How did the first Alaskans arrive in Alaska?

• A. They crossed a land bridge from Asia.
• B. They sailed across the Pacific from South America.
• C. They arrived by boat from Europe.
• D. They came by jumping from Australia.

Answer: (A)

During the Ice Age, sea levels were much lower, exposing a land corridor between Siberia and Alaska called the Bering land bridge. This allowed people from Asia to walk into Alaska, starting the long process of peopling North America. Over time, these populations moved south and east and diversified into the many Alaska Native cultures we study today. The other ideas—sailing from the Pacific from South America, arriving by boat from Europe, or leaping from Australia—don’t fit what the evidence shows about the timing, route, and accessibility of the first arrival in Alaska.