A Multiscalar Consideration of the Athabascan Migration
Genetic and linguistic evidence suggests that, after living in the Subarctic for thousands of years, Northern Athabascans began migrating to the American Southwest around 1,000 years ago. Anthropologists have proposed that this partial out-migration and several associated in situ behavioral changes...
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Language: | English |
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Cambridge University Press (CUP)
2020
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Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/aaq.2020.34 https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0002731620000347 |
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crcambridgeupr:10.1017/aaq.2020.34 2024-06-09T07:44:36+00:00 A Multiscalar Consideration of the Athabascan Migration Doering, Briana N. Esdale, Julie A. Reuther, Joshua D. Catenacci, Senna D. 2020 http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/aaq.2020.34 https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0002731620000347 en eng Cambridge University Press (CUP) https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms American Antiquity volume 85, issue 3, page 470-491 ISSN 0002-7316 2325-5064 journal-article 2020 crcambridgeupr https://doi.org/10.1017/aaq.2020.34 2024-05-15T13:00:39Z Genetic and linguistic evidence suggests that, after living in the Subarctic for thousands of years, Northern Athabascans began migrating to the American Southwest around 1,000 years ago. Anthropologists have proposed that this partial out-migration and several associated in situ behavioral changes were the result of a massive volcanic eruption that decimated regional caribou herds. However, regional populations appear to increase around the time of these changes, a demographic shift that may have led to increased territoriality, resource stress, and specialization. Building on existing syntheses of cultural dynamics in the region, analyses of excavated materials, and landscape data from Alaska and Yukon, this research shows that the Athabascan transition represented a gradual shift toward resource specialization in both salmon and caribou with an overall increase in diet breadth, indicating a behavioral transition that is more consistent with gradual demographic change. Further, this behavioral shift was already in motion at the time of the volcanic eruption circa 1150 cal BP and suggests that the ultimate migration from the area was the result of demographic pressures. In sum, this research elaborates on the complex dynamics of resilience and adaptation in hunter-gatherer groups and provides a testable model for explaining past migrations. Article in Journal/Newspaper Athabascan Subarctic Alaska Yukon Cambridge University Press Yukon American Antiquity 85 3 470 491 |
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Open Polar |
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Cambridge University Press |
op_collection_id |
crcambridgeupr |
language |
English |
description |
Genetic and linguistic evidence suggests that, after living in the Subarctic for thousands of years, Northern Athabascans began migrating to the American Southwest around 1,000 years ago. Anthropologists have proposed that this partial out-migration and several associated in situ behavioral changes were the result of a massive volcanic eruption that decimated regional caribou herds. However, regional populations appear to increase around the time of these changes, a demographic shift that may have led to increased territoriality, resource stress, and specialization. Building on existing syntheses of cultural dynamics in the region, analyses of excavated materials, and landscape data from Alaska and Yukon, this research shows that the Athabascan transition represented a gradual shift toward resource specialization in both salmon and caribou with an overall increase in diet breadth, indicating a behavioral transition that is more consistent with gradual demographic change. Further, this behavioral shift was already in motion at the time of the volcanic eruption circa 1150 cal BP and suggests that the ultimate migration from the area was the result of demographic pressures. In sum, this research elaborates on the complex dynamics of resilience and adaptation in hunter-gatherer groups and provides a testable model for explaining past migrations. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Doering, Briana N. Esdale, Julie A. Reuther, Joshua D. Catenacci, Senna D. |
spellingShingle |
Doering, Briana N. Esdale, Julie A. Reuther, Joshua D. Catenacci, Senna D. A Multiscalar Consideration of the Athabascan Migration |
author_facet |
Doering, Briana N. Esdale, Julie A. Reuther, Joshua D. Catenacci, Senna D. |
author_sort |
Doering, Briana N. |
title |
A Multiscalar Consideration of the Athabascan Migration |
title_short |
A Multiscalar Consideration of the Athabascan Migration |
title_full |
A Multiscalar Consideration of the Athabascan Migration |
title_fullStr |
A Multiscalar Consideration of the Athabascan Migration |
title_full_unstemmed |
A Multiscalar Consideration of the Athabascan Migration |
title_sort |
multiscalar consideration of the athabascan migration |
publisher |
Cambridge University Press (CUP) |
publishDate |
2020 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/aaq.2020.34 https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0002731620000347 |
geographic |
Yukon |
geographic_facet |
Yukon |
genre |
Athabascan Subarctic Alaska Yukon |
genre_facet |
Athabascan Subarctic Alaska Yukon |
op_source |
American Antiquity volume 85, issue 3, page 470-491 ISSN 0002-7316 2325-5064 |
op_rights |
https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1017/aaq.2020.34 |
container_title |
American Antiquity |
container_volume |
85 |
container_issue |
3 |
container_start_page |
470 |
op_container_end_page |
491 |
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1801373396739555328 |