Contrary to stereotypes of proto-Athapaskan culture as simplistic and archaic, evidence points to a sophisticated web of late prehistoric Asian-Athapaskan interactions. A holistic assessment of Athapaskan migrations in the context of the transpacific Dene-Yeneseian phylum (the largest, fastest pedestrian language spread on earth) sees Athapaskan-Asian connections (in language, technology, DNA, social organization, etc.) as reflecting profound large-scale cultural-historical processes whose implications have yet to be grasped. Current understanding is that Athapaskans slowly migrated south in response to volcanic eruptions in southwest Yukon Territory after circa 200 and 800 CE. Yet problems remain, notably the archaeological invisibility [...]
