Nunalleq Archaeological Project
The Nunalleq Project is now taking applications for the 2024 Field Season. This year we will start field season, from June 17 – August 17, 2024. Museum Lab placements will be available between June 17 – September 01, 2024. Apply now to be part of our archaeological excavation and conservation lab on the Bering Sea coast of Alaska. We welcome both field school students and volunteers. Previous experience is helpful but not required. Find out more here, and click to follow our blog.
Overview
This year the University of Aberdeen, Université de Franche-Comté, and the Anchorage Museum will partner with the village corporation Qanirtuuq, Inc. and the Yup’ik village of Quinhagak on a large-scale archaeological project. Archaeological sites, as well as the modern infrastructure in the region, are threatened by melting permafrost and rising sea levels along the Bering Sea. This field season we will focus on excavating threatened parts of the Nunalleq site, a 17th century pre-contact Yup’ik village with exceptionally well-preserved organic remains. During the 2024 season, we will also be processing finds in a Quinhagak-based lab in the Nunalleq Museum.
This year the excavation season starts on June 17 and continues until August 17. Lab placements will be available from June 17 – September 01. Students who wish to receive field school credit must spend at least three weeks in Quinhagak.
We invite applications for a place on the excavation or in the lab. You can apply either as a field school student or a volunteer. You will gain field experience in the Alaskan bush and be part of an exciting research project, working in close partnership with the Yup’ik descendant community to save their threatened heritage.
Research
This field season we will focus on rescue archaeology, working on sections of a 17th century house directly threatened by marine erosion brought on by the combined effects of climate change.
During the 2024 season, we will also be processing the finds in a Quinhagak based conservation lab located in the Nunalleq Museum, which houses the extensive Nunalleq artifact collection.
The Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta is the size of Britain, yet the prehistory of the Yup’ik people who live there remains very poorly known. Our excavation at Nunalleq is the largest ever done in the area and the material we recover are providing the first detailed look at the prehistory of this very significant culture area.
Artefacts and features at the Nunalleq site are spectacular and abundant. The combination of permafrost and moist soil conditions have preserved wood, fur, bark, claws and other organic materials and are giving us an remarkably clear view of pre-contact Yup’ik culture. At least 80% of the artefacts we recover will be made from wood and will need special care in handling and recording. Digging at this site will demand a good deal of care and attention to detail. It is also likely to produce some of the most remarkable finds of your archaeological career.
For 2024 we will continue excavation on a semi-subterranean turf house. Careful mapping of all the finds will help us determine what kinds of activities went on in various areas of the dwelling. Working with our partners in Quinhagak, we combine locally based traditional knowledge with academic research methods to reconstruct the prehistoric roots of modern Yup’ik culture.
This field season we will focus on rescue archaeology, working on sections of a 17th century house directly threatened by marine erosion brought on by the combined effects of climate change.
During the 2024 season, we will also be processing the finds in a Quinhagak based conservation lab located in the Nunalleq Museum, which houses the extensive Nunalleq artifact collection.
The Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta is the size of Britain, yet the prehistory of the Yup’ik people who live there remains very poorly known. Our excavation at Nunalleq is the largest ever done in the area and the material we recover are providing the first detailed look at the prehistory of this very significant culture area.
Artefacts and features at the Nunalleq site are spectacular and abundant. The combination of permafrost and moist soil conditions have preserved wood, fur, bark, claws and other organic materials and are giving us an remarkably clear view of pre-contact Yup’ik culture. At least 80% of the artefacts we recover will be made from wood and will need special care in handling and recording. Digging at this site will demand a good deal of care and attention to detail. It is also likely to produce some of the most remarkable finds of your archaeological career.
For 2024 we will continue excavation on a semi-subterranean turf house. Careful mapping of all the finds will help us determine what kinds of activities went on in various areas of the dwelling. Working with our partners in Quinhagak, we combine locally based traditional knowledge with academic research methods to reconstruct the prehistoric roots of modern Yup’ik culture.
Conservation Lab
For 2024, lab work will be undertaken parallel to the excavation. Experience a collaborative approach to conservation, one where the direct descendants and community are stewards of the cultural belongings being excavated. Experienced lab staff and museum conservation professionals will work with the material, together with Quinhagak residents. Processing the artifacts will start immediately, including cleaning, conserving, and cataloging. Each day, the finds from the previous excavation day will need to be treated, allowing students and volunteers the opportunity to work on a wide variety of materials. These range from grass baskets, wooden artifacts and fragile pottery to lithics and faunal remains – each requiring different methods of cleaning and conservation. Lab personnel will also prepare material for the annual community workshop, or “Show & Tell” where the most interesting finds of the year will be on display.
