Conservation Officers to Hold Archaeological Awareness Event Tomorrow

Tuesday, 16 April 2019 16:33

The Yukon is home to numerous archaeology sites (Photo courtesy of Nature Tours Yukon)

Yukon Conservation officers will be holding an evening lecture tomorrow at 6:30pm at the Yukon Beringia Centre regarding discovering and acting upon First Nation and other archaeological sites when they're found in the Yukon wilderness.

Yukon Conservation officers will be holding an evening lecture tomorrow at 6:30pm at the Yukon Beringia Centre regarding discovering and acting upon archaeological sites when they're found in the Yukon wilderness.

Yukon Government Archaeologist Chris Thomas says there's many things people can do when they discover an archaeological site in the territory.

"The most basic thing that anybody can do is to record where they find it. That can be as simple as taking a picture of the sight because a lot of cell phones have GPS's in them. If they take a picture of the site, that's a place where we can find again. They can assess if the thing they've found is in peril and then they can contact the right people... the Yukon Government Archaeology Program. If they know the traditional territory of the First Nation they're in, they can contact them."

Thomas says the majority of archaeological discoveries being talked about will be around Yukon First Nations sites, which can date back millennia.

"When people go to the talk, they'll be surprised just how many archaeological sites are out there. The oldest sight that has been recorded (in Yukon) is about 14,000 years old. First Nations have been living here for a very, very long time"

Thomas says there will also be Yukon First Nations heritage representatives speaking at the archaeological event tomorrow, who will be discussing how the majority of these sites are sacred to them.

Yukon Government Hunter Education and Outreach Officer Jim Welsh says hunters also play an important role in Yukon archaeology discoveries in the territory.

"I feel hunters can play a very important role here. I feel hunters tend to go to places most people don't go, where there's no trail or in more remote spots to spend time there. I only wish I had some of that (archaeological) knowledge fifteen years before I went into the mountains here. I would've looked at the landscape differently."

All are welcome to attend the free event tomorrow.