Centre hosts lecture on The First Americans RELEASED: Mar. 12, 2001 DANVILLE, KY - When did prehistoric humans first colonize the Americas, and who were these first Americans? One hypothesis is that the first people on our continent were Ice Age big game hunters who sought large mammals such as wooly mammoths for food and hides. About 14,000 years ago, these people, known as the Clovis, may have followed their prey from Siberia to Alaska during a continental connection formed by low sea levels. Some archeological excavations in North and South America raise questions about the hypothesis that the Clovis people were the first Americans 14,000 years ago. Dr. Tom Dillehay, the T. Marshall Hahn, Jr. Professor of Anthropology at the University of Kentucky, will shed light on this issue during a March 20 lecture at Centre College. Dr. Dillehay will examine hypotheses about the first Americans by using multidisciplinary data from archeology, bio-anthropology, genetics, paleoecology, and linguistics. He will discuss key archeological sites, such as Monte Verde in southern Chile, which he excavated in the 1970s. The excavation provided many clues about the timing and culture of the first Americans. Internationally recognized for his work in social and cultural anthropology, in archaeology and in Latin American studies, Professor Dillehay is noted for his research, administrative skills, teaching, and his activism on behalf of indigenous peoples of the Americas. Dillehay has authored, co-authored or edited twelve volumes and has published nearly a hundred articles. He has served as a consultant to governments and academic institutions in Chile, Argentina, Uruguay and Mexico and has served on the United Nations Commission on Latin American Archeology and on other UN commissions in Ecuador and Brazil. Chilean President Frei invited Dillehay to serve as a consultant to the National Council on Indigenous Development (1995 to present). Dr. Dillehay's public lecture will take place on Tuesday, March 20 at 7:30 p.m. in Weisiger Theatre on the Centre College campus. -end-     Communications Office Centre College 600 W. Walnut Street Danville, KY 40422 Public Information Coordinator: Telephone 859-238-5714 News and Events Home Page