Karst caves in Haida Gwaii: Archaeology and paleontology at the Pleistocene-Holocene transition

Abstract

Karst cave investigations in the south of Haida Gwaii have opened a small window on human and paleontological components of the early post-glacial landscape. At three cave locations (K1, Gaadu Din 1 and Gaadu Din 2) our investigations recovered a paleontological record extending from ca. 13,400 to 11,000 years ago and a small number of human artifacts dating from ca. 12,600 to 11,000 years ago. The animal bones recovered are dominated by black and brown bear remains, revealing that these caves were being used for winter dens. Other species present include deer, caribou, and salmon. Domestic dog remains with a direct radiocarbon age of 13,100 years ago are the earliest indicator of human presence from the cave assemblages, and are also the earliest known domestic dog remains reported on in the Americas. Brown bear and deer disappear from the paleontological record at the end of the Pleistocene, but other species persist into the Holocene, most of which continue to thrive on the islands to this day, with the exception of caribou which were extirpated in the early 20th Century. The stone tools that we found are predominately spearpoints and fragments thereof, which were used to hunt denning bears. Additional stone tool types from the Gaadu Din Caves reveal that they were occasionally used by humans as temporary shelters. As sea level was lower than today between 13,400 and 11,000 years ago, the caves provide an alternative target for late Pleistocene archaeological prospection that does not involve subtidal work. Our research demonstrates that karst caves on Haida Gwaii provided ecological and cultural focal points during the early post-glacial period. These caves remained sufficiently stable to preserve the residues of activities including bear denning and bear hunting. With the commencement of the Holocene, the record of animal and human use of the three caves diminishes.