Latest news with #Athabascans
Yahoo
25-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
DAVID DIXON: What's in a name?
By David Dixon Recently, President Trump decided to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. That's got a nice ring to it and is much more descriptive of this body of water; however, it has been the Gulf of Mexico for a long time. This recent particular change has created some furor, because, as one of my friends put it, 'history matters.' I agree. Mt. McKinley was recently renamed Mt. Denali by President Obama, never mind that it had been named Mt. McKinley since the 1890s (officially in 1917). Now it's back to Mt. McKinley courtesy of President Trump. The mountain has been called Dinali by the local Athabascans for a very long time. So, fair enough, let's change it back to Denali, and while we are at it, let's go back to the Gulf of Mexico. After all, history matters. Let's not stop there. Here's what I propose: We the people agree that we change those names back to Denali and Mexico, and, since history matters, will also agree to change back all the sports teams once named Indians and related native names like Redmen, Redskins, and the Fighting Sioux (always loved that one). Bring back Chief Wahoo and Chief Noc-a-homa, too. These names were always meant to be complimentary, not insulting. Notice, by the way, we still have the Seminoles, Chippewa, Fighting Illini, Braves, and a few other organizations and schools with Native American names whose officials decided this name changing was ridiculous. My personal favorite nickname is the Battling Bishops of Ohio Wesleyan, but there is also the Demon Deacons. Are those too sacrilegious? Do you think the Cajuns are unhappy with the Ragin' Cajuns nickname? Unlikely. No one even bats an eye on the European nickname references like the Vandals, Britons, Saxons, Scots, Gaels, Vikings, Spartans, Trojans, and, oh yes, the Fighting Irish. My alma mater, Valdosta State, once had the name Rebels until 1972. We currently have Ole Miss and Nevada-Las Vegas with the Rebel moniker, so let's throw out the Blazers and go back to the Rebels. After all, history matters. Of course, we can't leave out the military bases either. So let's change back those names to Ft. Gordon, Fort A.P. Hill, Fort Benning, Fort Hood, Fort Lee, Fort Pickett, Fort Polk and Fort Rucker. We also can't leave off the list the cruiser USS Chancellorsville, which was changed by President Biden in 2023 to the Robert Smalls. After all, history matters. What about the Flint River here in Georgia? Well, that would get tricky, because it has been called Thronateeska, Hionotiskahachi, Rio de Capachequi, or Rio Perdernales way before it became the Flint. I'm sticking with the Flint on this one. Let's go closer to home with Radium Springs. Like all springs in south Georgia and Florida, it had a Native American name. The English translation was Skywater. I'm probably going to botch this, but I looked up how to spell and pronounce 'skywater' in Muscogee. Most online references have the word for sky as 'sutv' where the 'u' is pronounced as in the word 'put' and the 'v' as in the word 'cup.' The 's' and 't' are just like in the English language. Water is spelled three different ways. I am using this one: 'owv.' The 'o' is a long o as in oboe. The 'w' is pronounced as the w in the word 'way,' and the 'v' as above. So Skywater in Muscogee could have been 'Sutvowv.' Confusing? Regardless, this name was changed to Blue Springs by early white settlers and then to Radium Springs in 1925 by developer Baron Collier. Should we go back to Sutvowv? My point here is that this constant changing of names can be pointless, petty and endless. Stop all this nonsense. We have much more important things to care about. David Dixon is a local historian and waterman.
Fox News
05-02-2025
- Science
- Fox News
1,000-year-old food storage pit discovered in Alaska
A cache pit dating back about 1,000 years was discovered in Alaska last year, military officials recently revealed — providing a glimpse into the food storage methods of the past. Archaeologists from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson (JBER), Northern Land Use Research Alaska and area tribal councils uncovered the birchbark-lined cache pit along Upper Cook Inlet in June, according to a Dec. 6 news release from the Alaska military complex where the discovery was made. Cache pits are like root cellars. They were used to preserve fish, meat and berries, archaeologist Elizabeth Ortiz said. "The caches were dug into well-drained soils and lined with birchbark and layers of grasses to preserve food and are rarely discovered intact," Ortiz said, according to the news release. Initial radiocarbon dating revealed that the food storage pit was used about 1,000 years ago. The pit was found along a trail well-known to have been used by the region's indigenous Dene people. It measured about 3½ deep, researchers said. Dene, or Athabascan, is a language group stretching from the Alaska interior through Canada and into the American Southwest, according to the release. Athabascans, including Dena'ina and Ahtna people, are Dene speakers. "This is the oldest known site on the east side of Upper Cook Inlet and further substantiates Dena'ina and Ahtna oral traditions that JBER and the surrounding area have been used for a very long time," archaeologist and JBER cultural resource manager Margan Grover said. Most of the site was demolished by the military in 1942, Grover said. Yet the pit and its intact birchbark lining was one of the few undisturbed features left at the Dene site. "We are testing to determine what types of food were stored in the cache." Samples of the intact bark lining were used to test the age and contents of the pit. "Additional radiocarbon and stable isotope tests could yield new and significant information about the history of Upper Cook Inlet," Ortiz said. "We are also testing to determine what types of food were stored in the cache." Preliminary findings indicate the cache was used to store moose or caribou meat. "People came to this area in the spring and would stay through the summer to catch and preserve salmon," according to the release. Grover called the discovery "an opportunity for people to understand who the Dene of Knik Arm are and how their ancestors lived on the land that is now JBER and Anchorage."
