Three Migrations

People have not always lived in Alaska. Long after humans had settled the continents of Africa, Asia, and Europe, the Western Hemisphere continents of North and South America were still unpopulated. Alaska and the rest of the Americas were among the last places settled by humans.

Archaeologists think there were three major prehistoric migrations to Alaska. Each came from Asia. The map shows each of these migrations and the approximate time they occurred.

Over the next few pages, we will examine these migrations and how they relate to the people of Alaska today.