A skull found by a hunter near the Stikine River almost three years ago has yet to be interred.
Wrangell resident Vena Stough discovered the skull while at Government Slough on Oct. 5, 2012, and brought it to the local police department. From there it made its way to United States Forest Service offices in Petersburg for further analysis.
“What we try to do is figure out if it’s Native American ancestry,” explained Jane Smith, an archaeologist for the USFS for 23 years.
The repatriation process is governed by the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, which protects remains, funerary and sacred objects, and other items from excavation and removal. The Act outlines the proper procedure for the return of such artifacts should they be found.
“It’s not often that we find human remains,” Smith noted. They are occasionally uncovered unexpectedly during site excavations, but she explained they are typically not sought after.
Generally, the preferred course to take if human remains are found in the wilderness is to contact your local Alaska State Trooper. Rather than removing or disturbing the object, discoverers are advised to save the precise location using a global positioning system device, and take photographs of it and the surrounding area for reference. If the Troopers deem the site not to be part of a crime scene, they will contact the USFS for appropriate disposition.
After receiving the skull, Petersburg submitted photographs to the state Office of History and Archaeology to make a determination of its probable origin. While it was apparent the skull was old, its condition made it difficult to tell whether or not the person it had belonged to was Native.
After discussing options with the police and the Wrangell Cooperative Association, Smith said it was decided to conduct a test using radiocarbon dating. This uses the half life of the carbon-14 isotope found in organic matter to determine what amount of time has passed since death. This involves running a sample using accelerator mass spectrometry.
“We didn’t want to desecrate the skull,” Smith said, so researchers obtained a small piece from the back of it to send out for testing. The test cost $320 to run, and results were returned within a month, by February 2013.
The test determined the person whose remains were found had died a little more than 1,000 years ago. Coupled with the location where the skull was found , the age confirmed the person as Native, likely Tlingit.
Once that was established, the Forest Service issued a notice of intended disposition, and after a 30-day response period has been in a position to return the skull to its affiliated tribe, in this case the WCA.
“So that’s where we’re at right now,” Smith concluded.
Wrangell Ranger Bob Dalrymple explained talks between the USFS and the Tribe were held late last month. Options for transferring and finally interring the remains are now being discussed by the WCA Board, which may be happening soon.
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