Paleo-Arctic tradition facts for kids
The Paleo-Arctic Tradition is a name archaeologists use for the very first groups of people who lived in the North American Arctic. These ancient people lived there a long, long time ago, between 8000 and 5000 BC. Their culture spread across Alaska and into the Yukon Territory.
One important place linked to the Paleo-Arctic Tradition is the Upward Sun River site in Alaska. This site is about 11,500 years old and has the oldest human remains found on the American side of Beringia.
Around 8000 BC, Alaska was still connected to Siberia by a land bridge called Beringia. People from the Dyuktai culture in Siberia moved into this area. Over time, the Dyuktai culture changed into the Sumnagin culture, who were skilled hunters and fishers with new tools. Other cultures also developed, all part of the larger Paleo-Arctic Tradition.
Archaeologists know a lot about the Paleo-Arctic people from their stone tools. They made tiny, sharp blades called microblades. These were often attached to wooden, antler, or bone spears for hunting. They also made larger, leaf-shaped tools called bifaces and tools for scraping and engraving. Most of their settlements are now underwater because sea levels rose after the last Ice Age. However, finding their stone tools helps us guess where they might have lived.
What Was the Nenana Complex?
The Nenana Complex is the oldest part of the Paleo-Arctic Tradition. It dates from about 11,800 to 11,000 years ago. Archaeologists found evidence of it at sites like Dry Creek and Moose Creek.
People of the Nenana Complex made spear points that were sharpened on both sides. They also made knives and other stone tools. These tools did not include microblades. Their tools look similar to those found in Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia. This suggests that people might have moved or shared ideas across the Bering land bridge.
What Was the Denali Complex?
The Denali Complex is a more recent part of the Paleo-Arctic Tradition, dating to about 10,000 years ago. It is found at some of the same sites as the Nenana Complex, like Dry Creek.
The main difference is that the Denali Complex includes microblades. These people also made wedge-shaped stone cores (from which microblades were struck) and tools called burins.
