Daley, J. (2018, January/February). Where the Ice Age Caribou Ranged: Searching for Prehistoric Hunting Grounds in an Unlikely Place. Archeology, 34-37.

The author of this article, Jason Daley, recalls an amazing attempt by John OShea, a University of Michigan archeologist, to identify signs of caribou hunters in the Subarctic, and his subsequent findings. According to Daley, this attempt was largely born out of OSheas thought provoking assertion to the effect that if herds of caribou had once migrated across this landscape there were probably people hunting them. OSheas exploration sheds light on not only the land bridge itself, but also how the said Ice Age landscape may have been exploited by hunters. As OShea was studying human-reindeer interactions, he also became interested in Lake Hurons underwater topographical representations/maps which indicated what is now referred to as Alpena-Amberley Ridge which is essentially a 112 miles long underwater rocky formation/ridge. He became convinced that the ridge may have preserved existing stone hunting formations. OSheas thoughts were largely valid given the relative calm, and hence undisturbed, depths of Lake Huron. However, an attempt to investigate the phenomenon was in essence a logistical nightmare especially given the extensive area to be covered and depth limitations. The systematic approach used, however, worked and by stroke of luck, OShea and his team stumbled upon a man-made drive lane that had been designed in such a way that caribou would be herded into a coral, whereby upon reaching a predetermined hunting blind, they would be killed by the waiting Paleo-Indians. This was followed by the discovery of similar structures. With the help of modern technology, OShea and his team have been able to further survey the ridge. As a matter of fact, they were able to identify previously undiscovered hunting structures via the utilization of 3-D virtual models of the range.

I am of the opinion that the utilization of modern technology, as opposed to overreliance on intuition, in an attempt to predict more sites could particularly be beneficial. This is more so the case as OShea and his team fail to answer some of the queries that remain...…exactly what Claudia Rodgers, the author of this article, sets about to do. The author find out that how Columbus was perceived by diverse communities was largely imprecise and cannot be distinctly or definitely defined. This, as per the authors findings, is more so the case given that by dint of their unique circumstances, communities perceived, and hence responded to Christians in marked and distinctive ways. It is important to note that while some communities were hostile to Columbus and his crew, others avoided them by fleeing, while others were more friendly and welcoming even trading with them.

There is no doubt whatsoever that this is a well-researched article. The fact that the author goes out of his way to gather pertinent historical facts and data to support his assertions and viewpoints further reinforces our understanding of the encounter between Europeans and Tainos. The author also leaves open a door for further prodding of the subject matter. This is more so the case when it comes to the further exploration of not only the Tainos philosophy of…