Daily Routine
Camp Life
Housing will be in a large Quonset style building in the village of Quinhagak. Beds and foam mattresses are provided, however you should plan to bring your own sleeping bag.
Corporation red building has coin operated showers, washers, and dryers.
Breakfast and dinner will be served in camp and lunches will be packed and eaten in the field. There are a few showers with hot water and laundry facilities located in the village a short distance from the accommodation. Camp staff will prepare dinner but you should be prepared to help out as needed with camp chores as they arise. We will have a rolling schedule for doing dishes etc. This is not a hotel but a community-based research project and we are all part of making it a success.
Expect occasional foul weather, mosquitoes, and outdoor toilets, there will also be abundant wildlife and one of the best fishing streams in Alaska on your doorstep. Fresh salmon will be on the menu.
Please bring vitamins, personal hygiene, and favorite personal snacks. There is also a large and well stocked grocery store in Quinhagak.
Participating in the Nunalleq project is an experience of a lifetime! Ask questions; camp staff will give you good advice about staying safe, warm and comfortable.
Getting There
For the 2024 field season students and volunteers are expected to arrange and pay for their own round-trip airfare. Participants are expected to commit to at least 1-week of fieldwork. For fieldwork credit, participants are required to commit 3-weeks. Participants should plan to arrive/depart from Quinhagak on Saturdays.
Book your tickets to Anchorage, then to Bethel, the hub-city for the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta. Please note that staying overnight in Bethel is expensive, and that it can be hard to find accommodation. It is therefore advisable to arrive in Bethel on the morning or early afternoon flight, so you can be sure to catch a plane to Quinhagak the same day. Likewise, make sure to book your ticket back from Bethel in the afternoon to give you time to fly out from Quinhagak in the morning. However, the best laid plans. Please be aware that weather can sometimes interfere with travel schedules, so prepare to be flexible.
You fly from Bethel to Quinhagak with:
>> Grant Aviation (flygrant.com). You can book your tickets ahead or purchase your Bethel-Quinhagak tickets in Bethel. It costs c. US $466 to fly return Bethel-Quinhagak.
OTHER AIRLINE OPTIONS:
>> Yute Air: yutebethel.com
>> Fox Air foxairalaska.com
(Charter service with 5-6 other participants)
>> Renfro Alaskan Adventures renfrosalaskanadventures.com
(Charter service with 5-6 other participants)
Upon arrival in Bethel airport, you will jump into the Grant Aviation van, which will take you to the Grant terminal. From Bethel you will board a small plane to Quinhagak where you either will be met at the airport or take the aviation van into town – asked to be dropped off at the Corporation red building.
Email your travel itineraries to Lynn Marie Church (lchurch@nalaquq.com) and Sean Gleason (sgleason@nalaquq.com) when you have booked your tickets, so we know when to expect you. If there are any changes to your travel plans, make sure to contact us by email and/or mobile phone (see contact information).
Applications
Students
The advanced field school is open to students in archaeology, anthropology, or heritage studies presently affiliated with a university. You can apply for a place on the excavation team, or the conservation lab, or both. Regardless of your primary choice, you will be given opportunities to work in both the lab and the excavation. There are a limited number of places available, with priority given to motivated and experienced applicants.
- The cost for the field school will includes academic credit (variable) plus 1,000 USD per week to cover room, meals and local ground transportation.
- We ask that participants commit to a minimum of three weeks to receive field school credit.
To complete an application, complete the form at the bottom of this page. We ask that you also attach a cover letter stating the reasons for applying and a CV/Resume detailing any relevant experience.
Please apply before tentative April 16, 2024.
Volunteers
If you have an interest in Alaskan archaeology, artefact conservation or community heritage work, you are very welcome to join our crew as a volunteer. You can volunteer both in the field and in the conservation lab. No experience is necessary. Volunteers will be given assignments according to their abilities. There are a limited number of places, with priority given to those who can demonstrate a genuine interest in archaeology/heritage.
- The cost for volunteers is 1,000 USD per week. This includes room, meals and local ground transportation.
- We ask that volunteers commit to a minimum of one week.
Applications must be completed, along with attaching a cover letter stating the reasons for applying and a CV/Resume detailing any relevant experience.
Please apply before tentative April 10th, 2024. However, note that applications will be assessed continuously, and that a limited number of placements are available. In your cover letter, please let us know the date when you would like to arrive and for how many weeks you intend to stay if accepted.