First Inhabitants
Although very little is known about the Paleo-Indian period, the evidence for man’s presence in North America around this time is overwhelming. Traces of the Old World Upper Paleolithic culture from many archeological sites in the New World indicate that this region was populated during this time by the people whom we call Paleo-Indians. However, despite careful excavation of numerous sites, archeologists are still uncertain about the Paleo-Indian tradition and everyday life. This is mainly due to the lack of organic artifacts which could not withstand the passage of time.NPS Photo
NPS Photo
Due to the lack of variety in artifacts, we know relatively little about the Paleo-Indian culture. However, archeologists were able to discover new facts about the inhabitants when they unearthed two individual’s remains buried with many artifacts including stone points and bone foreshafts. The foreshafts were found to have been intentionally broken before they were laid in the grave. The bodies and the artifacts also had red ochre (made of silica and clay) sprinkled on top of them. From this discovery, archeologists can infer that the Paleo-Indians participated in rituals as a mean of coping with death and they may have had some notion of an afterlife.