Final answer:
Paleo-Indians, ancestors of the Native Americans, first migrated to North America across the Bering land bridge, Beringia, leading to the settlement of the Americas thousands of years before European arrival. The Clovis culture represents one of the earliest known cultures in North America.
Step-by-step explanation:
The first inhabitants of North America are believed to have migrated from Asia to what is now Alaska by crossing a land bridge that existed between Asia and North America, which we call Beringia. This migration happened thousands of years before the arrival of Europeans, between 9,000 and 15,000 years ago. After crossing the land bridge, these settlers, known as Paleo-Indians, traveled southward, populating the diverse landscapes of both North and South America.
The Clovis culture, identified by the distinctive Clovis points, represents one of the earliest known cultures within North America, dated between 12,000-11,000 BCE. These settlers became the ancestors of the Native American peoples, developing into a multitude of cultures and societies, such as the complex Aztec civilization and the woodland tribes of eastern North America. Recent research suggests pre-Clovis populations may have also been part of the early settlement history of the Americas.