Geolinguistic Evidence of Dene Presence at High-water Levels of Glacial Lake Atna.

Geolinguistic Evidence of Dene Presence at High-water Levels of Glacial Lake Atna

James Kari, UAF

Kari (2019) introduces a theory of Na-Dene prehistory, "the Proto-Dene Lex Loci" that derives from Lexware dictionary files and cumulative place name for seven adjacent Alaska Dene languages. To investigate Dene prehistory in the Copper River and circum–Glacial Lake Atna (GLA) region, we discuss a selection of 67 Dene place names from seven Dene languages in four Alaska river basins. Dene geolinguistic data are information-rich; highly noticeable are various watershed tenure devices (hydronymic districts, patterned duplications, geoduplicates) that reflect ancient Dene vernacular collaborations to facilitate landscape recognition. As few as three Dene place names establish that the Dene occupation of Tanana River preceded the initial Dene names in the Copper River Basin. A group of about 20 Ahtna names termed "the Nen’ Yese’ Ensemble (NYE)" are overtly descriptive of the geology and hydrology at the Tyone Spillway. One subset of 9 to 10 names plausibly were coined during "a first season on the NYE" (starting at Hogan Hill, K'ey Tsaaygha). Another subgroup of 10 or 11 names has four pairs of patterned duplications that indicate spatial-temporal seriation. Plausibly this group of names were coined prior to, during, and after the names of the NYE (11,000 to 9000 years ago) in the time frame of the major GLA drainage shift. As geological, paleo-ecological records for GLA become refined, geo-temporal benchmarks may be attainable. Alaska Dene geolinguistic data sets can broaden interdisciplinary discussions of Alaska and Beringian prehistory. James Kari, UAF [e-mail]

More info:
The Resilience of Dene Generative Geography - Alaska Journal of Anthropology Vol17,1-2, 2019