A Technological Assessment of the North Pacific Seafaring Hypothesis: Informed by California Channel Island Research

ABSTRACT

The proposal of an initial human coastal migration into the New World during the late Pleistocene has gained considerable support in recent years. However, the methods of such a migration are not clear and the proposition that it was accompanied by seafaring around the North Pacific to access a kelp highway is still subject to debate. Recent discoveries now suggest that humans crossed Beringia into North America below the ice at least 17,000 years ago. Conversely, in southern California, people are not recorded on the ancient island of Santarosae any earlier than 13,000 years ago. In contrast, the use of seaworthy watercraft is evident only around 10,000 years ago when sea level inundation separated Santarosae into the four present-day islands of San Miguel, Santa Rosa, Santa Cruz, and Anacapa. At this time, early Holocene sea level rise appears to have stimulated watercraft technological innovations.

RESUMEN

La propuesta de una migración costera humana inicial al Nuevo Mundo durante el Pleistoceno tardío ha ganado un apoyo considerable. Sin embargo, la suposición de que fue acompañada por la navegación marítima a lo largo del borde del Pacífico Norte para acceder a una carretera de kelp está sujeta a debate. Descubrimientos recientes sugieren que los humanos cruzaron a América del Norte hace al menos 16.000 años. Por el contrario, las personas no están registradas hace más de 13.000 años en la isla de Santarosae en la parte norte del Archipiélago del Norte. Se evidencia el uso de embarcaciones marineras solo hace unos 10.000 años, cuando la inundación del mar separó a Santarosae en las cuatro islas actuales. El aumento del nivel del mar en el Holoceno temprano parece haber estimulado las innovaciones de las embarcaciones que facilitaron el acceso a las islas del sur del Archipiélago del Norte.

KEYWORDS:

• Channel Islands
• southern California
• terminal Pleistocene
• early Holocene
• sea level rise
• technological innovation
• seafaring
• watercraft

Acknowledgments

I thank the United States Navy, the Department of Anthropology at California State University, Northridge, and the Maritime Museum of San Diego for access to the Eel Point study collection. I appreciate the encouragement and ideas shared by Mark Raab, Mark Q. Sutton, Ben Fitzhugh, Nina Kononenko, Jelmer Eerkens, Irina Ponkratova, Ray Ashley, and the anonymous reviewers. The figures were produced by Luke Wisner. Editorial services provided by Mark Allen and Jill Gardner are greatly appreciated. This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors. No permits were required.

Data Availability Statement

The United States Navy, the Department of Anthropology at California State University, Northridge, and the Maritime Museum of San Diego provided access to the Eel Point stone tool study collection. No other original data were presented in this article.

Disclosure Statement

The Eel Point artifact collections are curated by the Department of Anthropology at California State University, Northridge. The Eel Point woodworking toolkit study collection is curated at the Maritime Museum of San Diego.