First Peoples (2015): Season 1, Episode 1 - Africa - full transcript

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NARRATOR: 200,000 YEARS AGO,

A NEW SPECIES EMERGED ON
THE AFRICAN LANDSCAPE...

HOMO SAPIENS.

MODERN HUMANS.

US.

TODAY, THERE ARE
7 BILLION OF US

LIVING ACROSS PLANET EARTH.

THIS IS THE STORY OF OUR JOURNEY

FROM CONTINENT TO CONTINENT:



HOW WE LEFT AFRICA,

CROSSED ASIA,

REACHED AUSTRALIA,

AND COLONIZED EUROPE.

THE FINAL FRONTIER WAS AMERICA,

THE LAST CONTINENT
TO BE CONQUERED.

IT'S ONE OF THE GREAT MYSTERIES
OF ARCHAEOLOGY.

WHO FIRST SET FOOT
ON AMERICAN SOIL?

WHEN AND HOW DID THEY GET HERE?

WOMAN: AS THEY MOVED FURTHER
AND FURTHER SOUTH,

THEY WOULD KNOW THAT THEY WERE
TRULY THE FIRST PEOPLE

TO EXPERIENCE THOSE LANDSCAPES.

MAN: THESE RIVERS WOULD HAVE
PROVIDED ALL THE RESOURCES

THAT COASTAL PEOPLES NEEDED TO
EXPLORE DEEP INTO THE INTERIOR



AND ULTIMATELY COLONIZE
ALL OF NORTH AMERICA.

SECOND MAN: AS A SCIENTIST,
IT'S SUPER-EXCITING

IF THERE IS A CONTROVERSY
BECAUSE THE RESULT MATTERS.

IT MEANS SOMETHING.
IT'S IMPORTANT.

NARRATOR: WHO WERE
THESE FIRST AMERICANS?

AND WHAT BECAME OF THEM?

THEIR STORY IS OUR STORY.

[BIRDS SCREECHING]

NARRATOR: THE YUCATAN
PENINSULA, MEXICO...

13,500 YEARS AGO.

A CEREMONY TAKES PLACE

DEEP WITHIN A CAVE.

A YOUNG WOMAN IS BEING
BURIED BY HER CLAN.

ARCHAEOLOGISTS KNOW HER AS EVA.

WHEN ALIVE, SHE WAS
A HUNTER-GATHERER...

[BLOWS]

LIKE ANY OTHER
PREHISTORIC PERSON,

BUT EVA IS SPECIAL TO US.

[BLOWS]

SHE CAN LAY CLAIM TO BEING
THE FIRST AMERICAN.

NO OTHER REMAINS HAVE BEEN FOUND

ANYWHERE IN THE AMERICAS
AS OLD AS EVA.

EVA'S BONES WERE
DISCOVERED UNDERWATER...

IN A VAST CAVE SYSTEM BENEATH
THE FORESTS OF YUCATAN.

THERE ARE CHAMBERS HERE
THE SIZE OF CATHEDRALS

AND TUNNELS SO SMALL,

IT'S BARELY POSSIBLE
TO PASS THROUGH.

MEXICAN ARCHAEOLOGISTS
HAVE BEEN EXCAVATING

IN THESE CAVES SINCE 2008.

LEADING THE TEAM
IS ARTURO GONZALEZ.

GONZALEZ: FOR ME, IT'S LIKE, UH,
THE BEST WAY TO MAKE ARCHAEOLOGY

BECAUSE YOU DON'T--
YOU DON'T NEED TO DIG,

YOU DON'T-- YOU DON'T HAVE DUST,

AND, UH, EVERYTHING IS CLEAR.

[MUFFLED SHOUTING]

NARRATOR: MOST OF THE BONES
THEY FIND ARE FROM ANIMALS,

BUT IN AMONG THEM

ARE THE REMAINS
OF PREHISTORIC HUMANS.

GONZALEZ: WE SPEND A LOT OF TIME

DIVING, EXPLORING.

WHEN FINALLY YOU FIND
SOME HUMAN REMAINS,

IT'S-- IT'S LIKE A LOTTERY.

IT'S, UH, "WOW,
THANKS, GOD," NO?

YOU HAVE THIS GREAT OPPORTUNITY
TO TOUCH THIS EVIDENCE.

IT'S LIKE A CONNECTION BETWEEN
THE PAST AND THE FUTURE.

IMPRESSIVE.

NARRATOR: BUT WHY ARE THERE
HUMAN BONES UNDERWATER?

THEY WEREN'T WASHED IN.

THEY MUST HAVE BEEN LEFT HERE

WHEN THE CAVES WERE DRY.

DURING THE ICE AGE,

SO MUCH OF THE WORLD'S WATER WAS
FROZEN IN GREAT SHEETS OF ICE

THAT SEA LEVELS WERE
LOWER THAN TODAY--

UP TO 400 FEET LOWER--

PUSHING BACK THE COASTLINE,

CHANGING THE SHAPE
OF THE AMERICAS.

AT THAT TIME, THE CAVE SYSTEM
IN THE YUCATAN WOULD HAVE BEEN

DRY ENOUGH
FOR PEOPLE TO ENTER

AND BURY THEIR DEAD.

THE DRY PHASE ENDED
8,000 YEARS AGO.

SINCE THEN, THE CAVES
HAVE BEEN SUBMERGED,

SEALING IN AND PROTECTING
ANY HUMAN REMAINS.

IN TOTAL,

GONZALEZ AND HIS TEAM
HAVE RECOVERED

8 SKELETONS FROM
THE CAVE SYSTEM.

IT'S THE LARGEST COLLECTION
OF PREHISTORIC HUMANS

FOUND AT ANY ONE SITE
IN NORTH AMERICA.

THE STAR FIND IS THIS ONE--

EVA OF NAHARON.

[SPEAKING SPANISH]

INTERPRETER:
THIS WAS THE FIRST SKELETON
THAT WE FOUND IN THE CAVES.

IT'S ALSO THE OLDEST.

WE KNOW THAT THIS IS
A YOUNG WOMAN

BECAUSE WE HAVE THE HIP BONES,
WHICH ARE VERY DIFFERENT

FROM THOSE OF MEN.

THE SKULL IS ALSO
A GOOD INDICATOR

OF THE SEX OF A PERSON.

THIS SKULL IS VERY DELICATE,

CORRESPONDING WITH
A YOUNG WOMAN.

NARRATOR: SHE WAS
4'7" TALL WHEN ALIVE

AND STILL IN HER 20s
WHEN SHE DIED.

RADIOCARBON-DATING OF HER BONES
SUGGESTS THAT HAPPENED

13,500 YEARS AGO.

ARCHAEOLOGISTS BELIEVE EVA WAS
PART OF A LARGER CLAN OF NOMADS.

[BLOWS]

THEY LIVED IN THE FORESTS...
[BLOWS]

UP TO 40 MILES
FROM THE CAVE SYSTEM.

[ANIMAL SCREECHING]

[RATTLING]

THEY ONLY CAME INTO THE CAVES

TO BURY THEIR DEAD.

WHEN EVA WAS DISCOVERED,
HER SKELETON WAS INTACT

AND UNDISTURBED.

SHE'D BEEN DELIBERATELY
PLACED THERE,

A 1/4 OF A MILE FROM
THE NEAREST OPENING.

