Temyiq Tuyuryaq: Collaborative Archaeology the Yupiit Way

Western Washington University, Bellingham WA

Investigators

Abstract

This project is an excellent illustration that archaeological inquiry in North America inherently intersects with Native American peoples and interests. In addition, it provides a deeper understanding of human experience and adaptation during several periods of socio-environmental change during the last 2000 years. This project builds a unique partnership between an Alaska Native community, an Alaska Native archaeologist and students at Bates College to explore an important archaeological site in Southwest Alaska, Temyiq Turyuraq (Old Togiak). The site was evaluated as simply a midden (village dump) by archaeologists in 1960. In 2015 and 2017, working closely with the Togiak community, including Bates undergraduates, Togiak Elders, and village students, the site was mapped with a variety of geophysical methods and reanalyzed and found to contain more than 70 traditional-style residential structures. In addition, this site was found to have been occupied for more than 2000 years up to the present, as represented by the Yup'ik community of Tuyuryaq (Togiak), a community comprised of more than 800 residents. Drawing unique insights from community members the project will address questions such as demography, cultural continuity, development of adaptive behaviors during climate instability and inter/intra village relationships. This award will support a long-term collaborative archaeological project with the community of Tuyuryaq (Togiak), Alaska. This project redefines the cultural landscape utilizing a developing field of Indigenous archaeology with the specific community-based approach, placing value and focus on community while contributing to a better understanding of a coastal sub-arctic village and the peoples' relationships to the landscape including plants and terrestrial and marine resources. This project will further develop knowledge coproduction methods between scientists and community members within an archaeological framework. This project takes a place-based inclusive approach that advances youth access to education in the sciences and beyond and supports a newly established cultural center which will curate the materials resulting from the research. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.