Contrary to popular theory, the ancestors of Native Americans did not originate in Japan, a study of 15,000-year-old human teeth and genetics has concluded.
Instead, the group were likely derived from populations in Siberia, a team of researchers led from the University of Nevada-Reno have announced.
It was similarities in stone artefacts that led many archaeologists to the belief that the first peoples of America migrated from Japan some 15,000 years ago.
Specifically, the tools used by the ‘Jomon’ hunter-gatherer-fisher people of Japan appear to match those found at ancient Native American archaeological sites.
Given this, researchers have proposed that the Jomon spread along the northern rim of the Pacific and across the Bering Land Bridge to America’s northwest coastline.
An alternative theory published back in April suggested that the migration followed a route across the Bering Sea hopping across a series of now-sunken islands.
From there, the theory goes, the First Peoples spread across the continent reaching the southernmost part of South America within some two thousand years.
However, experts have now concluded that the genetic and skeletal evidence ‘simply does not match-up’ — and that the similarity in tools was likely coincidental.
Contrary to popular theory, the ancestors of Native Americans did not originate in Japan, a study of 15,000-year-old human teeth and genetics has concluded. Pictured: examples of teeth analysed in the study, which included specimens from the ancient ‘Jomon’ hunter-gatherer-fisher people of Japan (top) and Native Americans (bottom). The arrows highlight marginal ridges that distinguish the ‘shovel-shaped incisors’ that are more common in Native American populations
It was similarities in stone artefacts that led many archaeologists to the belief that the first peoples of America migrated from Japan some 15,000 years ago. Specifically, the tools used by the ‘Jomon’ hunter-gatherer-fisher people of Japan (B, D, E, I, J & K) appear to match those found at ancient Native American archaeological sites (A, C, F, G & H)
Researchers had proposed that the Jomon spread along the northern rim of the Pacific and across a land bridge over the Bering Strait (pictured) to America’s northwest coastline — a theory that the latest study refutes. Instead, it is proposed that they came from Siberia
‘We found that the human biology simply doesn’t match up with the archaeological theory,’ said paper author and anthropologist Richard Scott of the University of Nevada, Reno, who is an expert in the analysis of human teeth.
‘We do not dispute the idea that ancient Native Americans arrived via the Northwest Pacific coast—only the theory that they originated with the Jomon people in Japan.
‘These people, who lived in Japan 15,000 years ago, are an unlikely source for Indigenous Americans. Neither the skeletal biology or the genetics indicate a connection between Japan and the America.
‘The most likely source of the Native American population appears to be Siberia.’
In their study, Professor Scott and colleagues undertook a statistical analysis of date on thousands of ancient teeth from across the Americas, Asia and the Pacific.
The team found little of a relationship between the the Jomon people of Japan and Native Americans — with only 7 per cent of the Jomon teeth samples able to be linked to the First Peoples.
This conclusion was supported by genetic analysis — which also indicated little in the way of a relationship between the Jomon and the earliest Native Americans.
‘This is particularly clear in the distribution of maternal and paternal lineages, which do not overlap between the early Jomon and American populations,’ said paper author and anthropologist Dennis O’Rourke of the University of Kansas.
‘Plus, recent studies of ancient DNA from Asia reveal that the two peoples split from a common ancestor at a much earlier time,’ he added.
Professor Scott and colleagues undertook a statistical analysis of date on thousands of ancient teeth from across the Americas, Asia and the Pacific. The team found little of a relationship between the the Jomon people of Japan (top and Native Americans (bottom) — with only 7 per cent of the Jomon teeth samples able to be linked to the First Peoples
The conclusion was supported by genetic analysis — which also indicated little in the way of a relationship between the Jomon (IK002 in the above) and the earliest Native Americans
‘The Incipient Jomon population represents one of the least likely sources for Native American peoples of any of the non-African populations,’ concluded Professor Scott.
The researchers cautioned that their study was limited in how the only available teeth and ancient DNA samples for the Jomon are less than 10,000 years ago — and, therefore, do not precede the arrival of the First Peoples in America.
However, the team added, ‘we assume that they are valid proxies for the Incipient Jomon population or the people who made stemmed points [a type of stone weapon] in Japan 16,000–15,000 years ago.’
The full findings of the study were published in the journal PaleoAmerica.