[BIRDS CHIRPING]

THE EVIDENCE SUGGESTS
EVA WAS LAID TO REST

IN SOME KIND OF RITUAL BURIAL.

IT'S THE EARLIEST SIGN
OF SPIRITUALITY

ANYWHERE IN NORTH AMERICA.

BUT WHY GO TO SUCH LENGTHS

AND PERFORM A CEREMONY
IN THE DARK,

A 1/4 OF A MILE INTO THE CAVE?

NORMALLY IS THE DEEPEST
PART OF THE CAVE,

NORMALLY IS VERY FAR FROM
THE ENTRANCE, BUT WE DON'T KNOW.

WE-- WE DON'T KNOW
SPECIFICALLY WHY

THEY CHOOSE THESE
SPECIFIC PLACES.

[MAN CHANTING]

[CHANTING CONTINUES]

NARRATOR: OCTAVIO RETTIG
IS A MODERN-DAY SHAMAN.

HE BELIEVES THE DEEPEST
CHAMBERS WERE PORTALS

TO A SPIRIT WORLD...

[INDISTINCT]

WHERE SHAMANS COMMUNED
WITH THE SPIRITS,

USING PSYCHOTROPIC DRUGS.

[INDISTINCT]

TODAY, ARTURO GONZALEZ IS
SIMULATING THE EFFECT

WITH A COMPOUND EXTRACTED
FROM THE GLANDS

OF A MEXICAN TOAD.

[CHANTING IN SPANISH]

WOW.

[DISTORTED LAUGHTER]

[CHANTING]

GONZALEZ: I'M AN ANTHROPOLOGIST,
I'M A PALEONTOLOGIST.

I'M VERY, VERY SURE
ABOUT THE RATIONALISM,

BUT NOW I UNDERSTAND BETTER

WHY THEY CHOOSE
THESE SPECIFIC PLACES TO--

IN ORDER TO MAKE
THESE BURIALS, SO--

OR MAKE THESE, UH, CONNECTIONS
WITH THE SOULS, NO?

[WATER DRIPPING]

NARRATOR: SUCH RITUALS
13,500 YEARS AGO

ARE THE EARLIEST
FLICKERINGS OF A CULTURE

ANYWHERE IN THE AMERICAS.

BUT FOR ARCHAEOLOGISTS,
THAT'S A PROBLEM.

EVA WAS IN THE YUCATAN
CENTURIES BEFORE

ANYONE WAS MEANT TO HAVE
ENTERED NORTH AMERICA.

FOR DECADES, IT'S BEEN ASSUMED

THAT THE FIRST AMERICANS ARRIVED

FROM SIBERIA, BY FOOT.

DURING THE ICE AGE,
SEA LEVELS WERE SO LOW,

THERE WAS A LAND BRIDGE WHERE
THE BERING STRAITS ARE TODAY.

BUT ONCE PEOPLE ENTERED ALASKA,
THEY COULD GO NO FURTHER

BECAUSE CANADA WAS COVERED BY
TWO GREAT ICE SHEETS,

AN UNCROSSABLE BARRIER.

IT WAS ONLY WHEN
THE WORLD WARMED

AND THE ICE SHEETS
STARTED MELTING

THAT A ROUTE
TO THE SOUTH EMERGED.

IN ALBERTA, THE EVIDENCE
OF THAT SOUTHERN ROUTE

IS EASY TO FIND--

A SERIES OF GIANT BOULDERS

SCATTERED ACROSS THE PLAINS.

THEY'RE KNOWN AS "ERRATICS"

BECAUSE THEY DON'T BELONG
IN THIS LANDSCAPE.

WOMAN: SO THIS ENORMOUS ROCK
SHOULDN'T ACTUALLY BE HERE.

IN FACT, ITS ORIGINAL HOME IS
ABOUT 100 MILES NORTH OF HERE,

BUT IT GOT TRAPPED BETWEEN THESE
TWO ENORMOUS ICE SHEETS,

AND IT PUSHED THIS ROCK SOUTH.

AS THOSE ICE SHEETS
EVENTUALLY MELTED,

IT DEPOSITED THIS ROCK HERE.

ROCKS LIKE THIS ONE,
THEY SEEM ISOLATED,

BUT WHEN WE ACTUALLY MAP
THEM OUT ON THE LANDSCAPE,

THEY PROVIDE US
AN EXCELLENT IDEA

OF WHERE A CORRIDOR
WOULD HAVE OPENED UP

BETWEEN THESE
TWO GIANT ICE SHEETS.

THEY REALLY MARK A PASSAGEWAY
INTO NORTH AMERICA.

NARRATOR: ONCE AN ICE-FREE
CORRIDOR OPENED,

ABOUT 13,000 YEARS AGO,

PEOPLE COULD WALK SOUTH

INTO WHAT IS NOW
THE UNITED STATES.

WAGUESPACK: ON EITHER SIDE
OF YOU ARE ENORMOUS ICE SHEETS

THAT ARE PULLING APART
FROM EACH OTHER AND MELTING.

YOU WOULD HAVE HEARD THE RUSH
OF THE MELT WATER.

YOU WOULD HAVE PROBABLY
HEARD CRACKING ICE

AND LARGE CHUNKS OF ICE
BREAKING OFF OF THESE SHEETS.

AS THEY MOVED FURTHER
AND FURTHER SOUTH,

THEY WOULD HAVE EMERGED
INTO A LANDSCAPE

THAT NO HUMANS HAD EVER
TRODDEN ON BEFORE.

THERE WOULD BE NO SIGNS
OF HUMAN LIFE.

THEY WOULD KNOW THAT THEY WERE
TRULY THE FIRST PEOPLE

TO EXPERIENCE THOSE LANDSCAPES.

NARRATOR: THIS NEW WORLD

WAS HOME TO HERDS
OF GREAT BEASTS...

NONE GREATER THAN
THE COLUMBIAN MAMMOTH.

WEIGHING UP TO 9 TONS,
IT WAS A BONANZA

FOR ANY HUNTER
WHO COULD KILL ONE.

[MAMMOTHS GRUNTING]

THE FIRST EVIDENCE
MAMMOTHS WERE HUNTED

BY EARLY AMERICANS
TURNED UP IN THE 1930s.

AT A SERIES OF SITES
IN THE SOUTHWEST,

ARCHAEOLOGISTS FOUND SPEARHEADS

ALONGSIDE MAMMOTH BONES.

THESE SPEARHEADS BECAME KNOWN
AS "CLOVIS POINTS,"

AFTER ONE OF THE SITES
IN CLOVIS, NEW MEXICO.

EVER SINCE,
THEY'VE BEEN DISCOVERED

ACROSS THE UNITED STATES.

THEY'RE SO COMMON,

ARCHAEOLOGISTS DESCRIBE
THE PEOPLE WHO MADE THEM

AS CLOVIS PEOPLE.

[BIRDS CHIRPING]

[DISTANT OVERLAPPING CHATTER]

NARRATOR: THIS ROCK SHELTER
IN THE OZARKS IS

A NEW ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE.

EXCAVATIONS HAVE ONLY
JUST BEGUN,

BUT IT SEEMS CLOVIS PEOPLE

USED THE SHELTER AS A CAMPSITE.

13,000 YEARS AGO,

A FAMILY GROUP MAY HAVE
STAYED HERE A FEW DAYS

BEFORE MOVING ON.

