A recent study indicates that the first known inhabitants of North America utilized wooden contraptions for transporting goods—and potentially humans—over 20,000 years ago.
Scientists found drag marks resembling those of a sled next to ancient footprints at White Sands National Park in New Mexico, which could be oldest human footprint site in North America.
The Indigenous participants involved in the research indicated that the markings were likely created using a travois, which consists of a wooden structure formed by two poles tied together, as stated in the study released in the January issue of the journal. Quaternary Science Advances .
The Indigenous peoples of the Great Plains, which encompasses portions of present-day New Mexico, utilized travois dragged by canines (later substituted with equine species) for transporting their dwellings, household items, and personal belongings during initial interactions with European settlers roughly five centuries ago. According to research findings, young individuals and elderly females were known to travel within these structures as well. The investigators inferred from the dimensions and arrangement of historic foot impressions discovered adjacent to the trail marks that adult members probably hauled the travois, trailed closely behind by younger ones.
" numerous individuals might recognize the experience of maneuvering a shopping cart through a grocery store, shifting from one area to another with kids clinging onto it," according to the study’s lead author. Matthew Bennett , a professor specializing in environmental and geographical sciences at Bournemouth University in the UK, stated in an interview statement This seems to be the early version, though lacking wheels.
Related: The first Americans turned out to be different from what we believed.
Bennett observed that researchers understand our forebears had to use some method for transporting their belongings during global migrations; however, such wooden devices have long decomposed over time. These newly found scrape marks offer the initial evidence of how ancient humans shifted bulky items. before wheels , he said.
In 2020, researchers initiated the excavation of the drag marks site at White Sands. Here, trackways are embedded within layers of ancient dried mud that lie underneath sediments. Thousands of years ago, humans walked across this area. trudged through this landscape beside woolly mammoths, enormous ground sloths, camels, and numerous other species ice age creatures.
The scrape marks include lines in the soil stretching over 165 feet (50 meters) upwards. These marks sometimes consisted of individual lines, potentially created by two poles tied together at one end forming an A-shape. Alternatively, some instances featured two parallel lines, presumably resulting from two poles intersecting in the center to form an X-shape, as stated in the report.
The Indigenous peoples of the Great Plains commonly employed an A-frame structure featuring wooden beams connected either by crossbars or woven baskets designed to secure items, as indicated by the research. Investigators posited that early inhabitants of this area utilized similar contraptions. In order to validate their hypothesis, they constructed travois using wood poles and pulled these structures across muddy flats in the United Kingdom and coastal areas of Maine for testing purposes.
"In our experiments, the imprints and mud trails from the poles looked identical to the fossilized specimens we discovered in New Mexico," Bennett stated.
Bennett and his colleagues previously dated The human footprints found at White Sands date back approximately 21,000 to 23,000 years ago—this challenges the earlier belief that humans first arrived in North America between 13,000 and 16,000 years ago. While not all scholars concur with this timeline for the site, the study’s authors emphasized that regardless of the exact timing, these recently discovered traces highlight early Indigenous activities. Any discussions about the dates should not overshadow the significance of uncovering evidence related to ancient Native American traditions.
Each finding we reveal at White Sands enhances our knowledge about the individuals who were among the earliest inhabitants of the Americas, according to the co-author of the recent research. Sally Reynolds A mammalian paleontologist at Bournemouth University stated in the release, “These individuals were the initial explorers to journey to North America. Gaining insights into their movements is crucial for accurately narrating their history.”
