First Peoples in the Americas Migration Theories

Faces

Beringian Migration Theory Land bridge from Siberia to Alaska during last ice age First peoples were big-game hunters Followed herds of mammoth, bison and musk oxen Arrival in Alaska 25 000 years ago 12 000 years ago glaciers retreat and a corridor allows for migration southward Glaciers retreated and land bridge covered by water

Nomads, Tools, Hunting

Coastal Migration Theory First peoples arrived via water travel, following coastlines of northeast Asia into the Americas 11,500 years ago Coastlines are productive environments because they provide humans with access to a diverse array of plants and animals from both terrestrial and marine ecosystems

Trans Pacific Migration

Trans Pacific Migration Though there is some evidence of a trans-Pacific migration, like the coastal theory, it is also unlikely that large numbers arrived in the Americas via that route. The existence of Old World tropical parasites in Andean mummies is evidence that at least some trans-Pacific migrations did take place via a tropical ocean corridor