Pali Aike (1) and Fell's cave (2) are only 26 km apart.
54. Possible Relatives in the Americas
Pali Aike and Cerro Sota caves (Magallanes, Chile)
by George Weber
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Pali Aike (1) and Fell's cave (2) are only 26 km apart. |
Pali Aike cave (often also "Palli Aiki" and other spelling variations) is of volcanic origin and located in a spectacular lava field of relatively recent origin. The last known eruption of lava took place around 7,500 years ago - yesterday in geological terms. In places the twisted lava produces spectacularly surrealistic views such as low volcanic cones and other lava formations. The name Pali Aike means "place in which the devil lives" in the extinct Aonikenk language (southern Tehuelche) of southern Patagonia.
Throughout the national park area there is sparse, desert-like vegetation. Guanacos, skunks, grey foxes and bats are the largest animals today. At the time when the first humans settled in the area, there were many more kinds of large animals, including a giant sloth and a type of horse. Their bones (damaged by fire) have been found in Pali Aike cave and it is more than probable that these animals were exterminated by hungry human hunters.
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In this peculiar and apparently inhospitable landscape humans intruded not later than 13,000 years ago. They are likely to have been the ancestors of the Fuegian and Patagonian tribes who still lived in the area until the last century.
Pali Aike cave was discovered and first excavated by Junius Bird in the 1930s and published in 1938. More excavation work was done 1988 and 1997. The cave stratigraphy is complicated and not easily interpreted since there seems to have been a lot of digging into the cave floor by humans for various reasons at various times.
The lowest levels (i.e. oldest) yielded stone and bone tools, mixed with broken bones of an extinct horse and ground sloth. Other animals apparently consumed by hunters in the cave included guanaco and fox. A cache of bones of 7 sloths covered by a pile of stones and buried at the rear of the cave was also found. This probably was meat stored that was never collected.
One C14 dating in the cave has been reported from the lowest level. The date of 8,640 ± 450 years is thought to be contaminated and should be regarded as a minimum.
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The cremated remains of three humans buried at a deep level were discovered at Pali Aike but there is no agreement on their age since no independent C14 dating has been performed on them. One stemmed fishpoint stone tool of the type named after Fell's cave was also found.
Very close to Pali Aike is the Cerro Sota site where human remains were also found. These have the same unfortunate dating problems as the remains from Pali Aike.
Among web-sites with further information are:
- http://www.ele.net/LaBelle/pampas/pamframe.htm
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