How did the first settlers likely reach the eastern Caroline Islands?

The first settlers of the eastern Caroline Islands likely arrived from the region of the New Hebrides (modern-day Vanuatu) and Fiji sometime before 1000 BCE.12

Archaeological and linguistic evidence indicates that these early migrants traveled by sea, working their way up the chain of islands to the east before gradually spreading westward into the Marshall Islands and the Carolines. This pattern of migration is supported by the fact that the languages spoken in this area are closely related to one another and share striking similarities with Vanuatuan languages. While archaeological investigations on these small, storm-disturbed islands have been challenging, the presence of ancient pottery and artifacts in places like Chuuk provides further evidence of this early settlement history.123