The world of science is made up of many different disciplines. In this research, the scientist is an anthropological archaeologist. Anthropology is the study of human cultures or learned behavior patterns of humans. Archaeology is the study of the ancient and recent human past through items that have been left behind. Archaeology is a part of the larger field of anthropology. In this research, the scientist studied the long-term history of Native Americans and First Nations of the Northwest Coast of North America, with a special focus on Tlingit (tliŋ kət) people. The Tlingit people lived along the Pacific Northwest coast and are an indigenous tribe of Alaska.

Because science incorporates many diverse research areas, many new and interesting ways are used to examine something. In this research, the scientist applied her knowledge of Tlingit people, anthropology, archaeology, and animals to a cave that was discovered in southeast Alaska.

Caves are a unique formation that are often found in karst landscapes. Karst is a geochemical landform from which caves and sinkholes are formed (figure 1).

Karst is made up of limestone and other soluble rocks. Limestone erodes easily, especially when groundwater or rainfall is slightly acidic. As limestone erodes, water seeps into the ground and further erodes the limestone underneath. This erosion forms caves as well as other features such as sinkholes and underground streams (figure 2a-2d).

In this study, the scientist was interested in a particular site, called Kit’n’Kaboodle, located on Western Dall Island in the Alexander Archipelago (är kə pe lə gō) (figure 3).

An archipelago is a group of islands. The cave is located in the Tongass National Forest and protected under Federal laws (figure 4).

Kit’n’Kaboodle Cave was discovered in 1992 by a team from the USDA Forest Service. This cave and others in this area contain remains that interest many different types of scientists. For example, paleontologists, biologists, and archaeologists all have interest in the remains left in these caves. Since 1993, the Tongass National Forest has supported interdisciplinary research to document the caves and the resources they contain.

The Tlingit people have many stories and beliefs about the land otter. The land otter, also known as the North American river otter, is a member of the weasel family (figure 5).

Traditionally, the Tlingit people believed that all animals had souls and were once people. They believed that land otters had supernatural power. Some Tlingit people believed that land otters could transform into people, and people could transform into land otters. The land otters were deeply respected and feared. The Tlingit people primarily avoided the land otter. However, the spiritual leaders of the Tribe, shamans, sought out the land otters. The land otter was a strong spirit helper for the shaman.

The scientist in this study was interested in learning about whether the Kit’n’Kaboodle site was occupied by land otters at times when people were not present. The scientist also wanted to know if the shells and animal bones left by people differ from the shells and animal bones left by land otters. Additionally, the scientist studied whether land otter behavior affected the beliefs of Tlingit people about the
land otter.

The Kit’n’Kaboodle site is located at the head of Gold Harbor. Gold Harbor is a bay on Dall Island that is largely sheltered from the heavy storms and surf that are present on the outer coast of the island. The cave has at least four entrances. Three of these entrances show evidence of humans having lived there, including the remains of large fish like halibut or salmon, larger mammals, and bird remains (figure 6).

During 3 field trips to the cave in 1994, 1996, and 1998, the scientist and her team collected 11 samples from 3 different areas in the site. The samples were about 1 gallon in size and contained shells, bones, and other material. These samples were taken to a lab for analysis.

A total of 5,035 bones were analyzed. The scientist identified which bones belonged to which animal. Living things are classified in the following way: Kingdom – Phylum – Class – Order – Family – Genus – Species (figure7).

For some of the bones, the scientist could make identifications to the genus or species level. She counted, weighed, and noted the age and any damage or modification to the bones. The scientist and her team took fine sediment and sifted it over fine-mesh screens. From this, they gathered small bones to be identified.

The team also observed land otter scat, remains of fish and birds, mussel shells, and physical evidence for the presence of land otters. The scientist knew that land otters like to be in areas that have steep, vegetated shorelines (figure 8).

Land otters like to be close to water but minimize exposure to predators by hiding in steep vegetated shoreline areas. In terms of food, land otters in this area ate fish and mussels (figure 9).

Since 1978, the scientist has worked with Tlingit people in Southeast Alaska. They taught her a lot about Tlingit culture, but she also studied many books and research papers about this culture. Additionally, the scientist learned from her colleagues who are also students of Tlingit culture.

Out of the 5,035 bones, the scientists identified bones from 71 vertebrate taxa including 44 fish, 18 birds, and 9 mammals. The bones were identified to the family, genus, or species level. From the samples, the most commonly identified animals were rockfish and Sitka black-tailed deer (figure 10).

However, harbor seal, sea otter, black bear, Pacific cod, lingcod, halibut, tufted puffin, common murre, and pelagic cormorant were also identified (figures 11 a-d). Some of these remains, such as halibut and harbor seal, would have been from humans using the cave as a shelter. Some of the smaller fish that occupy tidepools in the intertidal zone were only found in the areas with evidence of land otters.

The team found evidence of land otters at the site. The scat had broken down over time leaving mostly bones and shell fragments that the animal could not digest. They found scattered fish and bird bones as well as pieces of mussel shells. The scientists also noted the physical characteristics of the area surrounding the site. Steep vegetated slopes and overstory vegetation were found near the cave. Land otters would prefer the area because there were places to hide from predators, but still be close to the water.

The scientist and her team found evidence of both humans and land otters at the Kit’n’Kaboodle site. Based on what the team found at the site and the information gathered about the Tlingit people and land otters, the scientist made some inferences. The scientist inferred that the Tlingit people’s beliefs about the land otter may in part be due to the fact that the Tlingit people and the land otter shared the same living space, although occupied the space at different times. The Tlingit people developed a lot of knowledge of land otter behavior and activities. This knowledge helped form some of the Tlingit ideas and beliefs surrounding the land otter.