Human skull washed up in Kotzebue last month is ancient, village officials say

A human skull found in Kotzebue in October is ancient, with officials confirming it is not contemporary. The skull was discovered in an area formerly used as a burial site. Since the recent flooding, police said they received three reports of remains washing up on shore in the Kotzebue area.

Comment from Gemini:

The attached articles (See Also) provide context for understanding the discovery of the ancient skull in Kotzebue. Several observations document the powerful storms and resulting flooding in the region in October 2024 (e.g., "Fall storm damages houses in Kotzebue and Northwest Alaska villages," "Storm Submerges Kotzebue"). These storms likely contributed to the skull being unearthed and washing ashore. Furthermore, observations from St. Michael in 2022 and 2023 ("A year after the Merbok Storm: Impacts on Cemetery," "Storm Merbok causes erosion to cemetary") illustrate how storms and coastal erosion in Alaska are increasingly impacting burial sites and leading to the exposure of human remains. The 2015 observation from Utqiagvik ("Eroding Arctic coastline reveals human bones") underscores the long-term trend of coastal erosion revealing human remains due to climate change and increasingly powerful storms.The fact that the skull was found in Kotzebue's South Tent City area, a known former burial ground, and the previous discovery of remains during the 2013 runway expansion reinforce the likelihood that this is an ancient burial disturbed by natural processes, particularly given the recent storms. The police statement about multiple reports of remains washing ashore although the others were animal bones - further highlights the impact of the recent extreme weather. While this skull has been deemed ancient, the challenges faced in identifying remains and the ongoing search for missing individuals underscores the importance of careful examination and collaboration with local communities. Furthermore, it highlights the vulnerability of coastal communities to climate change impacts and the resulting need for archaeologists and other experts to collaborate on best practices with Alaska Native communities related to ancestral remains reburial. [See: https://uaf-iarc.org/news/protecting-alaska-native-ancestral-remains/ University of Alaska Fairbanks news article regarding Alaska Native ancestral remains.