A 12,000-year memory collides with modern-day mythmaking. In this deep-dive, we dissect how a freshly minted national birthday slams into stories that long predate the lines on any map.
I have attended several courses on Indigenous issues where I hear First Nations representatives refer to North America as Turtle Island. Now I know why.
I thought long and hard about including the reason behind the name Turtle Island (as opposed to letting readers search it themselves), it adds to the length of the overall essay, but am so glad it connected something for you!
For anyone wondering what "12,000-year memory” refers to, it is the most widely accepted, conservative benchmark for continuous human presence in what is now Canada.
Archaeologists do debate much earlier dates—Yukon’s Bluefish Caves may push human activity back to 24,000 years, but that evidence is still contested. I chose to use 12,000 years because it fits comfortably inside the broadest scientific consensus.
My favorite Atlas October essay yet! 👏🏻
I have attended several courses on Indigenous issues where I hear First Nations representatives refer to North America as Turtle Island. Now I know why.
I thought long and hard about including the reason behind the name Turtle Island (as opposed to letting readers search it themselves), it adds to the length of the overall essay, but am so glad it connected something for you!
For anyone wondering what "12,000-year memory” refers to, it is the most widely accepted, conservative benchmark for continuous human presence in what is now Canada.
Archaeologists do debate much earlier dates—Yukon’s Bluefish Caves may push human activity back to 24,000 years, but that evidence is still contested. I chose to use 12,000 years because it fits comfortably inside the broadest scientific consensus.