Kwäday Dän Ts’ìnchi
Encyclopedia
Kwäday Dän Ts'ìnchi or Canadian Ice Man, is a naturally mummified
body found in Tatshenshini-Alsek Park
in British Columbia
, Canada, by a group of hunters in 1999. Radiocarbon dating
of artifacts found with the body placed the age of the body at between 300 and 550 years old. The find, while not as old, was comparable in condition and value to Ötzi the Iceman
, found in the Ötztal Alps
in 1991.
while hunting near the Yukon
border on August 14, 1999 (60′ N 138′ W). The hunters were walking along a glacier, above the tree line, and noticed some bits of wood, which they thought was unusual given their location above the tree line. They examined the wood, and noticed carvings and notches, possibly indicating the wood formed the frame of a backpack
. Ward, searching with binoculars
, then discovered the body in the ice. On August 16, they reported their find to Beringia Centre staff, and turned in a number of artifacts they collected from the site. The Champagne and Aishihik First Nations
were notified of the remains and visited the site; they decided to name the person Kwäday Dän Ts'ìnchi, which means Long Ago Person Found. A team of archeologists was then assembled to assess the find.
Kwäday Dän Ts’ìnchi represents the oldest well preserved human remains in North America. Kwäday Dän Ts'ìnchi was estimated to be approximately 18-19 years old at his time of death. The cause of death is unknown, but there appears to be no sign of serious injury, and hypothermia
is a possibility, as the time of death places it near the onset of the Little Ice Age
. An examination of the food in Kwäday Dän Ts’ìnchi's digestive tract reveal that he had traveled a distance of around 100 km (62.1 mi) in the three days prior to his death, from the coastal region up into higher elevations where he was found. Based on pollen
found in the contents of his colon
, he was traveling in the summer.
Kwäday Dän Ts’ìnchi was found with a number of artifacts, including a robe made from about 95 gopher
or squirrel
skins sewn together with sinew, a woven hat, a walking stick, an iron
bladed knife
, a hand tool of unknown purpose, and an atlatl
and dart. After samples were taken for study, the remainder of Kwäday Dän Ts’ìnchi's remains were cremated
and scattered over the area where he was discovered, and local clans are considering a memorial potlatch
to honor Kwäday Dän Ts’ìnchi.
testing of local inhabitants of the Champagne and Aishihik First Nations tribes' mitochondria
revealed 17 living people who are matrilineally
related to Kwäday Dän Ts’ìnchi. A partial mitochondrial DNA
sequence of Kwäday Dän Ts’ìnchi, containing information on the hypervariable region
HVR2, bases 1 to 360, is available in the National Center for Biotechnology Information
's genome
sequencing
database
, GenBank
, as accession number AF502945.
Mummy
A mummy is a body, human or animal, whose skin and organs have been preserved by either intentional or incidental exposure to chemicals, extreme coldness , very low humidity, or lack of air when bodies are submerged in bogs, so that the recovered body will not decay further if kept in cool and dry...
body found in Tatshenshini-Alsek Park
Tatshenshini-Alsek Park
Tatshenshini-Alsek Park or Tatshenshini-Alsek Provincial Wilderness Park is a provincial park in British Columbia, Canada . It was established in 1993 after an intensive campaign by Canadian and American conservation organizations to halt mining exploration and development in the area and protect...
in British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, Canada, by a group of hunters in 1999. Radiocarbon dating
Radiocarbon dating
Radiocarbon dating is a radiometric dating method that uses the naturally occurring radioisotope carbon-14 to estimate the age of carbon-bearing materials up to about 58,000 to 62,000 years. Raw, i.e. uncalibrated, radiocarbon ages are usually reported in radiocarbon years "Before Present" ,...
of artifacts found with the body placed the age of the body at between 300 and 550 years old. The find, while not as old, was comparable in condition and value to Ötzi the Iceman
Ötzi the Iceman
Ötzi the Iceman , Similaun Man, and Man from Hauslabjoch are modern names for a well-preserved natural mummy of a man who lived about 5,300 years ago. The mummy was found in September 1991 in the Ötztal Alps, near Hauslabjoch on the border between Austria and Italy. The nickname comes from the...
