arctic. Arctic people are different from Native Americans further south. Anzick-1's DNA also showed links to people from Siberia and Central Asia. These are believed to be the ancestors of indigenous peoples in the Americas.

This finding supports a theory that people came to the Americas from Asia. They crossed a land bridge called the Bering Strait. For over 20 years, some scientists have debated this. They wondered if the first settlers came across the Bering Strait land bridge. Or did they come by sea from Europe? This second idea is called the Solutrean hypothesis.

What Anzick-1 Means for History

Anzick-1's DNA analysis showed a strong genetic link to modern Native Americans. It also showed that genes flowed from Siberia into the Americas almost 13,000 years ago. This was earlier than some thought. These findings support the Beringia Hypothesis. They also directly challenge the Solutrean Hypothesis. However, supporters of the Solutrean theory say the evidence does not conflict with their ideas.

The Beringia Hypothesis

The Beringia Hypothesis is the most widely accepted idea for how people first came to the Americas. It says that early Native Americans migrated from Siberia. They crossed a land bridge that connected Asia and North America. This land bridge was across the Bering Strait. Genetic and archaeological evidence supports this idea. It suggests the migration happened no earlier than 32,000 years ago.

Ancient Native Americans could have entered the Americas across this land bridge. Then they might have traveled south from Alaska through an ice-free path in Canada. Another idea is that they used boats to sail along the coasts. They would have followed the coast of Siberia, the Beringia land bridge, and the Pacific coast of North America. Evidence from these coastal paths is now underwater because sea levels rose. Anzick-1's DNA analysis supports the Beringia Hypothesis. It shows that humans had arrived in Montana by almost 13,000 years ago.

The Solutrean Hypothesis

The Solutrean hypothesis suggests that people from Europe reached the Americas. They would have crossed the Atlantic Ocean during the Upper Paleolithic period. This idea started because Clovis stone tools look very similar to Solutrean stone tools from Western Europe. There is also other evidence that supports this idea.

However, the discovery of Anzick-1 and his DNA does not affect the Solutrean hypothesis. This is because the Solutrean hypothesis does not claim that these Europeans were the ancestors of the Anzick child or his people. The Solutrean hypothesis does not say that Solutreans were the first, only, or main group to become Native Americans. Instead, it suggests that different groups of people arrived in the Americas independently. This includes the group Anzick-1 belonged to, and also these toolmakers from Europe.

Talking About Ethics

Studying the bones of ancient Native Americans can be tricky. It brings up questions about who "owns" the past and how it should be understood. Larry Echo-Hawk, a member of the Pawnee Nation, once said that digging up Native American graves causes "emotional trauma and spiritual distress." This is true no matter why it's done.

After Anzick-1's bones were found in 1968, different scientists studied them. Eventually, the bones were returned to the Anzick family. Sarah Anzick, a daughter of the family, became a genetic researcher. She wanted to study Anzick-1's DNA. She was careful because a previous case, involving an ancient Native American called Kennewick Man, caused a lot of debate.

Under NAGPRA, a US law protects Native American remains and artifacts. This law applies to items found on federal lands or kept by groups that get federal money. It requires that these items be returned to tribes connected to them. Because Anzick-1 was found on private land, Sarah Anzick was not legally required to talk to tribal members. But she still discussed her plans with representatives from several Montana tribes. She wanted to know if she should use methods that would destroy some of the bone material. Since she couldn't get everyone to agree, she stopped the project for a while. Later, she did go ahead with the DNA analysis.

After the DNA results showed a link between Anzick-1 and modern Native Americans, the scientists talked with several Montana tribes. Eske Willerslev, a Danish genetic researcher, visited Indian reservations in Montana in 2013. He wanted to involve tribal members in decisions about the research. He met with Shane Doyle, a member of the Crow tribe. Doyle works in Native American studies at Montana State University and became a co-author on the research paper.

There were different opinions about the research on Anzick-1. But many tribal members said they would have preferred to be asked before the bones were studied, not after. The main request from Montana tribal members was that Anzick-1's remains should be reburied according to tribal traditions.

See also

In Spanish: Anzick-1 para niños