Which statement correctly describes the relative arrival times of Athabascan and Inupiaq?

• A. Athabascan arrived earlier than Inupiaq.
• B. Inupiaq arrived earlier than Athabascans.
• C. They arrived at the same time.
• D. Athabascan arrived later than Inupiaq.

Answer: (A)

The main idea here is timing of when different Alaska Native groups first settled across regions. Athabascan-speaking peoples moved into interior Alaska earlier, developing communities and lifeways suited to forests, caribou, and river resources. Later, Inuit-speaking Inupiaq populations moved into Alaska’s Arctic coast from across the Bering Strait region, adapting to sea-ice and coastal hunting. Because the interior Athabascan occupations predate the Arctic Inupiaq presence, the statement that Athabascan arrived earlier than Inupiaq best fits the evidence from archaeology and language history. The Arctic Inupiaq groups represent a subsequent wave of settlement along the coast.