Tugidak Archaeology

 

Documenting a newly discovered archaeological site

This is my final Tugidak Island Survey post - and it is basically my last few archaeology 'in action' pictures.  I actually summarized what we found pretty well on my first post (click here for post).  But I still had lots of pictures to show - hence the final post.  Basically we found 31 new sites and checked on another 7 or so already known sites.  

The most striking thing about the survey is that the island has such a dynamic coastline that it is very difficult to visualize and predict where sites would have been located - basically to visualize the good spots to find sites.  So we had to survey everywhere.  And we found sites in what today looks like some very unlikely spots a long ways from the ocean.  But that back in the day were once perfectly located on the coast.

Another thing that surprised me, and that we also found on neighboring Sitkinak Island too, is that the tiniest little salmon streams had sites on their banks a long ways inland.  Elsewhere on the archipelago, on all but the largest rivers, you only find sites either at the mouth or at the outlet to an inland lake.

Patrick

Keller in a dune buggy used by seal hunters to get around the island in the early 1970's

checking on an eroding shell midden

Survey old beach ridge - this was a beach not so long ago!

A 500 year old village that was once also on the ocean

Severely eroding village site - this was the main village on the island in AD 1800

Molly maps a site

A HUGE village site along a tiny creek

Artifact - a line weight of some sort?

Structure depression with a big wall berm - this might have been a qasgiq or ceremonial house

A 1500 year old village site that today is a long ways from the sea