The link between human evolution and migration has been an integral part of our history, going back to the earliest recorded times of our species’ existence. As we became more intelligent and increased the use of man-made tools and animal transport, we increased the means of travel to the point it is at today. With the exception of Australasia, a person can get from one continent to another in mere hours, instead of days or weeks, with the result being a constant migration of people from one place to another, usually for economic and personal gain (survival).
Our species learned many years ago that by employing animal labour, the potential to cover great distances was made possible as it reduced both the travel time and the physical effort it would take to do so. Many times this was driven by military needs for either the defense of a certain region, or to expand a civilizations’ influence into new realms.
And this ability to travel was constantly being refined and improved throughout the years, so that even thousands of years ago people could travel distances that would be impressive by todays’ standards.
We know that the indigenous peoples of the Western Hemisphere came initially from Asia, where they migrated away from areas essentially as a means of survival in pursuing prey or fleeing some type of threat to their existence. With the incorporation of using animals for either transportation or power, travel of great distance was now within their capabilities.
The use of man-made devices also allowed people the potential for traveling distances that would otherwise be impossible. The indigenous peoples of Australia would have initially come from the sub-Asian regions of what is now India, traveling by sea in streamlined vessels that were fast and sleek, but also able to travel the rough seas of the Indian Ocean.
You can look at a number of areas of the world, and there is a clear and concise history of peoples migrating to a certain area for survival, in either running from danger or looking for the literal “greener pastures” that still drives many people today when they emigrate to a new area of the world.
There can be no argument that this migration was only made possible as our species adapted to the world around it and began to use intellect as a primary means of gaining advantage in the natural world. This intelligence fueled both the means and desire to travel, essentially in the name of survival and eventually prosperity, to ensure the chances of keeping that society alive for the future.