LIFE WAS DOMINATED BY FOOD:

FINDING IT, PROCESSING
AND EATING IT.

HUNTER-GATHERERS ARE SO ACTIVE,

THEY CONSUME UP TO
4 TIMES MORE PROTEIN

THAN PEOPLE TODAY.

METIN EREN IS ONE
OF THE DIRECTORS

OF THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE

AND AN EXPERT FLINT-KNAPPER.

HE CAN MAKE A CLOVIS POINT

AS IT WOULD HAVE BEEN MADE
BY EARLY AMERICANS.

[BLOWS 3 TIMES]

EREN: THIS IS A CLOVIS POINT,

AND IT'S AN AMAZING PIECE
OF STONE AGE TECHNOLOGY.

NO ONE IN THE STONE AGE
HAD SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THIS

BY THE TIME IT WAS MADE
OVER 13,000 YEARS AGO.

INCREDIBLY RAZOR-SHARP EDGES
ALONG THE ENTIRE BLADE,

AND BECAUSE IT'S GOT
THESE GROOVES ON BOTH SIDES,

IT'S EASILY HAFTED ONTO
THE END OF A SPEAR SHAFT,

AND THUS IT COULD HAVE
ALSO EASILY TAKEN DOWN

THE LARGEST STONE AGE BEASTS.

IN A LOT OF WAYS,
YOU CAN CONSIDER THIS TO BE

THE FIRST AMERICAN INVENTION.

[BLOWS TWICE]

EREN: THIS IS A CLOVIS POINT
THAT I MADE,

AND A CLOVIS PERSON WOULD HAVE
HAFTED IT ONTO A PIECE OF WOOD,

TO WHICH THEY WOULD HAVE
ATTACHED IT TO A LARGE SPEAR

LIKE THIS, MADE OUT OF CANE.

THEY COULD HAVE THEN
ATTACHED THE SPEAR

TO WHAT'S CALLED AN ATLATL,
OR SPEAR THROWER.

AND WITH THE SPEAR THROWER,
THEY WOULD HAVE HAD JUST A TON

OF OOMPH WITH WHICH TO HIT
ANY LARGE ICE AGE ANIMALS.

EREN: SO THAT'S
DEFINITELY A KILL.

OH, WOW!

THIS CLOVIS POINT WENT
ALL THE WAY THROUGH

THIS 3-INCH TARGET,
SO YOU CAN EASILY IMAGINE

THE SORT OF DAMAGE
THAT THIS WOULD HAVE DONE,

UM, TO THE PREY THAT
CLOVIS PEOPLE WERE GOING AFTER.

IT'S AN INCREDIBLE WEAPON.

NARRATOR: BUT HOW DID
CLOVIS PEOPLE MANAGE

TO BLAZE A TRAIL?

WHERE TO GO, WHAT TO DO

IN A VAST, UNKNOWN LAND?

BOB STEVENS IS AN APACHE INDIAN,

A HUNTER, A TRACKER,

AND AN EXPERT IN SURVIVAL.

STEVENS: BEING OUT HERE
IN THE WILD

AMONGST THIS LANDSCAPE,

I FEEL THE WIND,

AND THE WIND BLOWS
RIGHT THROUGH ME.

ALL THE SOUNDS BECOME
A PART OF ME,

BECOME A RHYTHM
WITH MY HEARTBEAT.

NOT ONLY DO I BECOME
THE WORLD AROUND ME,

BUT THE WORLD AROUND ME
BECOMES ME,

AND WE BECOME ONE.

NARRATOR: CLOVIS PEOPLE HAD
NO INSTRUCTION MANUAL,

NO ONE TO TELL THEM
WHERE TO HUNT.

THEY HAD TO WORK IT OUT
FOR THEMSELVES.

STEVENS: THE FIRST THING
YOU WOULD DO IS LOOK

FOR A HIGH VANTAGE POINT
SOMEWHERE.

AND ONCE YOU GET TO A HIGH
VANTAGE POINT, THEN YOU CAN SEE

MORE OF THE TERRAIN AROUND YOU,
AND THE LAND SPEAKS TO YOU.

ALL THE ANIMALS ARE GONNA
COME DOWN TO THESE AREAS HERE

IN THE BOTTOM OF THE CANYON,
AND THEY'RE GONNA NEED PATHWAYS

TO COME DOWN TO GET WATER.

THEY'RE GONNA CONCENTRATE
IN THIS AREA HERE

BECAUSE ANYWHERE UP
THE CANYON FROM HERE

AND DOWN THE CANYON
FROM HERE IS A BOX CANYON;

THERE'S NO ACCESS IN OR OUT.

YOU KNOW THEY'RE GONNA COME DOWN
TO THIS ONE VERY SPOT.

SO THIS WOULD BE A GOOD,
CENTRALIZED LOCATION

TO ESTABLISH
A LITTLE SEMI-RESIDENCE

AND THEN WORK YOUR WAY
OUT FROM HERE AND START

EXPLORING THE LAND
A LITTLE BIT FURTHER OUT.

STEVENS: THE FIRST PEOPLE
THAT COME FROM THE LAND BRIDGE

UP BY ALASKA,

IT'S AMAZING AT THE SPEED
THAT THEY COME THROUGH HERE.

PERHAPS IT'S THAT URGE
TO EXPLORE.

MAYBE THERE WAS SOMETHING THAT
LIE JUST BEYOND THE NEXT RISE,

BEYOND THE NEXT HILLSIDE.

SO WHAT I DO WHEN I COME OUT
HERE IS I HAVE THAT SAME URGE

TO WANT TO KNOW WHAT'S JUST
BEYOND THAT LAST HILL

THAT I CAN SEE AND TO BE ABLE
TO GO OVER THERE,

PEEK OVER THE OTHER SIDE,
AND SAY, "I KNOW WHAT'S THERE."

AND WHAT DO I SEE?
I SEE ANOTHER HILL.

AND IT KEEPS THAT DRIVE ALIVE
TO KEEP ME GOING BEYOND,

FURTHER AND FURTHER.

[BLOWS]

WAGUESPACK: PART OF
THE APPEAL OF THIS STORY

IS HOW NICELY IT REFLECTS
SOME CLASSIC IDEAS

ABOUT THE AMERICAN WEST,

THIS IDEA OF RUGGED INDIVIDUALS

DRIVEN INTO A NEW LANDSCAPE,

ONLY TO SUCCESSFULLY SORT OF
CONQUER IT AND COLONIZE IT.

NARRATOR: BUT IS
THE STORY REALLY TRUE?

WERE CLOVIS HUNTERS
THE FIRST PEOPLE IN AMERICA?

THE OLDEST ARCHAEOLOGICAL
EVIDENCE THEY LEFT BEHIND

GOES BACK 13,000 YEARS.

BUT IN YUCATAN, EVA WAS ALIVE

13,500 YEARS AGO.

SHE'S HUNDREDS OF YEARS
OLDER THAN CLOVIS.

IF EVA AND HER KIND MANAGED
TO REACH THE SOUTHEAST

OF THE CONTINENT SO EARLY,

PEOPLE MUST HAVE ENTERED
NORTH AMERICA

LONG BEFORE 13,000 YEARS AGO.

SO WHEN DID THEY ARRIVE?

HOW DID THEY GET HERE?

