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Articles
Cave reveals 10,500 year old remains
by Kristin Price
12/25/02
Anthropologist Jim Dixon believes that the first humans in North America populated the continent via the Northwest Coast. Dixon, author of Bones, Boats and Bison, and the principle investigator on an excavation project on Prince of Wales Island, spoke December 18 at the Sealaska Building in Juneau.
The island site, known as "On Your Knees Cave," is thought to be one of the most significant archaeological and anthropological sites in Southeast Alaska.
In 1996, a scientist exploring the cave discovered human bones from a young male in his early 20s. The remains have been radiocarbon dated to around 10,500 years old, making them the oldest human remains in Alaska and Canada.
Many scientists believe that early North Americans colonized the continent via an ice-free corridor found in the middle of the continent during the waning era of the great Ice Age. According to the Encyclopedia of World History, most of Canada and the United States were covered with vast ice sheets, while world sea levels fell as much as 300 feet below modern shorelines. This left areas of the continental shelf exposed, which linked Alaska and Siberia by a low-lying land bridge.
Dixon says that there is much evidence to suggest an alternative to the more established theory. He believes that coastal people survived in unglaciated pockets that were richly populated with wildlife, allowing them to thrive and setting the stage for cultural development and trade.
"There is so much evidence, and we haven’t even begun to scratch the surface," he explained.
Man-made artifacts found at the site include a mussel shell knife, pieces of charcoal, and projectile point stone tools. The artifacts have been painstakingly excavated from layers of dirt that reveal five periods of occupation, and radiocarbon dating indicates that the cave was occupied continually for 1,000 years.
One bone tool has been dated back 12,000 years—making it the oldest artifact ever discovered on the Northwest Coast. The youngest artifact indicates that the cave was last used 1,000 years ago.
"It’s amazing—who would believe it?" asked Dixon.
The human remains include teeth and a mandible, or jawbone.
"The teeth tell quite a story," said Dixon, explaining that the wisdom teeth, worn with tiny chips, indicate a man is in his early 20s who ate a diet of shellfish. That and other data show that the man’s diet consisted mostly of marine foods, suggesting a maritime lifestyle.
Additional evidence Dixon finds significant is that the artifacts are made from rocks not found on the island, which can be traced to their volcanic origin. He proposes that early settlers used watercraft to get them there.
"I suspect that around 10,000 year ago, there were well-established trade routes," Dixon said.
Tlingit Anthropologist Rosita Worl thinks that Dixon’s arguments support a tradition of native oral history.
"The discovery gives weight to our Elders assertion that the Tlingit have owned and occupied Southeast Alaska since time immemorial," she said. Worl is president of Sealaska Heritage Institute, which sponsored the lecture.
Worl, who serves as an advisor on the project, adds that it has been a good example of cooperation between scientists, federal agencies and native organizations. Upon initial discovery of the remains at the Prince of Wales site, scientists immediately consulted with three local tribes, setting the stage for good relationships.
"We are fortunate that not all natives are opposed to science," Worl said, explaining that she would like to see the Southeast model of partnership become an example for tribes and agencies in other regions. Dixon adds that a variety of native and non-native individuals worked together on the project.
In that vein, Sealaska Heritage Institute will be collaborating with Dixon, the Forest Service, and Ted Timreck on a film about the project.
"The film will show how native knowledge is used to support and integrate with science," said Worl.