Paleo-Indian

American  

[pey-lee-oh-in-dee-uhn, pal-ee‑] / ˌpeɪ li oʊˈɪn di ən, ˌpæl i‑ /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of a New World cultural stage, c22,000–6000 b.c., distinguished by fluted-point tools and cooperative hunting methods.

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noun

1. a member of the North American Indian people of this cultural stage, who are believed to have migrated originally from Asia and are known to have been expert big-game hunters.

Example Sentences

He said the Paleo-Indian people were hunter-gatherers and “more than likely semi-nomadic,” trailing water and game across the landscape and through the seasons.

From Washington Times • Mar. 18, 2016

In the last few years, I’ve been studying Native American culture, in particular the Paleo-Indian period at the close of the Ice Age. 

From Salon • Jul. 29, 2015

Boulanger and Lyman compiled databases of radiocarbon dates from both megafaunal finds and Paleo-Indian sites for the northeast, throwing out any dates whose reliability had been or could be questioned.

From Washington Post • Feb. 10, 2014

Carolina dogs, then, could be camp followers that wandered off from their Paleo-Indian masters and took up residence in swampy areas where they can easily hide out from their own natural predators.

From New York Times • Jul. 15, 2013

Store Owner Holmes recently found a Paleo-Indian double-fluted pentagonal flint point dating from 9000 B.C.

From Time Magazine Archive