Who Were the First Americans?

🕐 5 min 7 sec 👦 Ages 9–12 🌍 English
Join Owlo and Koko as they explore the origins of the first Americans and the fascinating Ice Age. A journey of discovery awaits!
Understand the concept of the Ice Age Learn about early human migration to America Explore how geography changes over time
📖 Story Script
                    Koko:
                    Owlo, I have a question that has been stuck in my head all day. We were talking in class about the very first people to live in America, and I got so confused.
                
                    Owlo:
                    Oh, that is a fascinating topic, Koko. What exactly got you confused?
                
                    Koko:
                    Well, my teacher said people came from somewhere else a really long time ago. But how? Did they have boats or planes or something?
                
                    Owlo:
                    No planes back then, I am afraid. But the answer is just as incredible. Let me grab something from the library shelf that might help us.
                
                    Owlo:
                    Here we go. This atlas shows what the Earth looked like thousands and thousands of years ago. It looked quite different from today.
                
                    Koko:
                    Wait, the Earth looked different? Like, the land was in different places?
                
                    Owlo:
                    Exactly right. Around twenty thousand years ago, the Earth was in the middle of something called the Ice Age. Massive sheets of ice covered huge parts of the planet.
                
                    Koko:
                    Ice Age? Like, the whole world was frozen?
                
                    Owlo:
                    Not the whole world, but a lot of it. And here is the amazing part. So much water was frozen into ice that the ocean levels dropped way down.
                
                    Koko:
                    Oh! So if the water went down, then... did land appear that was hidden before?
                
                    Owlo:
                    You are thinking like a scientist, Koko. Yes! A huge stretch of land appeared between what is now Russia and Alaska. Scientists call it Beringia, or the land bridge.
                
                    Koko:
                    So people just walked across? From Asia all the way to America, just by walking?
                
                    Owlo:
                    That is exactly what most scientists believe happened. Groups of people followed animals they were hunting, like woolly mammoths and caribou, right across that land bridge.
                
                    Koko:
                    That must have taken forever. Were they trying to find America on purpose?
                
                    Owlo:
                    Almost certainly not. They had no maps and no idea a whole new continent was ahead. They were simply following food, the way hunters do.
                
                    Koko:
                    That is kind of wild. They accidentally discovered two whole continents just by chasing dinner.
                
                    Owlo:
                    That is a wonderful way to put it. Over thousands of years, their descendants spread all the way down through North America and into South America.
                
                    Koko:
                    So those people became the Native Americans? The ones who were already here when Columbus arrived?
                
                    Owlo:
                    Precisely. They are called Indigenous peoples, which means the original people of a place. There were hundreds of different groups, each with their own languages and traditions.
                
                    Koko:
                    Hundreds? I did not know there were that many. How do scientists even know all this happened so long ago?
                
                    Owlo:
                    Great question. Scientists use several clever tools. They study ancient bones and tools found in the ground. They also compare the DNA of people alive today.
                
                    Koko:
                    DNA? That is the stuff inside our cells that tells us who we are related to, right?
                
                    Owlo:
                    Exactly. By comparing DNA from Indigenous peoples in the Americas with people in Asia, scientists found very strong connections. It is like a family tree written in biology.
                
                    Koko:
                    That is so cool. It is like the Earth itself kept the secret and scientists are slowly figuring it out.
                
                    Owlo:
                    I love that image. And scientists are still learning. Some discoveries suggest that small groups may have arrived by boat along the coastline too, not just by walking.
                
                    Koko:
                    So there might have been more than one way people got here? It is like the mystery keeps getting bigger.
                
                    Owlo:
                    Science often works that way. Every answer opens up new questions. That is what makes it so exciting to keep exploring.
                
                    Koko:
                    Owlo, can we look at a map of where all the different Indigenous groups lived? I want to see how spread out they were.
                
                    Owlo:
                    Absolutely, we can do that next time. But first, I think you have learned a lot today. Can you walk me through what you discovered?
                
                    Koko:
                    Okay, so a really long time ago during the Ice Age, so much water froze that a big strip of land appeared between Asia and Alaska. People followed animals across that land bridge and slowly spread all over North and South America. They became the hundreds of different Indigenous groups that were already living here for thousands of years before anyone else arrived. Scientists figured this out using old bones, ancient tools, and DNA. And the coolest part is, those first Americans were not even trying to find a new world. They were just really, really hungry.
                
                    Owlo:
                    That is a perfect summary, Koko. You should be very proud of how well you thought through all of that today.
                
                    Koko:
                    Next time I want to learn about the different Indigenous groups and what their lives were actually like. There is so much more to find out.
                
                    Owlo:
                    Now that is the spirit of a true explorer. I will have some wonderful books ready for you when you arrive.