Humans Arrive

The traditional view holds that humans migrated from Siberia to Alaska and spread out around the Americas. They crossed a land bridge called Beringia from Asia about 30,000 years ago. The Clovis model fell apart as more evidence was found to support a model in which early humans followed the shoreline into America. Early humans used fire in what has been called "fire-stick farming," in which fire is used to clear ground, kill vermin, and regenerate plant food. North America had more extensive climate change and lost more mammals than Eurasia. The disappearance of the mammals coincided with the arrival of humans in those regions. Native American tribes in the Puget Sound region are commonly called the Coast Salish people and include the Suquamish, Duwamish, Nisqually, Snoqualmie, and Muckleshoot. The Puget Sound region has developed into one of the largest metropolitan areas. Over three million people live there, and a great deal has been done to alter the natural landscape.