Coastal migration into the Americas and least cost path analysis

Abstract

We present a theoretical framework for applying Geographic Information System least-cost path modeling to initial migration into the Americas. When integrated with theory, geospatial models can serve as a powerful tool for exploring how ancient humans may have moved through marine environments. We show how a strong theoretical foundation can be used to conduct Maritime Least Cost Path analysis to better understand where, when, and how migration and movement events may have taken place in the deep past. This paper examines possible peopling events along the Pacific Coast of North America during the Late Pleistocene. We ask what the role of modeling is in the search for early sites in the Americas and how models can most effectively be employed by looking at two case studies of migration into Prince Rupert Harbor and the Dundas Islands in British Columbia, Canada around 16,000 cal. yr BP. Our analysis created paths of least resistance for moving through landscapes based on different environmental, physiological, and cultural factors of boat-based travel. We examine the predicted paths created by our model to determine what they say about possible routes of maritime migration and consider the implications for understanding constraints and human agency in migration events.