American Genesis: The American Indian and the Origins of Modern Man

52 AMERICAN GENESIS
the path of retreat back to their homelands was cut off due to the
melting ice, the rising sea level, and the subsequent submersion
of the bridge. Their big projectile points, like those found at
Folsom and Clovis, were well suited for bringing down the big
game animals they encountered everywhere. In the space of a
few thousand years, these few migrant tribes thrived in the rich
new land and exploded into a population of millions, scattering
themselves from the Bering Strait to the southern tip of South
America. For example, according to archaeologist Dr. Vance
Haynes of the University of Arizona, a single tribe of only 30
mammoth hunters could in just 500 years increase to a population
of 12,500. Geologist Dr. Paul Martin, also of the University of
Arizona, working from a computer simulation, says that from a
tribe of 104 individuals in just 345 years a population of 590,000
could be reached, a growth rate I consider much too steep.
The rapid population explosion from several different migrant
groups is also used to account for the multiplicity of Indian languages
and cultures and racial variation.
The "Virginal American Megafauna," the plentiful and lIla