▁humans . ▁The ▁oldest ▁remains ▁are ▁known ▁from ▁the ▁Gre ater ▁Ant illes ▁( C uba ▁and ▁His p ani ola ) ▁d ating ▁between ▁ 4 0 0 0 – 3 5 0 0 ▁B CE , ▁and ▁compar isons ▁between ▁tool - techn ologies ▁suggest ▁that ▁these ▁pe op les ▁moved ▁across ▁the ▁Y uc at án ▁Channel ▁from ▁Central ▁America . ▁All ▁evidence ▁suggests ▁that ▁later ▁migr ants ▁from ▁ 2 0 0 0 ▁B CE ▁and ▁on wards ▁origin ated ▁from ▁South ▁America , ▁via ▁the ▁Or in oco ▁region . ▁The ▁descend ants ▁of ▁these ▁migr ants ▁include ▁the ▁ancest ors ▁of ▁the ▁Ta í no ▁and ▁Kal in ago ▁( Is land ▁Car ib ) ▁pe op les . ▁ ▁Ar ctic ▁ ▁The ▁earliest ▁inhabitants ▁of ▁North ▁America ' s ▁central ▁and ▁eastern ▁Ar ctic ▁are ▁referred ▁to ▁as ▁the ▁Ar ctic ▁small ▁tool ▁tradition ▁( AST ) ▁and ▁existed ▁c . ▁ 2 5 0 0 ▁B CE . ▁A ST ▁consisted ▁of ▁several ▁Pale o - E sk imo ▁cult ures , ▁including ▁the ▁Independ ence ▁cult ures ▁and ▁Pre - D or set ▁culture . ▁ ▁The ▁In uit ▁are ▁the ▁descend ants ▁of ▁the ▁Th ule ▁culture , ▁which ▁emer ged ▁from ▁western ▁Al aska ▁around ▁AD ▁ 1 0 0 0 ▁and ▁gradually ▁disp la ced ▁the ▁Dor set ▁culture . ▁ ▁See ▁also ▁ ▁Life ▁tim eline ▁ ▁List ▁of ▁countries ▁and ▁islands ▁by ▁first ▁human ▁settlement ▁ ▁Middle ▁Pale