Recent archaeological studies have established the presence of 16,000 year old PALEO-AMERINDIAN STAGE nomadic big game hunters at the Meadowcroft Rockshelter site, in Pennsylvania. On the basis of such evidence we must now be prepared to acknowledge that the Bering land bridge was apparently utilized as a passage from Asia to North America by at least 28,000 B.P. (before present) when it submerged again until about 14,000 B.P. At this time the entire question of the earliest human presence in North America, their origin, and potential routes of entry are far from resolved to the complete satisfaction of most archaeologists.
We know that the final withdrawal of the glacial Pleistocene ice sheet from coastal New York took place prior to 12,000 B.P. The retreating Wisconsin glacier produced a cool and moist post-glacial climate in the region. Long Island, almost twice its size in width before rising coastal waters, developed a tundra-like landscape and vegetation of grass, sedges and herbs. This generally flat grazing terrain apparently attracted a variety of the Pleistocene fauna, including the Mammoth and Mastodon. There was little problem for animals to migrate along the then exposed Atlantic Coastal Shelf, nor for the nomadic big game hunters to have pursued them.
Despite continuing studies throughout Long Island, evidence of Paleo-Amerindian occupation or big game kill sites have continued to completely elude research investigators. It is known that, as the last stage of the Wisconsin glacier retreated, the melting ices created a continuing rise in the ocean sea level. the shrinking shore line would obviously submerge potentially existing yearly coastal occupation sites. As a result of shell food gathering and fishing activities in recent years along the Atlantic Coastal
Shelf evidence continues to be assembled demonstrating fauna activities on the shelf before it submerged.
Mammoth and Mastodon teeth are among the more spectacular fossils being recovered on the shelf. Records for about 50 such specimens exist. The majority being reported by sea scallop fishermen with many of the finds located on charts. The Mammoth's presence in this area occurred earlier {10,000-12,000 B.P.). Specimens of their teeth are being recovered from depths of 40 to 80 meters along the outer shelf and southern edge of the Hudson River Channel. Evidence of the Mastodon, which became more abundant at a later date (8,000-10,000 B.P.), is being recovered along the inshore belt at an average depth between 20 and 25 meters. The presence of such animals on the shelf would not have been overlooked by the big game hunters. Based on studies in other areas of the country we now know that such nomadic groups established temporary based hunting/occupation camps and pursued such big game to kill sites. Most of such potential sites associated with Long Island probably remain submerged. Future studies may, perhaps, locate such sites suitable for marine archaeological study.
It is suggested that at the beginning of this stage small groups of immigrant explorer/hunters, consisting perhaps of a few interrelated families, penetrated the region from the southwest. That they were present on Long Island can be demonstrated by the recovery of CLOVIS and FLUTED stone hunting points at different locations. However, the majority of reported finds appear to be isolated lost specimens during hunting. Others lack any assemblage of necessary data and related known traits to be designated as a Paleo-Amerindian Stage occupation site. Some archaeologists have proposed that these early explorers may have started with pointed wood spears, and produced percussion chopper-scraper traditions, before the chert pressure flaked blade and characteristic fluted bifacial point traditions. It is an interesting hypothesis which still requires considerable evidence before being accepted as fact. There is growing support for a valid Early and Late subdivision of the stage between older Clovis fluted projectile points and subsequent variations of this classic trait.
Studies at the few known different Paleo-Amerindian camp and workshop sites in the northeast have added to our understanding of some of the different artifacts and techniques employed by this nomadic culture. Basic uniformity in the assemblage of principal known artifact traits related to this stage demonstrate tools essential to a hunting food resource economy. Aside from the characteristic Clovis, and variant, fluted bifacial projectile points, lithic tools included: bilaterally edged knife or chopper; ovate, triangular, rectangular, almond shape, and leaf or bipointed knives; blades on thick waste flakes; spurred end-scrapers; tortoise core and hump-back scrapers; various utilized waste flake side-scrapers; spokeshavers; gravers; beaks; denticulates; drills; perforators; hand choppers, hammer-stones and anvilstones. The absence of bone and wooden tools which would add to the inventory are lost and attributed to the high acidity in the regional soil which would destroy such evidence. Based on known data, the traits available demonstrate a very utilitarian cultural horizon. While their principal activities would appear to be big game hunting it is reasonable to assume that dietary traits included smaller game. It is also probable that some experimentation with wild vegetal gathering activities, shell food and catching fish trapped in shallow waters were also carried out.
By 9500 B.P. the last remnants of the Wisconsin glacial ice sheet had long since melted away. With it the cold tundra-like environment also gave way to a relatively warmer and humid climate producing a coniferous forest of spruce, pine, and birch. It is suggested that climatic change at about this time could have had serious impact upon the desired environment of the Mammoth and Mastodon effecting their ability to adopt to new conditions. While reduced in number by diminishing grazing lands suitable for their survival, it has been suggested that Paleo-Amerindian overkill was also an important contributing factor in the ultimate extinction of these and other Pleistocene species. The big game hunters also disappear from the archaeological record at this time. They were probably absorbed into subsequent cultural groups of semi-nomadic people who begin to make their presence known in the coastal New York area and on Long Island.
NEW YORK INSTITUTE OF ANTHROPOLOGY