First Time in New Guinea

First Time in New Guinea
Nicholas Frey

Due to the growing population of humans, humans are forced to spread out and claim new wild land. These new lands are all over the globe; one of these new lands was New Guinea. Findings have shown that humans first settled in New Guinea about 43,000 years ago (Gosden 2010). Chris Gosden from Oxford University writes a paper on facts that give an estimate of when humans first settle in New Guinea.

Archeologists have found evidence in the highlands of New Guinea of some settlements to prove humans were there. Settlements are still a reach for some people because they believe that the first people who came only stayed for a little bit then left because of the colder climate (Gosden 2010). The highlands where the evidence was found is about 8 degrees above the equator and 2000 meters above sea level. Even being this close to the equator, paleontologists believe that the environment of the highlands would have caused difficulties to the travelers (Gosden 2010). Over time the travelers have settled into the area and have adjusted to the climate.

Archeologists guess that the people who first arrived and all those that arrived shortly after had arrived in very early designed boats. They traveled across the sea to the shores of New Guinea (Gosden 2010). Evidence also shows that the travelers brought over edible plants and introduced new animals (Gosden 2010). With this they transferred the harsh land into a more hospitable living environment for them.

Chris Gosden writes that archeologists have found evidence of ways the humans transformed the land around them to make the land more hospitable for them. This evidence is seen through the tools that were found. These large tools are presumed to be able to cut and clear trees and brush to be able to farm on (Gosden 2010). The travelers brought over new plants to New Guinea’s ecosystem so they could help themselves sustain life (Gosden 2010). Also Chris Gosden included that the early habitants introduced new animals into the ecosystem of New Guinea. Theses animals were rodents such as wallabies and rats (Gosden 2010). Chris Gosden informs the reader that these rodents were introduced into an ecosystem that lacked in animal protein. Even though the travelers probably didn’t know that in order to help your body stay strong, living things need to require protein. Introducing these rodents helped the travelers indirectly achieve a diet that allowed them to live and sustain themselves in that area.

The areas where the archeologists have found the remains of the settlements were located in the highlands (Gosden 2010). The majority of New Guinea’s current day population still resides in the highlands, states Chris Gosden. Also in this area is where the majority of the farming lands are located (Gosden 2010). This shows that the original settlers and their descendents have not moved or that another group found that area after and settled there because of the location.

When the settlers landed on the shores of New Guinea the land was uninhabited, so they first of all had to find food. Gosden mentions that the archeologists guessed that when the first people arrived on New Guinea, New Guinea had a much different ecosystem. Therefore the first people had eaten more yams or pandanus, which is a starchy fruit, found in the lower altitude. Chris Gosden suggests that the first inhabitants of New Guinea had excellent survival skills. The basis of Chris Gosden’s thought of the survival skill comes from the inhospitable environment that New Guinea was before humans came and started to live there. These skills include the ability to map the area, the ability to remember different key things to help them stay alive and navigate and the courage to experiment or dare to try new foods that might just be poisonous. With this the travelers have overcome the terrain to make it possible to live and grow as a population there.

Archeologists have guessed that the first explores arrived around 43,000 years ago in New Guinea (Gosden 2010). With this it shows that humans have the ability to reside anywhere in the world. This is also proving that humans could potentially expand past the Earth to the moon, or even other planets or man-made devices that they could live on. Humans have amazing potential.

Reference
Gosden, Chris. "When Humans Arrived in the New Guinea Highlands." 330.6000 (2010): 41-42. Web. 10 Oct 2010. .