[CATTLE LOWING]

JACQUELYN GILL BELIEVES SHE CAN
DATE THE ARRIVAL OF PEOPLE

IN NORTH AMERICA NOT BY
STUDYING BONES OR TOOLS,

BUT DUNG.

THERE'S A TYPE OF FUNGAL SPORE

KNOWN AS SPORORMIELLA

THAT THRIVES IN
THE NUTRIENT-RICH DUNG

OF LARGE GRASS-EATING ANIMALS.

GILL: THE MORE ANIMALS,
THE MORE DUNG.

AND THE MORE DUNG,
THE MORE SPORES.

AND WHAT'S SO FANTASTIC
ABOUT THESE SPORES IS

THAT THEY LAST FOR THOUSANDS
OR TENS OF THOUSANDS OF YEARS,

SO YOU CAN LITERALLY
DIG DOWN INTO THE SOIL

AND GO BACK INTO
THE PAST TO WORK OUT

HOW MANY ANIMALS WERE ON
THE LANDSCAPE.

NARRATOR: JACQUELYN GILL
TAKES SAMPLES OF MUD

FROM ANCIENT LAKE BEDS.

SHE ADDS A SOLVENT

AND SPINS THEM IN A CENTRIFUGE

TO EXTRACT THE FUNGAL SPORES.

SHE CAN THEN COUNT THE SPORES

TO WORK OUT HOW MANY
ANIMALS WERE AROUND

IN PREHISTORIC TIMES,

ANIMALS LIKE MAMMOTH
AND MASTODON.

GILL: AFTER MANY HOURS
COUNTING THESE SPORES,

I NOTICED SOMETHING
INTERESTING.

15,000 YEARS AGO,
THERE WERE A LOT OF SPORES,

WHICH MEANS THERE WERE A LOT
OF ANIMALS ON THE LANDSCAPE.

BUT THEN SOMETHING HAPPENED;
BY ABOUT 14,800 YEARS AGO,

THE NUMBER OF SPORES
STARTED TO GO DOWN,

AND THEN, BY ABOUT
13,500 YEARS AGO,

THEY WERE COMPLETELY GONE.

NARRATOR: THE DISAPPEARANCE
OF THESE SPORES

SUGGESTS ANIMALS
WERE BEING HUNTED

LONG BEFORE THE FIRST
CLOVIS POINTS.

GILL: BY THE TIME CLOVIS HUNTERS
SHOW UP IN NORTH AMERICA,

THE LANDSCAPE IS ALREADY PRETTY
DEPLETED OF LARGE ANIMALS,

WHICH MEANS THAT THERE HAD
TO HAVE BEEN PEOPLE HERE

MUCH EARLIER THAN WE
PREVIOUSLY THOUGHT.

NARRATOR: BUT IF PEOPLE WERE
HUNTING ANIMALS BEFORE CLOVIS,

WHERE'S THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL
EVIDENCE?

THIS IS A RIB BONE,

DISCOVERED IN WASHINGTON STATE

ON THE OLYMPIC PENINSULA.

IT BELONGS TO A MASTODON,

AN ELEPHANT-LIKE SPECIES
RELATED TO THE MAMMOTH.

MAN: THE UNIQUE THING
ABOUT THIS RIB BONE

IS THIS MASS OF BONE EMBEDDED
INTO THE RIB ITSELF.

AND WE WONDERED WHAT THIS WAS,

SO WE DID HIGH-RESOLUTION
CT SCANNING ACROSS THE BONE

AND CREATED A 3D MODEL
OF WHAT THIS OBJECT LOOKED LIKE.

NARRATOR: THE OBJECT
IS CLEARLY MANMADE;

NOT A CLOVIS POINT,

BUT A MORE BASIC TYPE
OF SPEARHEAD

THAT'S PENETRATED THE RIB.

WATERS: IT'S A BONE
PROJECTILE POINT

THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN HURLED
AT THIS ELEPHANT.

IT WOULD HAVE THEN PENETRATED
THROUGH THE TOUGH HIDE

OF THE MASTODON, GONE
ABOUT 20, 25 CENTIMETERS

INTO THE MASTODON,
THROUGH ITS TISSUE,

AND THE TIP END JUST
FORTUITOUSLY ENDING UP

BECOMING EMBEDDED INTO
THE RIB OF THIS ANIMAL.

THEN WHAT HAPPENED, AS THE
ANIMAL WAS WIGGLING AROUND,

THE TIP END BROKE OFF
INTO THE RIB ITSELF.

WE DIDN'T KNOW
THE AGE PRECISELY,

SO WE RADIOCARBON-DATED
THE BONE,

AND IT CAME OUT
13,800 YEARS AGO.

THIS ANIMAL WAS HUNTED
AND KILLED BY HUMANS

ALMOST 8 CENTURIES

BEFORE CLOVIS APPEARS
IN NORTH AMERICA.

8 CENTURIES BEFORE CLOVIS
APPEARS IN NORTH AMERICA.

GILL: THERE HAD TO HAVE BEEN
PEOPLE HERE MUCH EARLIER

THAN WE PREVIOUSLY THOUGHT.

STEVENS: IT'S AMAZING
AT THE SPEED

THAT THEY COME THROUGH HERE.

NARRATOR: IT'S BECOMING
INCREASINGLY CLEAR

THE EARLIEST AMERICANS
WERE NOT CLOVIS HUNTERS

WHO CAME THROUGH THE ICE-FREE
CORRIDOR 13,000 YEARS AGO.

THERE HAD TO BE ANOTHER WAY

INTO NORTH AMERICA.

JON ERLANDSON BELIEVES
THE FIRST AMERICANS CAME BY BOAT

AS EARLY AS 16,000 YEARS AGO.

WHILE THE LAND AT THAT TIME
WAS STILL BLOCKED BY ICE,

THE COAST OF THE PACIFIC
NORTHWEST WAS MOSTLY ICE-FREE.

IT WAS POSSIBLE
TO FIND A ROUTE SOUTH,

BYPASSING ANY ICEBERGS

AND LIVING FROM
THE BOUNTY OF THE SEA.

ERLANDSON: ONE OF THE REASONS
THE COASTAL ROUTE IS

SO ATTRACTIVE IS THIS STUFF.

THIS IS BULL KELP,
AND IN ONE FORM OR ANOTHER,

KELP FORESTS EXTENDED
ALL AROUND THE PACIFIC RIM.

THESE KELP FORESTS
ARE SUPER-PRODUCTIVE.

THEY PUT OUT BILLIONS
OF SPORES, THEY CAN GROW

AS MUCH AS A METER A DAY,

AND THEY ULTIMATELY SUPPORT
VERY COMPLEX FOOD WEBS--

FISH, SHELLFISH,
MARINE MAMMALS--

AND ULTIMATELY,

IT'S EDIBLE AND QUITE TASTY.

[CRUNCHING]

PRETTY GOOD, ACTUALLY.

NARRATOR: RATHER THAN WALKING
THROUGH AN ICE-FREE CORRIDOR,

THE VERY FIRST AMERICANS

COULD HAVE PADDLED DOWN
A KELP HIGHWAY.

THERE ARE KELP FORESTS
ALONG THE PACIFIC COAST

FROM NORTH TO SOUTH AMERICA,

ALL THE WAY TO PATAGONIA.

