I just got back from an archaeological survey of Aiaktalik Island. It was a successful survey. We found 9 new sites and documented an additional 4 sites that were already known.
The historic village of Aiaktalik is a HUGE site. When the Russians arrived it was the largest village in the entire archipelago. People lived there through the 1930's before moving to Akhiok and Kaguyak villages. There is a photo of the Russian Orthodox Church still standing from the late 1950's. We found the church foundation and took pictures of it at the same angle and aspect as the old photo of it. We also documented a number of other large villages on the island.
There were a lot of nesting birds - I've never seen so many jaegers before - and the barren, wide-open landscape was stunning.
Anyway, this is just a quick 'return from the field' post. More to come on the camping, landscape, wildlife and archaeology in subsequent posts.
Patrick
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