RAPID: Emergency Excavation of Eroding Structure, Walakpa, Alaska

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This is a RAPID project to fund salvage archaeological excavations on the Walakpa (Ualiqpaa) archaeological site, an important site located on the North Slope of Alaska about 12 miles south of Barrow. This project will support a partial excavation of the structure that has been recently exposed in the current erosion face at Walakpa, and allow for emergency stabilization and limited preliminary analysis of the resulting collections. The excavation will take place as soon as possible, as part of the structure is endangered by slumping of the bluff due to thawing of permafrost, as well as disturbance by the many curious recreational visitors. It will almost certainly be lost with the first big fall storm of the 2013 season. The construction details and architecture will be documented, as will the distribution of artifacts. Samples will be taken for C14 dating, macrobotanical and wood analysis, as appropriate. Given the urgency of the situation, the research project focus will be on excavating the undercut and thawing portions of the structure and underlying cultural strata, if present, to avoid further disruptive collapse first, and then proceed with excavation of as much of the remaining structure and associated midden as time and funds allow. Since the immediately available time and funds will most likely not be sufficient to excavate the entire structure, excavations will be carried out so that the site can be stabilized and protected when excavations are forced to terminate for the season, with the intention that additional funds can be obtained for complete excavation and analysis.