Sriijàanjik Ch'à'an, northern Yukon, Canada

Located on the Traditional Territory of the Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation (VGFN), the Bluefish Caves site has long been at the center of debate over the early human peopling of North America.

Background

Initial archaeological investigations by Jacques Cinq-Mars and colleagues (1970s–1990s) recovered a small number of stone artifacts and thousands of vertebrate remains, mostly contained within late-Pleistocene loess. Preliminary observations led researchers to propose a human occupation dating to approximately 30,000 years ago, some 15,000 years earlier than the then-prevailing view. This hypothesis was widely challenged by the scientific community, owing to poorly described stratigraphy and the absence of a comprehensive taphonomic study.

2012–2017: Doctoral Research, Université de Montréal, Canada

I developed a systematic taphonomic analysis of the faunal assemblages from Bluefish Caves I and II as a doctoral project at the Université de Montréal, Department of Anthropology. I analyzed approximately 36,000 mammal remains (curated at the Canadian Museum of History), identifying human bone modifications from which new radiocarbon dates were obtained through the Oxford Radiocarbon Accelerator Unit, U.K.. On the basis of this research, I concluded that modern humans (Homo sapiens) entered the Americas about 23,500 years ago, providing renewed support for early human presence in Beringia, and establishing Bluefish Caves as one of the oldest known archaeological sites on the continent. The findings attracted significant public interest and wide media coverage (see Press), and were presented in several peer-reviewed publications (see Publications) and at international conferences.

2018-2019: Community Engagement & New Partnerships

I traveled to Old Crow, Yukon, to present my doctoral findings directly to the Vuntut Gwitchin community, initiating a collaborative relationship for future research on their Traditional Territory. During this period, I also connected with researchers at the University of Kansas, whose expertise in geoarchaeology and Pleistocene environments complemented the next phase of investigations. Together, these connections led to the establishment of a formal research partnership between the VGFN and the University of Kansas, and to renewed fieldwork at Bluefish Caves beginning in 2019.

2020–2025: Postdoctoral Research, University of Kansas, United States

Appointed as Postdoctoral Research Associate at the Kansas Geological Survey, I participated in geoarchaeological investigations of Caves I, II, and III and new archaeological excavations of Cave IV, through a formal partnership with the VGFN, the Government of Yukon's Cultural Services Branch, and the University of Kansas Odyssey Archaeological Research Program. Taphonomic analyses were extended to the bird and mammal assemblages across all four cavities. This work established that only Caves I and II bear clear evidence of human presence, whereas Caves III and IV are paleontological in nature.

The combined evidence — the nature of the lithic assemblages, the pattern of human bone modifications, the relative abundance of skeletal elements, the dominance of prime-aged adults in Cave I, and seasonal indices from Cave II — points to opportunistic, episodic human use of the site for short-term hunting activities, shaped by the seasonal rhythms of prey migrations, carnivore denning cycles, and the caves' elevated position overlooking former glacial Lake Old Crow.