A polar bear carving believed to have been made by the first inhabitants of the Arctic. Photo from Ours nageant (Musée du quai Branly) / Flickr

Researchers say a distinct group of Native people lived in isolation in eastern Canada and northern Greenland for nearly 4,000 years.

DNA samples showed the so-called Paleo-Eskimos were not the ancestors of Inuit people who live in the same area today. The early population also did not mix with other Native groups or with Norse explorers who were known to have visited the region, according to the study that was published in today's issue of Science.

"Our genetic studies show that, in reality, the Paleo-Eskimos – representing one single group – were the first people in the Arctic, and they survived without outside contact for over 4,000 years," Professor Eske Willersley of the Centre for GeoGenetics at the Natural History Museum of Denmark, said in a press release.

Paleo-Eskimos migrated to the area at least 6,000 years ago. Inuit ancestors arrived about 700 years ago and referred to the earlier population as Tunit, or Sivullirmiut, which means "first inhabitants" in the Inuit language.

Norse explorers also visited the area and likely encountered the same Paleo-Eskimo population. They were called Skræling, a term whose origins are uncertain, according to scholars.

Scholars believe the Paleo-Eskimo population slowly died out after the ancestral Inuits arrived. One researcher said inbreeding among the isolated group could have caused health and other problems but further studies are being planned.

Get the Story:
New Study Offers Clues to Swift Arctic Extinction (The New York Times 8/29)
Genes show mysterious Paleo-Eskimos survived 4,000 years until sudden demise (The Washington Post 8/29)
No Ancestors? Ancient Eskimos Left No Descendants (Newsledge 8/29)

Get the Study:
The genetic prehistory of the New World Arctic (Science 29 August 2014: Vol. 345 no. 6200 DOI: 10.1126/science.1255832)