If you were hoping the answer was as easy as say, Navajo, or Cherokee, you might be surprised. In the United States there are 5 and a half million people who identify as having some The largest of those tribes is Navajo, which has about 340 000 members. Next is Cherokee with around 290,000, followed by Chippewa, Sioux, Choctaw and Apache. However, the first settlers into North America likely arrived long before any of these tribes existed. A 2-Minute History of Human Migration into the Americas We don't know for sure when and how people first migrated into North America, and there are several theories on how this happened. North and South America were the last continents to be inhabited by humans, at least 17,000 years ago, but possibly much earlier. The most common theory is that Nomadic people from Asia moved across the Bering strait into Alaska and settled there. At the end of the last ice age, Asia and North America were joined by a land bridge called Beringia. This was because sea levels were much lower then. Humans settled in Alaska, but couldn't go further south because North America was covered in an ice sheet. When the ice started to melt, a single group of people moved south through a gap in the ice. Some believe that all Native Americans, both in North and South America, were descendants of this single group. So using this theory, Native Americans first settled in north-western Alaska. Some people have suggested that humans could have arrived by boat, traveling close to the shores down the west coast of the continent. At first it was thought that people arrived about 13000 years ago. This was because of the discovery of a civilization that was called the Clovis. For many years the Clovis were thought to be the first Native Americans, but over the last 30 years or so, this has been debunked as older discoveries were made. Here's a crash course in what we've discovered: 1. Folsom New Mexico - 1908 - 10,000 year old remains of an extinct bison were found with spear marks. 2. Bluefish Caves, Yukon - 1994 - 24,000 year old animal bones discovered with human markings. 3. Santa Rosa Island, California - 1969 - 13,000-year-old human bones discovered, suggesting the use of boats. 4. Monte Verde, Chile - 1997 - 14,000 year old human settlement discovered 5. Hoyo Negro, Yucatán, Mexico - 12,000 year old human skeleton discovered in an underwater cave 6. Paisley Oregon - 2008 - 15,000 year old fossilized human feces discovered in a cave. 7. Friedkin site - Texas - 2011 - 15,000 year old human settlement discovered 8. Anzick, Montana - 2014 - 12,500 year old remains of an infant discovered, believed to be of the Clovis culture. In fact DNA shows that the infant was closely related to Native North Americans of today. And we believe the Clovis people are the direct ancestors of 80% of all living Native Americans in North and South America. Which Native American Tribe is the Oldest? None of these early tribe still exists. Civilizations rise and fall and the human landscape is always changing. So a 'tribe', as we know it is highly unlikely to remain for thousands of years. You could ask, which of the current Native American tribes is the oldest? But this question isn't any easier. Before Europeans arrived, we only have oral records to rely on, and these tends to change over generations. Legends do tell the story of a great migration, including the crossing of a river, possibly the Mississippi. Origin stories are an important part of Native American culture, but they don't help us to date Native American tribe. For example, Cherokee tribal history says they have existed since time immemorial. The Hopi are known among Native Americans as the 'oldest of tribes'. We do know that the Hopi village of Oraibi in Arizona could be the oldest continuously inhabited settlement in the United States, at nearly a thousand years old. We can also use language to trace the movement of Native Americans. Navajo and Apache are part of the Na-Dené language family, and the first Na-Dene speaking peoples entered North American around 10,000 years ago. But, the question 'which is the oldest Native American tribe' is complex, and it may never have an answer. Native American origin stories and ancestry are a important part of their culture. At the same the science and history is constantly evolving and new discoveries will no doubt challenge what we believe today. Maybe a better question is how do we keep discovering, while at the same time respecting the culture and history of the Native Americans who live here today.

• published: 19 Dec 2020
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