MIGRATION OF NATIVE PEOPLES



The migration of native peoples along the coast is somewhat controvertial. Some suggest that the first inhabitants of the Northwest coast may have been descendants of the Clovis culture, travelling up from the south. Carlson(1990) believed that the first inhabitants may have been a premicroblade, biface-using people moving down the coast from Alaska.

Clovis Culture Point


Fladmark(1975, 1979, 1983) raised the possibility that marine-adapted cultures with boats may have moved through the south coastal areas of Beringia and onto the Northwest coast, moving south until they found an unglaciated area to settle.

These coastal migration models have been disputed by some who believe that the coastal route was impassable during the Late Wisconsinan due to a virtually unbroken ice front spanning from the Gulf of Alaska to Vancouver Island.

Move On
Move Back
Home Page