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Who were the Paleo-Indians?

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A dancer in a bright pink shawl with fringe, wearing traditional regalia adorned with blue and black accents, performs at an outdoor cultural event. — Native American November is the traditional time of harvest, gathering, and celebration in Native communities.

Paleo-Indians were the earliest ancestors of Native Americans, representing the initial human populations in the Americas during the Late Pleistocene epoch. Originating from Asia, these groups migrated into North America via Beringia, a land route that connected the two continents during the last ice age.1234

These peoples were primarily hunter-gatherers who traveled in small, mobile, kin-based bands. While early archaeological focus often highlighted their hunting of megafauna—such as mammoths and giant bison—modern research confirms they utilized a diverse diet of plants and smaller animals.314

Paleo-Indian cultures are often categorized into distinct traditions:
* Pre-Clovis: Emerging evidence of human presence in the Americas predating the Clovis complex.4
* Clovis and Folsom: Known for their distinctive, lance-shaped stone projectile points, which were used for hunting and processing game.15
* Plano: A related group that persisted after the Folsom culture.5

By approximately 6000 BCE, as the climate warmed and megafauna went extinct, many of these groups transitioned into Archaic cultures, characterized by more seasonal, settled lifestyles.13