TRAVELING DOWN THE KELP HIGHWAY

WOULD HAVE BEEN QUICKER AND
EASIER THAN COMING OVER LAND...

ALWAYS GOING THROUGH
THE SAME TERRAIN,

ALWAYS AT SEA LEVEL.

ERLANDSON: ANTHROPOLOGICAL
THEORIES SUGGESTED THAT PEOPLE

DIDN'T START REALLY FISHING
AND DEVELOP BOATS

UNTIL 10,000 YEARS AGO.

IT-- IT WAS ALWAYS
INEXPLICABLE TO ME.

THE COASTLINES ARE
SO PRODUCTIVE.

WHY WOULD HUMANS IGNORE THEM
FOR 99% OF HISTORY?

I STILL THINK PEOPLE MAY HAVE
COME DOWN THE ICE-FREE CORRIDOR.

I JUST THINK, AT THIS POINT,
IT'S MORE LIKELY THEY CAME

DOWN THE COAST EARLIER AND THAT
THE VERY FIRST AMERICANS

WERE COASTALLY ADAPTED.

NARRATOR: ANY
ARCHAEOLOGICAL EVIDENCE

FOR A COASTAL MIGRATION

HAS BEEN WASHED AWAY
BY THE RISING SEAS.

BUT ACCORDING TO THIS THEORY,

THE PACIFIC SEABOARD WAS DOTTED
WITH MAKESHIFT CAMPS.

PEOPLE WOULD HAVE MOVED
FROM HEADLAND TO HEADLAND,

CATCHING FISH AND MARINE MAMMALS

AND HARVESTING KELP.

THEN THEY WOULD MOVE ON,

ALWAYS HUGGING THE COAST,

STAYING IN SIGHT OF LAND.

ERLANDSON: IT MUST HAVE BEEN
A TRULY AMAZING JOURNEY

TO COME DOWN THE COAST
AND EXPLORE THESE PLACES

WHERE HUMANS HAD
NEVER BEEN BEFORE.

NARRATOR: THESE SEAFARERS
MAY THEN HAVE HEADED INLAND...

FOLLOWING ANY LARGE RIVER
THEY CAME ACROSS.

IN THIS WAY, THEY COULD
HAVE NAVIGATED

INTO THE HEART OF THE CONTINENT.

ERLANDSON: FOR PEOPLE MOVING
DOWN THE COAST, THESE RIVERS

WOULD HAVE BEEN LIKE DETOURS
ON THE KELP HIGHWAY.

IT WOULD HAVE PROVIDED ALL THE
RESOURCES THAT COASTAL PEOPLES

NEEDED TO EXPLORE DEEP
INTO THE INTERIOR

AND ULTIMATELY COLONIZE
ALL OF NORTH AMERICA.

NARRATOR: THE U.S. RIVER
SYSTEM PROVIDES

A POTENTIAL MAP
OF THEIR JOURNEY.

IF THEY CAME INLAND ALONG
THE COLUMBIA RIVER,

THEY COULD HAVE JOINED UP
WITH THE MISSOURI,

WHICH FLOWS
INTO THE MISSISSIPPI,

AND FINALLY INTO
THE GULF OF MEXICO.

IN THIS WAY, PEOPLE LIKE EVA
COULD HAVE CROSSED THE CONTINENT

LONG BEFORE THE ICE-FREE
CORRIDOR OPENED UP.

[BLOWS]

BUT IF PEOPLE
CAME ALONG THE COAST

AND THEN THE RIVERS,
WHERE ARE THEIR REMAINS?

WHO WERE THEY
AND WHAT BECAME OF THEM?

ONE OF THE MOST COMPLETE
PREHISTORIC SKELETONS

IN NORTH AMERICA IS KEPT
IN THIS MUSEUM.

IT IS OF A MAN WHO MAY HAVE BEEN

AN EARLY COASTAL MIGRANT,

TRAVELING THE KELP HIGHWAY.

BUT IT'S IMPOSSIBLE
TO FILM HIS BONES

BECAUSE THEY'RE
A SECURITY RISK.

MAN: THERE IS
SEVERAL LAYERS OF, UH,

LOCKED AND ALARMED DOORS

AND SECURITY CAMERAS
AND THAT SORT OF THING.

AND THIS PARTICULAR SKELETON
IS TWO LAYERS DEEPER

INTO ITS OWN SECURITY SYSTEM.

IT'S THE VAULT INSIDE
THE BANK, UM,

INSIDE THE SECURE CITY,
I WOULD SAY.

IT WOULD BE VERY, VERY
DIFFICULT TO BREAK IN

AND GET THE REMAINS.

NARRATOR: THE SKELETON
WAS DISCOVERED IN 1996.

IT'S A MAN WHO WAS BURIED
OVER 8,500 YEARS AGO

BESIDE THE COLUMBIA RIVER
NEAR KENNEWICK, WASHINGTON.

HE HAS BECOME KNOWN
AS "KENNEWICK MAN."

BUT RIGHT AWAY, LOCAL TRIBES
WANTED HIM REBURIED.

[WIND CHIMES TINKLE]

NATIVE AMERICANS HAVE
A FEDERAL RIGHT OF RETURN

ON ANCIENT REMAINS.

[MEN SINGING
IN NATIVE LANGUAGE]

NARRATOR: IF THEY CAN PROVE
AN ANCESTRAL LINK,

THE AUTHORITIES
ARE MEANT TO HAND OVER

ANY BONES FOR REBURIAL,

A PROCESS KNOWN AS REPATRIATION.

[SINGING CONTINUES]

NARRATOR: BUT WITH KENNEWICK MAN
IT HAS NEVER HAPPENED...

DESPITE THE EFFORTS
OF TRIBAL LEADERS

LIKE ARMAND MINTHORN.

MINTHORN: OUR WAY
OF LIFE IS DIFFERENT.

WE HAVE UNWRITTEN LAWS THAT WE
PASS GENERATION TO GENERATION.

BUT IN THE MEANTIME,

WE HAVE TO FOLLOW
THE LETTER OF THE LAW.

WE WORKED WITH
THE FEDERAL AGENCY.

WE WERE READY FOR REPATRIATION,

AND THEN THAT'S WHEN
THE SCIENTISTS STEPPED IN,

AND THEY WANTED TO DO STUDIES,

AND THEN THIS IS
WHERE IT WENT TO COURT.

NARRATOR: ANTHROPOLOGISTS
BELIEVE THE FOSSIL

IS TOO IMPORTANT AND INTRIGUING

TO BE REBURIED.

THEY TOOK OUT A LAWSUIT
TO STOP THE REPATRIATION.

EVER SINCE, KENNEWICK MAN
HAS BEEN IN A STATE OF LIMBO...

HIS FATE UNDECIDED,

HIDDEN FROM VIEW.

IN 2004, THE COURTS
ALLOWED THE BONES

TO BE SCRUTINIZED
BY DOUG OWSLEY.

BASED AT THE SMITHSONIAN,
HE IS ONE

OF THE WORLD'S LEADING
FORENSIC ANTHROPOLOGISTS.

HIS TEAM WAS GIVEN
TWO WEEKS WITH THE BODY

TO DO A DEFINITIVE EXAMINATION.

THEY GENERATED SO MUCH DATA,

IT TOOK 9 YEARS
TO PUBLISH THE RESULTS.

