Remains Of Child Burial Site Found In Alaska

The remains of a child, cremated over 11,500-years-ago was discovered in Alaska. This ‎happens to be the oldest human remains found till date in North America. It is also the ‎second-youngest Ice Age child found on the continent.‎

The burial site and house were unearthed during an excavation last summer. The ‎archeologists at the University of Alaska at Fairbanks led the exploration team. The ‎findings are the oldest remains ever found in arctic or subarctic North America.‎

The find, reported in the journal Science, was uncovered on the last day of the excavation ‎season near the Tanana River in Central Alaska.‎ The presence of a molar teeth clearly indicated the find to be a human being. Earlier signs ‎of human habitation dated back to about 14,000 years ago, but the discovery of actual ‎human remains was a rare incident. The native Athabascan people of the region were ‎happy about the discovery.‎

The local tribe selected a name for the child — Xaaxaa Cheege Ts’eiin, which meant ‘Upward Sun River Mouth Child’ in the local dialect.

The lineage of the Ice Age child, and gender, would be determined. Experts indicated that ‎the child could be related to one of the Native American ancestors who lived or passed ‎through interior Alaska in that era.‎ The genetic material is to undergo tests to identify DNA if it could be extracted from the ‎remains.‎