SGER: Reconnaissance of Archaeological Sites at Point Hope: Prehistory and History of the Tikigaq Polity

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This is a Small Grant for Exploratory Research to support a field reconnaissance of prehistoric/historic settlements at Point Hope in northwest Alaska. The project is designed to collect information on three sites (Ipiutak, Qimiarzuq, and Tikigaq) which will be used to plan a future large-scale investigation of the history of the Tikigaq polity. Relatively little is known of the earlier history of the latter, which became one of the largest and most important political entities in northwest Alaska during the Second Millennium AD. The reconnaissance will entail 12-14 days in the field for the PI, collaborator (Owen Mason), and a student assistant from Point Hope, beginning in late August 2005. A primary objective is the identification of midden deposits containing intact stratigraphy that would be the focus of the future excavation. Sediment samples collected at the three sites would be sent to the co-PI (Scott Elias) and a geoarchaeologist (Paul Goldberg) for preliminary analyses of insect remains and soil micromorphology, respectively. The PI is proposing a unique collaboration with the local community and their representatives - Native Village of Point Hope, the field reconnaissance will be conducted with current residents of Point Hope, and would build a working relationship among the participants that is essential to the larger future project. This project will allow the research team to go to Point Hope and consult with the local community in person, a critical step doing research in the Arctic.