The Tragedy and Triumph of America’s First Born
Ancient Graves in Alaska Tell the Story of Twin Brothers
According to reports from the National Science Foundation, the recent archaeological discovery of the graves of two infants in Alaska has prompted researchers to conclude that this could lead to a new understanding of ancient people’s perception of death and burial. The 11,000 year old graves of two infants, possibly twin brothers, were disturbed during an excavation in Alaska, and the teeth and a few other remnants of the infants represent the youngest people ever discovered in the ancient Arctic. At least one of the infants had been cremated, and both were laid to rest with stone tools as their burial belongings. The chiseled stone points that accompanied the remains of the infants were strikingly reminiscent of another collection of ancient tools found at a similar gravesite in south-central Montana. The 1968 disturbance of the 10,600 year-old remains of a toddler boy, who was buried with over 118 stone and bone Clovis tools, indicated that ancient Americans believed strongly in ceremonial interment, and this more recent unearthing further demonstrates that point.
As a member of the Apsaalooke Tribe, and as a professional educator and historian, these ancient and richly endowed graves that were dedicated to very young children are not surprising or puzzling to me. In most traditional tribal cultures, the extended family, and in particular children and elders, are cherished. Despite the fact that all tribal communities in the Americas suffered catastrophic loss during the age of colonization, the remnants of that cultural heritage is still alive today, and is manifested throughout Indian Country in many ways; most of which are on display at every community event, including ceremonies, family reunions, and traditional dances, aka pow-wows. Elders are always given special care at tribal gatherings, and children are never excluded from participation. Celebrating the beauty of tribal culture and the strength of tribal families is still common in the 21st century, surviving in the face of the many social problems that continue to plague Indian communities. I believe that the roots of these earliest values are reflected in these ancient burials.
Theoretical speculation abounds about what the Indians were thinking when they placed important objects in the ground with deceased babies and covered them permanently. A growing strand of conventional wisdom says that the valuable tools included within the graves demonstrated that ancient Americans believed in an afterlife, in which these young lives would continue to grow and survive. Ostensibly, the afterlife required stone weapons, and the boys’ families wanted them to have those tools at his disposal, thus they respected the circles of life and death by behaving with good faith and true intention. This conjecture about the meaning behind the
Project Archaeology is immensely proud of our friend, tribal consultant, and fellow curriculum writer and teacher, Dr. Shane Doyle, Apsáalooke, who is an educational and cultural consultant from Crow Agency, Montana. He was asked to serve as the tribal liaison for the repatriation (reburial) of the Anzick child. Dr. Doyle is a colleague of Crystal Alegria (Montana Coordinator) and Jeanne Moe (Project Archaeology Director). He is an inspiring educator who started his career teaching 4th and 5th grade in Lodge Grass, Montana and now holds a masters in Native American Studies and a PhD in Ecu. Throughout his news appearances and lectures he provides 