WHEN WE SUMMARIZE KENNEWICK MAN,
FOR ONE THING, WE'D SAY

HE'S ABOUT 160 POUNDS,
HE'S 5'71/2".

HE'S ABOUT 40 YEARS OF AGE.

[DISTANT DOG BARKS]

HE'S A VERY STURDY MAN.
HE'S VERY STRONG.

HE HAS VERY ROBUST BONES,
HE'S VERY WIDE-BODIED.

HE HAS A MUCH LARGER, MUCH
STRONGER RIGHT ARM THAN LEFT.

WE LINK THAT UP
TO THE USE OF AN ATLATL.

THAT'S A VERY QUICK,
RAPID MOTION.

AS YOU DO THIS, YOU'VE GOT
TO CATCH YOURSELF,

SO YOU'LL THROW
YOUR LEFT LEG FORWARD,

AND THAT'S GOING TO BE
THE ONE THAT'LL CATCH YOU.

AND IT'S AMAZING, BUT YOU CAN
ACTUALLY SEE A DIFFERENCE

IN THE STRENGTH OF THE LEFT LEG
VERSUS THE RIGHT LEG.

NARRATOR: BUT THE SAME WEAPONS--
A SPEAR AND ATLATL--

SEEM TO HAVE BEEN USED
AGAINST KENNEWICK MAN.

WHEN YOU LOOK AT HIS PELVIS,
HIS RIGHT HIP BONE

HAS AN EMBEDDED SPEAR POINT.

[YELLS]

OWSLEY: IT WOULD HAVE JUST
KNOCKED HIM DOWN HARD.

[GROANING]

AAH!

OWSLEY: IT SLICED INTO
THE RIGHT PELVIC BONE.

IT SHEARED OFF PART
OF THE PELVIC CREST,

BUT AS FAR AS BEING
A LUCKY SHOT, IT REALLY WAS

BECAUSE IF IT HAD GONE JUST
A LITTLE BIT MORE IN,

IT WOULD HAVE GONE INTO
THE INTERNAL ORGANS,

CERTAINLY WOULD HAVE KILLED HIM.

[GROANING]

NARRATOR: HE ALSO HAD
5 BROKEN RIBS.

AAH!

HE MAY HAVE GOT THEM
AT THE SAME TIME AS THE SPEAR.

OWSLEY: THE TYPE OF INJURY
THAT YOU SEE IN THE RIBS,

IT'S THE KIND OF THING
THAT I SEE IN

MY FORENSIC CASE IDENTIFICATION
WHEN SOMEBODY KICKS SOMEBODY.

[GRUNTS]

WHOEVER THE ASSAILANT WAS COULD
HAVE BEEN CLOSE ENOUGH TO HIM

TO ACTUALLY BE ABLE TO
GIVE HIM A GOOD STOMP

AND THEN BREAK THESE RIBS.

BUT HE WAS JUST TOUGH
AS NAILS AND SURVIVED.

AAH!
HE WAS ABLE TO GET AWAY,

AND HE LIVED A GOOD 20 YEARS
AFTER THIS HAPPENED.

NARRATOR: WHAT MORE CAN THE
BONES OF KENNEWICK MAN REVEAL?

OWSLEY HAS ANALYZED
THEIR CHEMICAL CONTENT,

THEIR ISOTOPE SIGNAL.

THIS CAN SHOW
WHAT KENNEWICK MAN ATE

AND WHERE HIS FOOD CAME FROM.

OWSLEY: WHEN WE RUN
HIS ISOTOPE SIGNAL,

HE'S GOT A MARINE SIGNATURE,

AND THE FIRST THING YOU'D THINK
OF IS THERE'S LOTS OF SALMON

GOING UP AND DOWN THE--
THE COLUMBIA RIVER DRAINAGES.

AND THIS FELLOW'S FOUND
ALONG THE COLUMBIA RIVER;

YOU'D THINK THAT'S
A NATURAL THING.

NARRATOR: BUT SOME OF
THE CARBON LEVELS ARE SO HIGH,

THEY CANNOT HAVE COME FROM
EATING ANY AMOUNT OF RIVER FISH.

INSTEAD, KENNEWICK MAN
SEEMS TO HAVE LIVED

ON A DIET OF MARINE MAMMALS.

OWSLEY: THIS MAN IS COMING,
ACTUALLY, FROM A COAST,

AND HE'S HEAVILY DEPENDENT,
IN TERMS OF HIS ISOTOPE SIGNAL--

READING HIS ISOTOPE SIGNAL,
HE'S HEAVILY DEPENDENT ON SEALS.

HE IS COMING FROM AS FAR NORTH
AS CENTRAL ALASKA.

NARRATOR: ACCORDING
TO THE FORENSIC EVIDENCE,

KENNEWICK MAN HAD
A LIFESTYLE SIMILAR

TO OTHER EARLY COASTAL MIGRANTS,

FEEDING HIMSELF FROM THE SEA.

HE WOULD ONLY HAVE HEADED INLAND

TO THE COLUMBIA RIVER
LATER IN LIFE.

OWSLEY: AND THAT SURPRISES
THE DICKENS OUT OF ME.

I WOULD HAVE NEVER
PREDICTED THAT.

ANYBODY THAT LOOKED AT THIS
WOULD THINK THIS IS HIS HOME.

IT IS NOT HIS HOME.
HE'S NOT FROM THERE.

NARRATOR: NATIVE AMERICANS
REJECT THIS IDEA.

THEY CALL HIM "THE ANCIENT ONE"

AND BELIEVE HE WAS ONE
OF THEIR OWN.

HIS BURIAL AT THE
COLUMBIA RIVER SUGGESTS

HE WAS NOT A LONE TRAVELER,

BUT PART OF AN
ESTABLISHED COMMUNITY.

MINTHORN: WE BELIEVE
THE ANCIENT ONE

LIVED SIMILAR
TO HOW WE LIVE TODAY,

AS FAR AS EATING
THE SAME KINDS OF FOODS,

SPEAKING THE SAME LANGUAGE,

FISHING FROM THE SAME RIVER.

AND MORE THAN LIKELY,

HE WAS BURIED WITH CEREMONY,

THERE WERE OTHER PEOPLE.

THEY TOOK CARE OF HIM,

AND THEY PUT HIM IN THE GROUND,
JUST LIKE WE DO TODAY.

[FLAMES CRACKLING]

MINTHORN: US, AS INDIAN PEOPLE,

BELIEVE THAT WHEN OUR BODY
GOES TO THE GROUND,

THAT'S WHERE IT'S TO STAY
UNTIL THE END OF TIME.

THAT'S WHAT WE BELIEVE.

AND EVEN IF IT'S
9,000 YEARS AGO,

IT DOESN'T MATTER.

WHEN A BODY IS TAKEN
OUT OF THE GROUND,

LIKE THE ANCIENT ONE,

THEIR JOURNEY IS INTERRUPTED.

IT'S STOPPED.

[PEOPLE SINGING
IN NATIVE LANGUAGE]

NARRATOR: TO PREVENT
ANY FURTHER EXCAVATIONS,

FEDERAL AUTHORITIES
COVERED UP THE GRAVESITE

AT THE COLUMBIA RIVER
WITH RUBBLE...

BUT THEY'VE NOT YET
RETURNED ANY BONES.