, found in the Ötztal Alps
Ötztal Alps
The Ötztal Alps are a mountain range in the central Alps of Europe, part of the Central Eastern Alps. They are arrayed at the head of the Ötztal, a side valley of the Inn River southwest of Innsbruck, Austria; the line of summits forms part of Austria's border with Italy.The western border is the...
in 1991.
The discovery
Three sheep hunters, Bill Hanlon, Warren Ward and Mike Roche, discovered a number of artifacts and a human body in a melting glacierGlacier
A glacier is a large persistent body of ice that forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. At least 0.1 km² in area and 50 m thick, but often much larger, a glacier slowly deforms and flows due to stresses induced by its weight...
while hunting near the Yukon
Yukon
Yukon is the westernmost and smallest of Canada's three federal territories. It was named after the Yukon River. The word Yukon means "Great River" in Gwich’in....
border on August 14, 1999 (60′ N 138′ W). The hunters were walking along a glacier, above the tree line, and noticed some bits of wood, which they thought was unusual given their location above the tree line. They examined the wood, and noticed carvings and notches, possibly indicating the wood formed the frame of a backpack
Backpack
A backpack is, in its simplest form, a cloth sack carried on one's back and secured with two straps that go over the shoulders, but there can be exceptions...
. Ward, searching with binoculars
Binoculars
Binoculars, field glasses or binocular telescopes are a pair of identical or mirror-symmetrical telescopes mounted side-by-side and aligned to point accurately in the same direction, allowing the viewer to use both eyes when viewing distant objects...
, then discovered the body in the ice. On August 16, they reported their find to Beringia Centre staff, and turned in a number of artifacts they collected from the site. The Champagne and Aishihik First Nations
Champagne and Aishihik First Nations
The Champagne and Aishihik First Nations is a First Nation in the Yukon Territory in Canada. Its original population centres were Champagne and Aishihik, but most of its citizens moved to Haines Junction to take advantage of services offered there such as schools. The First Nation government has...
were notified of the remains and visited the site; they decided to name the person Kwäday Dän Ts'ìnchi, which means Long Ago Person Found. A team of archeologists was then assembled to assess the find.
Description
The remains had been dismembered after death, probably by shifting ice due to thermal cracking and slumping along the edge of the glacier. The first part found was the torso, with left arm and mummified hand still attached. The lower body was found a few meters away, with the thighs and muscle still attached. The head was missing, as was the right arm and lower right leg, though his hair, attached to some remnants of the scalp, and some small bones from the right hand and foot were recovered. Soft tissue was present primarily in the torso and thighs; the torso was of particular interest, as this allowed analysis of the gastric contents, which provide many clues to the days leading up to Kwäday Dän Ts'ìnchi's death.Kwäday Dän Ts’ìnchi represents the oldest well preserved human remains in North America. Kwäday Dän Ts'ìnchi was estimated to be approximately 18-19 years old at his time of death. The cause of death is unknown, but there appears to be no sign of serious injury, and hypothermia
Hypothermia
Hypothermia is a condition in which core temperature drops below the required temperature for normal metabolism and body functions which is defined as . Body temperature is usually maintained near a constant level of through biologic homeostasis or thermoregulation...
is a possibility, as the time of death places it near the onset of the Little Ice Age
Little Ice Age
The Little Ice Age was a period of cooling that occurred after the Medieval Warm Period . While not a true ice age, the term was introduced into the scientific literature by François E. Matthes in 1939...
. An examination of the food in Kwäday Dän Ts’ìnchi's digestive tract reveal that he had traveled a distance of around 100 km (62.1 mi) in the three days prior to his death, from the coastal region up into higher elevations where he was found. Based on pollen
Pollen
Pollen is a fine to coarse powder containing the microgametophytes of seed plants, which produce the male gametes . Pollen grains have a hard coat that protects the sperm cells during the process of their movement from the stamens to the pistil of flowering plants or from the male cone to the...
found in the contents of his colon
Colon (anatomy)
The colon is the last part of the digestive system in most vertebrates; it extracts water and salt from solid wastes before they are eliminated from the body, and is the site in which flora-aided fermentation of unabsorbed material occurs. Unlike the small intestine, the colon does not play a...
, he was traveling in the summer.
