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Tübingen Early Prehistory and Quaternary Ecology Prize for Briana Doering’s detailed new picture of early migration from Alaska
The Tübingen Early Prehistory and Quaternary Ecology Prize this year goes to Briana N. Doering, assistant professor at the University of Wyoming, USA. The distinction honors her thesis with the title “Evaluating the Social and Environmental Processes of the Athabascan Migration.” The thesis examines the circumstances surrounding the migration of Dene/Athabascan populations from Alaska and the Yukon as far south as Arizona, some 1500 years ago. The jury praised the study as an example of rigorous hypothesis testing using multiple different analytic methods, guided by an explicit theoretical framework.
Briana Doering received her B.A. in Anthropology from Barnard College of Columbia University, then moved on to the University of Michigan, where she earned her M.A. in Anthropological Archaeology in 2016 and Ph.D. in 2020. She is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Wyoming. Her main research area is in Alaska, working on topics such as migration, indigenous archaeology, human-animal relationships, spatial organization, resilience and adaptation.
Doering used archaeological, linguistic, genetic and oral history data in her doctoral thesis to develop a new theory regarding the migration of Dene/Athabascan populations. For many decades it was believed that a volcanic eruption drove Dene/Athabascan people away from their homes and into new environments, thousands of kilometers away. Dr. Doering challenges the very premise of the explanation, noting that archaeologists are quick to see environmental factors as catalyzing major change. Dr. Doering hypothesizes that social factors such as group reorganization related to the kinship structure led to population growth and the eventual migration of Dene/Athabascan groups south.
Dr. Doering excavated four archaeological sites with five time components marking before and after the volcanic eruption. At each of the sites she conducted a thorough lithic analysis to see if and how tool production and raw material selection changed. She also analyzed isotopes from lipids from hearths and integrated these data with information from fauna studies to understand the composition of the human diets at that time. She carried out a large metadata analysis from two huge radiocarbon databases (one from the US and one from Canada) to see how landscape use changed relative to the number and size of sites.
Overall, Dr. Doering found that leading up to the Dene/Athabascan migration, many changes had been gradually occurring over hundreds of years. Stone toolkits became more specialized and the populations intensified their use of both upland and lowland resources. Fishing became more important. Dr. Doering also explored the kinship structures of Dene/Athabascan groups, and determined that changes in social organization could explain the population growth.
The annual Early Prehistory and Quaternary Ecology Prize comes with 5000 euros in prize money and is sponsored by mineral water producer, EiszeitQuell. The prize is now in its 25th year.
The award will be presented on Thursday, February 2 2023, at 11 am in the Fürstenzimmer at Hohentübingen Castle (Burgsteige 11), Tübingen. Representatives of the media are welcome. Interviews with the prizewinner may be arranged.
Briana Doering will hold a lecture titled “Exploring early cooking traditions in Arctic North America via targeted excavations and molecular methods.” Further addresses will be made by the Dean of the Science Faculty, Professor Thilo Stehle; the director of Early Prehistory and Quaternary Ecology and chairman of the jury, Professor Nicholas Conard; as well as the representative of the Romina Mineralbrunnen company, Hannah Moosherr. The laudation will be held by Dr. Britt Starkovich from the Institute for Archaeological Sciences and the Senckenberg Center for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment) at the University of Tübingen.
Professor Nicholas Conard
University of Tübingen
Senckenberg Center for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment
Institute of Prehistory and Medieval Archaeology
Phone +49 7071 29-72416
nicholas.conard[at]uni-tuebingen.de
https://uni-tuebingen.de/de/88458
Prof. Briana N. Doering receives Tübingen Early Prehistory and Quaternary Ecology Prize 2023.
Photo: private
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