The Kwäday Dän Ts’ìnchi Symposium 2008

The Kwäday Dän Ts’ìnchi Symposium and Public Lecture
Victoria, British Columbia
April 25-27, 2008

More than two dozen leading scientists from First Nations, universities and museums gathered for the first time in Victoria, British Columbia, to present their findings from the more than 24scientific and cultural studies completed since the remarkable discovery of Kwäday Dän Ts’ìnchi in August 1999.

The latest scientific techniques and DNA testing allow researchers to determine how this ancient hunter spent the last two weeks of his life, his health, and how his clothes and tools were made. Analysis of food samples in his gut, the mineral composition of silt grains in the water he drank allow researchers to determine his diet and create a map of his last journey. The new knowledge gained from these studies adds to our collective scientific understanding of the First Nations people of northern Canada.

The Kwäday Dän Ts’ìnchi Symposium and Public Lecture was sponsored by the Champagne and Aishihik First Nations, the BC Archaeology Branch and the Royal BC Museum, and held in conjunction with the 2008 Northwest Anthropology Conference.

Explore this section of the website for more information about the symposium and the latest research.