Eight years of partnership with Coast Tsimshian First Nations on genomic research

Summary

In 2008 a partnership was established with the Coast Tsimshian to use genomics as a novel avenue of research to learn about the population and evolutionary history of these First Nations. Community based research methods were used as a way to establish research goals that were respectful and mutually beneficial to all parties. Through this partnership we have been able to gain insight into the present-day and ancestral Coast Tsimshian genetic structure. Specifically, we have demonstrated a close genetic affinity between present-day members of the Coast Tsimshian community and ancestors through paleogenomics analysis of human skeletal remains from the Prince Rupert Harbour region. We have also showed how ancient peoples of that region adapted to their environments prior to European contact. We estimate the decrease in effective population size as a result of the well-known population decline due, in part, to the introduction of novel pathogens.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)   •
• Tsimshian Archaeology: 50 Years of Research and 10,000 years of History

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 16561