  With the aim of determining if Milky Way (MW) progenitors could be identified
as high redshift Lyman Alpha Emitters (LAEs) we have derived the intrinsic
properties of z ~ 5.7 MW progenitors, which are then used to compute their
observed Lyman-alpha luminosity, L_alpha, and equivalent width, EW. MW
progenitors visible as LAEs are selected according to the canonical
observational criterion, L_alpha > 10^42 erg/s and EW > 20 A. Progenitors of
MW-like galaxies have L_alpha = 10^(39-43.25) erg/s, making some of them
visible as LAEs. In any single MW merger tree realization, typically only 1
(out of ~ 50) progenitor meets the LAE selection criterion, but the probability
to have at least one LAE is very high, P = 68%. The identified LAE stars have
ages, t_* ~ 150-400 Myr at z ~ 5.7 with the exception of five small progenitors
with t_* < 5 Myr and large EW = 60-130 A. LAE MW progenitors provide > 10% of
the halo very metal-poor stars [Fe/H] < -2, thus establishing a potentially
fruitful link between high-z galaxies and the Local Universe.
