Discovering Native North American Cultures

Discovering Native North American Cultures — page 3
CHAPTER ONE THE FIRST PEOPLES OF THE AMERICAS he first people in North America arrived during the last Ice Age when thick ice sheets covered much of the northern part of the continent As the ice sheets absorbed water sea levels dropped and a land bridge emerged along the present day Bering Strait From about thirty thousand to twelve thousand years ago the land bridge connected northeastern Asia to what is now Alaska Humans began to cross over from Asia at least thirteen thousand years ago When the ice sheets melted the land bridge disappeared under the rising seas and the migration ended Into the Americas These people traveled southward through North America Some followed the Pacific coast perhaps combining walking with boat travel Others found ice free routes east of the Rocky Mountains that led into the heart of the continent