This supports the broader argument that the initial dispersal of people along the Pacific coast of the Americas — if the coastal route hypothesis is correct — was accomplished by people with already-developed maritime capabilities, not by terrestrial hunters discovering the coast for the first time.

The Archaeological Context of the Cave: Beyond the Human Remains

The significance of On Your Knees Cave to the archaeology of the Alexander Archipelago extends beyond the single remarkable set of human remains that gave it its primary fame.

The cave’s sediment record contained a broader range of materials that contribute to understanding the paleontological and archaeological history of Prince of Wales Island.

The faunal material from the cave includes the remains of multiple species of terrestrial mammals that provide a record of the island’s past ecology.