Nun cho ga tickets

Wednesday, May 29, 2024

6:00 p.m.

Mueller Center

Hot Springs, SD

This is a free event; however, reservations are required due to limited seating.

A mummified baby woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius) was discovered in the Klondike region of Yukon, Canada in the summer of 2022. This is the best preserved North American mammoth yet discovered, owing to its rapid burial and permafrost preservation, and is of similar quality to the exceptional specimens from Siberia such as Lyuba and Dima. Placer gold miners made the discovery while mechanically stripping frozen Pleistocene sediments that overlies the valley-bottom, gold-bearing gravel on Eureka Creek. The discovery and rapid recovery of Nun cho ga was made possible because of the strong relationship between Yukon government scientists and the mining industry. This collaboration has also allowed a detailed record of the stratigraphic, paleoecological and geological setting of the site.

The mammoth was appropriately named by the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in First Nation, Nun cho ga, meaning ‘Big animal baby’ in the Hän language. They have also assumed a guardianship role of this mammoth, and importantly, introduced Indigenous spirituality to the discovery.

This talk will detail the discovery of Nun cho ga, our current understanding of the mammoth, the landscape it inhabited, and its mechanism of preservation. Importantly it will highlight how the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in First Nation is guiding Nun cho ga’s future and providing leadership for the care of ancient animals. Finally, a summary of the ongoing research collaboration will be outlined, along with our plan to leave a legacy of inspiration for future generations.