Bering Strait Land Bridge Theory

Although there are multiple theories demonstrating different methods used by the first people to arrive to North America, the Bering Strait land bridge is the most logical theory. The Bering Strait Land Bridge Theory illustrates that the native Siberians reached North America through following the migration of reindeer, passing Beringia. Migration methods of those representing the hunter-gatherer lifestyle prove this theory to be most likely. When groups of people find a good environment to stay in, this area becomes vulnerable to over population and hunting. As the populations peak and drop, individuals would moved further east, towards a route to North America. To demonstrate, in expeditions to Lake Baikal, a rift located in southern Siberia,
multiple skeletal bodies are found. Anthropologists state that it is very rare for places to have such amount of skeletons which represent the hunter and gatherer lifestyle. Additionally, the lake offers a lot of fish, illustrating the large amount of wildlife possibly present. As resources became low and animals leave, these groups of people have higher chances in following the animals in comparison to staying. If groups stayed, they risk the chance of staying in a place with limited resources to find clothing and food. Accordingly, reindeer are found to migrate along the route towards the land bridge, demonstrated through the immense amount of reindeer bones that date up to 20,000 to 25,000 years ago discovered. Hence, it is most logical to follow these reindeers during that time. These tendencies of following the animal cycle and ambushing migrations for warm fur and meat prove this theory to be highly probable. Not only do migration methods emphasize the truth behind the Bering Strait Land Bridge theory, but there are correlations between the genetics of native Siberian and North American aboriginals. Their genetic similarities found through DNA analysis show how long ago they broke off from siberian population, demonstrating the slight mutations over time. In the article, “Land Bridge Theory” (2011), it explains such genetic relation further in depth. In over a dozen of studies by geneticists, it was found that Native Americans have stemmed from four maternal haplogroups and two major founding paternal haplogroups. Haplogroups are genetic mutations or markers which explain the human’s major lineages. This genetic profile was only matched by those in southern Siberia. Therefore, through biological relations and migration methods followed by the people in this era, the Bering strait bridge theory is true theory.