Peopling the Americas: Not “Out of Japan”

• NCJ Number: 303194
• Author(s): G. Richard Scott; Dennis H. O’Rourke; Jennifer A. Raff; ​​​​​​​Justin C. Tackney; Leslea J. Hlusko; Scott A. Elias; Lauriane Bourgeon; Olga Potapova; Elena Pavlova; Vladimir Pitulko; John F. Hoffecker
• Date Published: October 2021
• Length: 24 pages
• Grant Number(s): 2017-DN-BX-0143
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical)

Annotation

Based on data and analyses in biological anthropology, this study shows that the people who made stemmed points in northern Japan (labeled “Incipient Jomon” in the archaeological literature) represent an unlikely source population for the indigenous peoples of the Western Hemisphere. 

Abstract

A widely accepted model for the peopling of the Americas postulates a source population in the Northeast Asian maritime region, which includes northern Japan. The model is based on similarities in stone artifacts (stemmed points) found in North American sites dating as early as 15,000 years ago and those of comparable age in Japan and neighboring regions of Northeast Asia. (publisher abstract modified)