TRIBAL GROUPS CLAIM THAT
KENNEWICK MAN IS THEIR ANCESTOR.

MINTHORN: AND THE SCIENTISTS
CANNOT ACCEPT THE FACT THAT JUST

BECAUSE IT'S NOT
WRITTEN DOWN IN A BOOK,

IT'S NOT FACT.

IT'S FACT TO ME BECAUSE
I LIVE IT EVERY DAY.

NARRATOR:
DOUG OWSLEY DISAGREES.

HE THINKS THERE'S
NO ANCESTRAL LINK

BETWEEN MODERN-DAY
NATIVE AMERICANS

AND KENNEWICK MAN.

THEIR SKULLS ARE
THE WRONG SHAPE.

OWSLEY: THIS IS A SKULL
OF A NATIVE AMERICAN,

AND IT HAS VERY BROAD CHEEKS,
AND YOU COMBINE THAT

WITH A FAIRLY SHORT,
BROAD CRANIUM.

IT'S VERY DIFFERENT FROM WHAT
WE SEE IN THESE SKULLS

LIKE KENNEWICK MAN.

KENNEWICK MAN, INSTEAD OF BEING
A SHORT, BROAD CRANIUM,

TENDS TO BE MUCH LONGER
AND NARROWER.

AND WHEN YOU LOOK AT HIS FACE,
THE WIDTH OF HIS FACE HERE,

IT'S JUST NOT QUITE
AS HEAVILY BUILT

AS WHAT WE SEE IN MODERN-DAY
NATIVE AMERICANS.

AND WE CAN ASK,
FOR INSTANCE, WELL,

WHO IS KENNEWICK MAN MOST LIKE?

WHO IN THE WORLD
DOES HE FIT WITH?

WHEN WE DO THAT, WHEN WE ASK
THOSE QUESTIONS, WHAT WE SEE IS

THAT, ON A WORLDWIDE BASIS, THIS
IS WHAT WE SEE IN POLYNESIANS.

NARRATOR: THE FACIAL
RECONSTRUCTION OF KENNEWICK MAN

IS MODELED ON
POLYNESIAN-LOOKING PEOPLE

KNOWN AS THE AINU.

THEY ARE TRADITIONAL
HUNTER-GATHERERS

FROM NORTHERN JAPAN,
WHO WERE ALL BUT WIPED OUT

IN THE 20th CENTURY.

THEIR SKULLS WERE
LONG AND NARROW,

SIMILAR TO THAT
OF KENNEWICK MAN.

OWSLEY: BUT YOU HAVE TO REALIZE
I'M NOT SAYING HE'S POLYNESIAN.

WHAT WE'RE SAYING INSTEAD
IS THAT 10,000 YEARS AGO,

15,000 YEARS AGO, THIS IS
WHAT PEOPLE LOOKED LIKE

IN THE COASTAL ASIA,

MARITIME-- THESE ARE
MARITIME HUNTER-GATHERERS,

AND THIS IS WHAT PEOPLE
LOOKED LIKE.

NARRATOR: THE SKELETONS
FROM YUCATAN ARE THE SAME.

EVA'S SKULL IS LONG AND NARROW,

LIKE KENNEWICK MAN.

SHE'S NOT A MATCH WITH
MODERN-DAY NATIVE AMERICANS.

ACCORDING TO THIS THEORY,

THE FIRST WAVE OF MIGRANTS
INTO THE AMERICAS

WERE THOSE PEOPLE LIKE
KENNEWICK MAN AND EVA,

WITH LONG, NARROW SKULLS.

BUT AROUND 8,000 YEARS AGO,

ANOTHER WAVE
MUST HAVE SWEPT IN--

PEOPLE WITH WIDE, ROUND SKULLS.

THEY WIPED OUT THE FIRST WAVE

AND WENT ON TO POPULATE
THE AMERICAS.

IF TRUE, THEN TODAY'S
NATIVE AMERICANS

ARE NOT DIRECTLY
RELATED TO KENNEWICK MAN

AND HAVE NO CLAIM ON HIS BONES.

BUT THERE IS A SURE-FIRE WAY
TO TEST ANCESTRY...

USING DNA.

THE BONES OF KENNEWICK MAN
WERE THOUGHT TO BE

TOO DEGRADED TO PROVIDE
ANY GENETIC DATA.

BUT ESKE WILLERSLEV
IS A PIONEER

IN THE FIELD
OF ANCIENT GENOMICS.

HIS TEAM HAS MANAGED
TO EXTRACT SOME USABLE DNA,

WHICH COULD PROVE WHETHER
OR NOT KENNEWICK MAN

WAS RELATED TO TODAY'S
NATIVE AMERICANS.

WILLERSLEV: AS A SCIENTIST,
IT'S SUPER-EXCITING

IF THERE IS A CONTROVERSY
BECAUSE THAT MEANS

THAT THE RESULT-- IF THAT CAN
SOLVE THAT CONTROVERSY,

THE RESULT MATTERS, RIGHT?

IT MEANS SOMETHING.
IT'S IMPORTANT.

NARRATOR:
ONCE THEY HAVE THE DNA,

THEY MAKE MILLIONS
OF COPIES AND FEED THEM

INTO A HIGH-THROUGHPUT
SEQUENCING MACHINE.

BY BATHING THEM IN DYES,

THE MACHINE SETS OFF A SERIES
OF CHEMICAL REACTIONS.

CONSTELLATIONS OF LIGHT
FROM ACROSS THE GENOME

CAN BE PHOTOGRAPHED AND ANALYZED

IN FANTASTIC DETAIL.

WILLERSLEV: I MEAN, I AM,
OF COURSE, A GENETICIST,

SO I AM BIASED BUT-- BUT I REALLY
DO THINK THAT-- THAT GENETICS,

UH, TODAY-- ESPECIALLY GENOMICS,
AS WE ARE UNDERTAKING HERE--

IS A VERY, VERY POWERFUL TOOL

TO ADDRESS THESE KIND
OF QUESTIONS OF ANCESTRY.

NARRATOR: WILLERSLEV HAS
INVITED ARMAND MINTHORN

AND OTHER TRIBAL LEADERS
TO VISIT HIS LABORATORY

AND FIND OUT THE LATEST ABOUT
THE SEQUENCING OF KENNEWICK MAN.

BUT FIRST, HE TAKES THEM
TO THE CLEAN ROOM

TO SHOW THEM HOW DNA IS
EXTRACTED FROM ANCIENT REMAINS.

TODAY, THEY'RE WORKING WITH

A 500-YEAR OLD TOOTH
OF A VIKING.

[ELECTRIC SAW WHIRRING]

NARRATOR: THIS MEETING
OF SCIENCE AND TRADITION

ENDS WITH A PRAYER.

MINTHORN: WE'RE ALWAYS
THINKING OF THE ANCIENT ONE,

WHEREVER HE MAY BE,
WHATEVER...

WILLERSLEV: WHEN I SAW HOW MUCH
IT MEANT TO THEM,

I ACTUALLY GOT REALLY
EMOTIONAL ABOUT IT.

I'M SURE THEY ARE FEELING
THAT THEY'RE MAKING A SACRIFICE,

EVEN WITH ME TAKING SAMPLES
OF THE KENNEWICK MAN,

BUT IT'S A SACRIFICE
THAT NEEDS TO BE DONE

FOR THEM TO POTENTIALLY
GET THE REMAINS BACK.

