Here's a fascinating family tree! Scientists have found a direct link between the frozen remains of a man found in a glacier in northern British Columbia, Canada and 17 people living in British Columbia, Yukon and Alaska. The news came at a symposium in Victoria this past weekend, focusiang on Kwaday Dan Ts'inchi', an aboriginal man whose remains were found in 1999 by hunters in Tatshenshini-Alsek Park, which is in the traditional territory of the Champagne and Aishihik First Nations.
Kwaday Dan Ts'inchi' means Long Ago Person Found, and he's believed to have died some time between the years 1670 and 1850. His remains were revealed after a glacier started to recede.
Since the discovery, scientists have been studying all facets of the man, including his clothes, tools, migratory patterns, even the contents of his stomach. But it's the DNA link to living people that has created the biggest stir.
While the work on the human DNA project has opened new doors and work will continue on establishing a fuller family tree, Long Ago Person Found's living relatives said they finally have the opportunity to give their "ancestor" a proper burial.
Of the 17 people linked through DNA, 15 self-identify with the Wolf Clan, meaning the young man was most likely Wolf as well.
You can read more in a story by Murray Langdon in the Globe and Mail at http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080428.wbcfrozen28/BNStory/National/home.
Comment: Reporter Murray Langdon uses the words "ancestor" and "descendant" a bit too liberally in his article. There is no proven line of descent from this man. While he undoubtedly was a relative of the 17 living people, there is no documentation to prove that he was an ancestor.
