Elder Knowledge and Ceramic Production: Ethnoarchaeological and Experimental Techniques for Evaluating and Reconstructing the Manufacture and Meaning of Pottery in Western Alaska

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The proposed research is to undertake ethno-archaeological and experimental investigation on ceramic manufacture in the Southwest region of Alaska to better understand the social, economic, and environmental context of indigenous pottery production. The pottery of this region is of particular interest because of its unrefined character and the fact that it was utilized among mobile hunter-gatherers - a very rare occurrence, pottery being primarily adopted for use by sedentary groups. The proposal, which at its core is based on archaeological theory, is unique in two ways: a) the design involves interviewing local people to gain insight into archaeological phenomenon, b) the PI will do experiments to better understand the production and use of the ceramics.