BASICALLY, WHAT I HAVE
IN THIS TUBE HERE...

NARRATOR: WHATEVER DOUBTS THEY
HAVE ABOUT GENETIC RESEARCH,

THE TRIBES ARE ABOUT
TO GET SOME GOOD NEWS.

WILLERSLEV: THIS IS THE DNA
OF THE ANCIENT ONE,

AND WE HAVE SEQUENCED PARTS
OF THE GENOME ALREADY.

AND BASED ON THOSE
ANALYSES OF THAT PART,

THAT'S WHERE WE CAN SEE
THAT THE ANCIENT ONE

IS CLOSER RELATED

TO CONTEMPORARY
NATIVE AMERICAN PEOPLE

THAN TO ANY OTHER
PEOPLES IN THE WORLD.

AND I THINK THIS IS
REALLY IMPORTANT

IN REGARD TO WHAT HAS
BEEN CLAIMED ABOUT

THE ANCIENT ONE BECAUSE
THERE HAS BEEN CLAIM

THAT THE ANCIENT ONE,
YOU KNOW, IS SOMETHING

DIFFERENT THAN PRESENT-DAY
NATIVE AMERICANS, RIGHT?

AND IF THAT WAS
THE CASE, IF THAT WAS

REALLY THE CASE,
THEN THE DNA

OF THE ANCIENT ONE
SHOULD GROUP WITH

OTHER PEOPLES IN
THE WORLD-- FOR EXAMPLE,

WITH OTHER ASIAN GROUPS
OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT--

AND THAT'S NOT THE CASE.

OK, HE'S
BASICALLY FALLING

SPOT-ON INTO
NATIVE AMERICANS.

IT'S REALLY
ENCOURAGING TO...

TO HEAR YOU SAY THAT.

US, AS INDIAN PEOPLE,
WE'VE ALWAYS KNOWN THAT,

AND IT ONLY CONFIRMS
AND RECONFIRMS

WHAT WE'VE SAID
ALL ALONG.

WILLERSLEV: IF ANY OF
THIS STUFF WE FIND OUT

CAN BE OF HELP TO YOU
IN TERMS OF, UH,

GETTING THE ANCIENT ONE
BACK, I'LL BE HAPPY TO

DO WHAT I CAN, YOU KNOW,
AND ALSO GO OUT THERE

TO THE COURT OR WHATEVER
AND-- AND ARGUE FOR THE

RELIABILITY, ET CETERA,
OF THE RESULTS.

OK.

NARRATOR: THE DNA
COULD BE A GAME-CHANGER.

ONCE KENNEWICK MAN'S
GENETIC SEQUENCE IS COMPLETE,

IT WILL BE NEW EVIDENCE

IN THE CAMPAIGN
FOR HIS REPATRIATION.

IF THE GENETICS IS RIGHT,

THERE WEREN'T TWO
SEPARATE WAVES OF MIGRATION

INTO THE AMERICAS, JUST ONE.

EVA, THE CLOVIS PEOPLE,
KENNEWICK MAN--

THEY'RE ALL FROM
THE SAME GENE POOL

AS MODERN-DAY NATIVE AMERICANS.

THEY ARE ALL ONE PEOPLE.

TODAY'S NATIVE AMERICANS

MAY LOOK DIFFERENT
TO THEIR ANCESTORS,

BUT THAT'S NOT UNUSUAL.

AROUND THE WORLD, ALMOST
EVERYONE LOOKS DIFFERENT

FROM THEIR PREHISTORIC
FOREBEARS.

NONE OF US ARE
THE PEOPLE WE ONCE WERE.

JOHN HAWKS HAS STUDIED
THE WAY HUMAN BIOLOGY

HAS CHANGED OVER
THE LAST 10,000 YEARS.

HAWKS: THE FIRST PEOPLES
FASCINATE US, WHICH IS NATURAL

BECAUSE THEY ARE US--
ANCESTORS OF EVERYBODY TODAY.

BUT WE'VE COME TO REALIZE
THAT WHEN WE LOOK

AT THEIR SKULLS, THEIR FACES,
THEY'RE NOT OUR FACES.

WE'VE CHANGED.
THE OBVIOUS QUESTION IS WHY?

NARRATOR: HAWKS BELIEVES
THAT HUMANS ARE

ACUTELY RESPONSIVE
TO CHANGES IN LIFESTYLE.

ONCE WE STOPPED HUNTING
AND GATHERING,

WE STARTED EATING
DIFFERENT FOODS.

THAT ALONE WAS ENOUGH TO CHANGE

THE SHAPE OF OUR SKULLS.

AND LIVING IN CITIES,

OUR BRAINS AREN'T HAVING
TO WORK SO HARD;

WE RELY ON THE INTELLIGENCE
OF OTHERS.

HAWKS: IT MAY BE SURPRISING, BUT
WHEN WE STARTED TO SETTLE DOWN,

OUR SKULLS NOT ONLY CHANGED
IN SHAPE, THEY BEGAN TO SHRINK.

PRESUMABLY, OUR BRAINS
SHRANK AS WELL.

THE FIRST PEOPLES,
THEY LIVED IN VERY TINY GROUPS.

ANYTHING THAT THEY
WANTED TO MAKE,

THEY HAD TO KNOW HOW TO MAKE IT.

ANY FOOD THAT THEY NEEDED
TO FIND, THEY NEEDED TO KNOW

WHERE IT WAS
IN THEIR ENVIRONMENT.

THE KNOWLEDGE ACCUMULATED
OVER GENERATIONS,

THEY HAD TO HAVE IT ALL
RIGHT HERE.

[BLOWS]

NARRATOR: LIVING BY THEIR WITS,

THESE PIONEERS
OPENED UP A NEW WORLD.

WHETHER THEY CAME
BY SEA OR BY LAND,

WE NOW KNOW THEY ARRIVED

AT LEAST 2,000 YEARS EARLIER
THAN PREVIOUSLY THOUGHT

AND POPULATED THE AMERICAS
AT BREAKNECK SPEED.

THE SAME SPIRIT
OF EXPLORATION WAS SHARED

BY OTHER FIRST PEOPLES
OF THE WORLD.

GENETICISTS BELIEVE THEY WERE
AS DRIVEN BY THEIR GENES

TO TAKE RISKS, EMBRACE CHANGE,

AND SEEK OUT WHAT'S NEW.

SOME HAVE CALLED THESE
"EXPLORER GENES"

AND THEY'RE STILL
IN OUR DNA TODAY.

HAWKS: THE FIRST PEOPLES
WERE EXPLORERS.

THEY WERE BLAZING TRAILS.

THEY CREATED THE WORLD
THAT-- THAT WE'RE NOW LIVING IN,

AND THAT GENETIC LINK
BETWEEN US AND THEM

IS WHAT HAS COME DOWN THROUGH
THE YEARS, CONNECTING US TO THEM

AND PUSHING US OUT TO WHERE
WE HAVEN'T BEEN BEFORE.

NARRATOR: NO OTHER SPECIES
DOES WHAT WE DO--

MOVE, EXPLORE,

AND INHABIT EVERY CORNER
OF THE GLOBE.

AND WE DO IT
BECAUSE THEY DID IT--

OUR ANCESTORS,

THE FIRST PEOPLES.