Cut marks on a mandible in the specific locations identified in the Bluefish Caves specimen are consistent with the removal of the tongue — the large, muscular tongue of a horse is a substantial source of food, and its removal requires running a cutting tool along the interior surface of the lower jaw to sever the muscles that attach the tongue to the mandible.

Cut marks in this anatomical location, with the orientations consistent with this activity, are a specific signature of tongue removal.

Tongue removal is a common component of the butchery record at archaeological sites throughout the world.

It is an activity that makes particular sense for a group processing a large carcass: the tongue is nutrient-rich, relatively easy to remove with a cutting tool, and can be consumed quickly or stored and transported easily.

It is exactly the kind of resource that a person processing a horse carcass in the cold Yukon would prioritize.