Changes in Underground Food Storage Traditions: Exploring Food Life-History and Food Security in Beringian Communities

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This project addresses Indigenous food security in Alaska through the study of subterranean food caches in three Alaska Native communities. Underground food storage and preservation are critical to subsistence and food security for many Alaska Native households. However, permafrost thaw and subsidence are causing many caches to collapse or flood. Employing community-based participatory research, the PI team will document current and past use of food caches ethnographically and identify emerging food storage and preservation challenges. The condition and integrity of existing caches will be assessed using environmental science methods. This mixed-methods project employs both ethnographic methods and environmental science data collection and analysis. Members of the research team will conduct participant observation and oral history interviews in three Alaska Native villages with traditions of underground storage. With community assistance, caches will be identified and documented. The condition of select caches will be monitored to detect subsidence and to measure temperature, humidity, and rate of permafrost thaw. Bio- and geochemical analyses will enable researchers to characterize permafrost composition and hydrology. The project team will work with community partners to interpret project findings and develop outreach materials such as booklets, posters, and classroom curricula. Results will also be disseminated via conference presentations and peer-reviewed articles.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.