Kwäday Dän Ts’ìnchi was found with a number of artifacts, including a robe made from about 95 gopher
Gopher (animal)
The term gopher as it is commonly used does not relate to any one species, but is a generic term used to describe any of several small burrowing rodents endemic to North America, including the pocket gopher , also called true gophers, and the ground squirrel , including Richardson's ground squirrel...
or squirrel
Squirrel
Squirrels belong to a large family of small or medium-sized rodents called the Sciuridae. The family includes tree squirrels, ground squirrels, chipmunks, marmots , flying squirrels, and prairie dogs. Squirrels are indigenous to the Americas, Eurasia, and Africa and have been introduced to Australia...
skins sewn together with sinew, a woven hat, a walking stick, an iron
Iron
Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
bladed knife
Knife
A knife is a cutting tool with an exposed cutting edge or blade, hand-held or otherwise, with or without a handle. Knives were used at least two-and-a-half million years ago, as evidenced by the Oldowan tools...
, a hand tool of unknown purpose, and an atlatl
Atlatl
An atlatl or spear-thrower is a tool that uses leverage to achieve greater velocity in dart-throwing.It consists of a shaft with a cup or a spur at the end that supports and propels the butt of the dart. The atlatl is held in one hand, gripped near the end farthest from the cup...
and dart. After samples were taken for study, the remainder of Kwäday Dän Ts’ìnchi's remains were cremated
Cremation
Cremation is the process of reducing bodies to basic chemical compounds such as gasses and bone fragments. This is accomplished through high-temperature burning, vaporization and oxidation....
and scattered over the area where he was discovered, and local clans are considering a memorial potlatch
Potlatch
A potlatch is a gift-giving festival and primary economic system practiced by indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast of Canada and United States. This includes Heiltsuk Nation, Haida, Nuxalk, Tlingit, Makah, Tsimshian, Nuu-chah-nulth, Kwakwaka'wakw, and Coast Salish cultures...
to honor Kwäday Dän Ts’ìnchi.
DNA testing
In 2000, DNADNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...
testing of local inhabitants of the Champagne and Aishihik First Nations tribes' mitochondria
Mitochondrion
In cell biology, a mitochondrion is a membrane-enclosed organelle found in most eukaryotic cells. These organelles range from 0.5 to 1.0 micrometers in diameter...
revealed 17 living people who are matrilineally
Matrilineality
Matrilineality is a system in which descent is traced through the mother and maternal ancestors. Matrilineality is also a societal system in which one belongs to one's matriline or mother's lineage, which can involve the inheritance of property and/or titles.A matriline is a line of descent from a...
related to Kwäday Dän Ts’ìnchi. A partial mitochondrial DNA
Mitochondrial DNA
Mitochondrial DNA is the DNA located in organelles called mitochondria, structures within eukaryotic cells that convert the chemical energy from food into a form that cells can use, adenosine triphosphate...
sequence of Kwäday Dän Ts’ìnchi, containing information on the hypervariable region
Hypervariable region
A hypervariable region is a location within nuclear DNA or the D-loop of mitochondrial DNA in which base pairs of nucleotides repeat or have substitutions...
HVR2, bases 1 to 360, is available in the National Center for Biotechnology Information
National Center for Biotechnology Information
The National Center for Biotechnology Information is part of the United States National Library of Medicine , a branch of the National Institutes of Health. The NCBI is located in Bethesda, Maryland and was founded in 1988 through legislation sponsored by Senator Claude Pepper...
's genome
Genome
In modern molecular biology and genetics, the genome is the entirety of an organism's hereditary information. It is encoded either in DNA or, for many types of virus, in RNA. The genome includes both the genes and the non-coding sequences of the DNA/RNA....
sequencing
Sequencing
In genetics and biochemistry, sequencing means to determine the primary structure of an unbranched biopolymer...
database
Database
A database is an organized collection of data for one or more purposes, usually in digital form. The data are typically organized to model relevant aspects of reality , in a way that supports processes requiring this information...
, GenBank
GenBank
The GenBank sequence database is an open access, annotated collection of all publicly available nucleotide sequences and their protein translations. This database is produced and maintained by the National Center for Biotechnology Information as part of the International Nucleotide Sequence...
, as accession number AF502945.