Last evening, a flock of cedar waxwings moved across the slate blue sky, heading toward the orange glow of sunset. We birders are fond of waxwings, admiring their agreeable nature, their cooperative behavior, their attractive plumage and, in particular, the carefree independence of their nomadic lifestyle.
We humans, after all, were nomads for more than 90% of our history. Having evolved some 130,000 years ago, during a warm interglacial period of the Pleistocene, we roamed about sub-Saharan Africa for 50,000 years, trapped by a vast desert to our north and deep seas to our east, west and south. Then, as the Wisconsin Glaciers expanded, sea levels fell and the Sahara retreated, permitting our migration out of Africa that began about 80,000 years ago. By 60,000 YA we had reached Australia and by 50,000 YA humans were in Japan; our ancestors arrived in Europe 40,000 YA, in Siberia about 30,000 YA and had crossed into the Americas by 20,000 YA. Throughout all of this time, members of our species moved about in small clans, hunting and gathering to ensure their survival; permanent human settlements would not grace the globe until 10,000 years ago.
Some humans seem to have lost the genetic connection with our nomadic ancestors, preferring to spend their lives in familiar territory, leaving only for an annual vacation to equally well-known locations. However, many of us, fond of travel and adventure, sense the nomad in our soul and heed its call whenever possible.
