Laax̲aayík, near the glacier : indigenous history and ecology at Yakutat Fiord, Alaska / Aron L. Crowell.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Crowell, Aron, 1952-

Series:

Smithsonian contributions to anthropology no. 55.

Smithsonian contributions to anthropology ; number 55

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Yakutat (Alaska)--Antiquities.

Yakutat (Alaska).

Alaska Natives--History.

Alaska Natives.

Traditional ecological knowledge--Alaska, Southeast.

Traditional ecological knowledge.

Alaska Natives--Hunting--Alaska, Southeast.

Alaska, Southeast--History.

Alaska, Southeast.

Physical Description:

xx, 207 pages : illustrations, maps ; 28 cm.

Place of Publication:

Washington, D.C. : Smithsonian Scholarly Press, 2024.

Summary:

"Fiord glaciers of southern Alaska reshape landscapes as they advance and retreat in response to climate cycles, influencing coastal ecosystems by enriching marine food webs with minerals carried in meltwater and ice floes. On land, biodiverse forest ecosystems grow and mature as glaciers withdraw, connected to the sea by glacially fed rivers and lakes where salmon spawn. For millennia, Alaska Native peoples have lived and thrived in these highly productive cryogenic biomes, harvesting bounties of plant and animal foods by employing complex ecological knowledge, adaptive technologies, and lineage-based social patterns of cooperation and resource sharing. A longitudinal study of the 1,100-year cultural ecology of Yakutat fiord in Southeast Alaska was conducted during 2011-2014 by the Smithsonian Institution's Arctic Studies Center and the Yakutat Tlingit Tribe to document Little Ice Age glacial retreat; settlement of the emerging fiord by migrating Eyak, Ahtna, and Tlingit clans; and utilization of the fiord's marine and terrestrial habitats by past and present residents. Applying principles of knowledge coproduction, this study joins oral ecological and historical knowledge shared by members of the community with scientific data from archaeology, archaeofaunal analysis, marine and terrestrial ecology, glaciology, subsistence surveys, and historical archives. Information and cultural perspectives from interviews conducted in English and Lingit with community scholars, hunters, and artists are presented alongside results of archaeological investigations at former villages and camps dating from the thirteenth century to the 1960s. Special emphasis is placed on hunting and consumption of harbor seals (Phoca vitulina), a cultural focus and principal subsistence species throughout Yakutat history. The study demonstrates the centuries-long construction and modification of a cultural niche, or integrated human role, within the ecosystem of Yakutat fiord."

Contents:

List of figures

List of tables

Foreword / Judith Daxootsu Ramos

Preface

Introduction: Where glaciers meet the sea ; An indigenous ecoscape ; Archaeology and oral tradition ; Protocols for community-based research: Documenting oral knowledge ; Archaeological investigations ; Returning research

Ecology and Environmental History: Geography and glaciers ; Climate and glacial history ; Marine ecosystem ; Terrestrial ecosystem

People on the Land: History, Culture, and Ecological Knowledge: Yakutat history ; Historical demography ; Yakutat clans and territories ; Built environment ; Indigenous technology ; Traditional subsistence and seasonal round ; Contemporary subsistence and ecological knowledge: Species and quantities harvested ; Harvest areas and ecologically productive zones

Indigenous Knowledge of Harbor Seals: Seals and glacier spirits ; Harbor Seal consumption ; Harbor Seal biology and natural history ; Seal hunting methods: Open water hunting ; Seal hunting on shore ; Ice floe sealing at Disenchantment Bay ; Preparation and consumption of seals ; The future of seals and sealing

The Eyak Period, 900-1500 CE: Oral traditions ; Diyaaguna.Eit: The earliest Eyak Village: Site description ; Architecture ; Artifacts ; Faunal remains

Wulilaayi Ann: Daughter Village of Diyaaguna.Eit: Site description ; Artifacts ; Faunal remains

Spoon Lake 3: The first residents of Point Manby: Geomorphology and environmental setting ; Site description ; House 1 ; Midden Trench ; House 2 ; Artifacts ; Faunal remains ; Site discussion

Spoon Lake 2: Point Manby in the Late Eyak Period: Site description ; Discussion

The Ahtna Period, 1500-1700 CE: Oral traditions ; Place names and settlements ; Tlakw.Aan: Founding town of the Ahtna: Oral traditions ; Research history ; Site description ; 2014 Test Trench ; Radiocarbon dating ; Artifacts ; Faunal remains ; Site summary

North Knight Island Village: Oral tradition ; Site description ; Investigation in 2014 ; House 1 ; North Terrace Midden ; South Terrace Midden ; House 4 and House 5 ; Artifacts ; Faunal remains ; Site discussion.

The Tlingit Period, 1700-1900 CE: Oral traditions ; Documentary history ; Settlements and place names ; Diyaaguna.Eite during the Tlingit Period ; Wulilaayi Aan during the Tlingit Period ; Neix Hit Ta: An early Sealing camp: Oral traditions and history ; Site description ; Discussion

Laaxaa Ta: The "Old Sealing Camp": Oral traditions and history ; Site description ; Discussion

Keik'Uliyaa: Disenchantment Bay Sealing Camp: History and oral tradition ; Designation of the Keik'uliyaa Site ; Subcamp 1 ; Subcamp 2 ; Subcamp 3 ; Beach Terrace ; Artifacts: Firearms ; Artifacts: Metal fasteners and parts ; Artifacts: Household containers and food service ; Artifacts: Clothing, jewelry, and accessories ; Artifacts: Toys ; Indigenous artifacts ; Faunal remains ; Site discussion ; Community perspectives on the research at Keik'uliyaa

Woogaani Ye: A Twentieth-Century Sealing Camp: Oral tradition ; Site description ; Artifacts ; Discussion

A Human Role in the Ecosystem: Environmental and ecological change ; Niche construction through time: Eyak Period (900-1500 CE) ; Ahtna Period (1500-1700 CE) ; Tlingit Period (1700-1900 CE) ; Contemporary role in the ecosystem ; Conclusion

Acknowledgments

References

Index.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 193-200) and index.

OCLC:

1493170227