JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — A fragment of a mask that was preserved for hundreds of years in permafrost sat in the muck of a low tide in the western Alaska community of Quinhagak. Wooden spoons, toys, a fishing lure and other artifacts were strewn, in some cases for miles, along the beach.
The Yup'ik community near the edge of the Bering Sea was spared the widespread devastation wrought by the remnants of Typhoon Halong on its neighbors further west earlier this month. However, it suffered a different kind of blow: The lashing winds and storm surge devoured dozens of feet of shoreline, disrupting a culturally significant archaeological site and washing away possibly thousands of unearthed artifacts.
Approximately 1,000 pieces, including wooden masks and tools, were recovered in Quinhagak after the storm ravaged parts of southwest Alaska on October 11 and 12. Nevertheless, many more pieces — perhaps up to 100,000 — were left scattered, said Rick Knecht, an archaeologist who has worked on the Nunalleq, or old village, project for 17 years.
Knecht termed the situation a major loss. The site has yielded the world’s largest collection of pre-contact Yup’ik artifacts. Much of what is known about Yup’ik life before outsiders arrived stems from the project, Knecht noted, serving as an emeritus senior lecturer in archaeology at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland.
“When there are holes or disturbances in the site, it’s like trying to read a book with holes in the pages. You’re going to miss a few things,” he explained. “And the bigger those holes are, the weaker the story gets. There are a few holes in the book right now.”
While the name of the original village remains unknown, records indicate it was attacked by another village and burned around 1650. Knecht has collaborated with elders and other community members in Quinhagak to combine traditional knowledge with contemporary archaeology methods to study the past.
Quinhagak, home to about 800 residents, relies heavily on subsistence food gathering. The storm has spread artifacts from a permafrost-preserved site, highlighting ongoing concerns regarding climate change — including melting permafrost, coastal erosion, and increasing storm frequency and intensity. Erosion poses risks to critical infrastructure in Quinhagak, including a sewage lagoon, homes, and fishing camps.
The excavation project began around 2007 after artifacts started appearing on the beach, with significant portions of the site previously excavated and others left for later exploration due to marine erosion risks.
“There was a big chunk where we'd only gone about halfway down and left it for later because we prioritized parts of the site most at risk,” Knecht said.
After the storm, Knecht noted that the buffer between the ocean and the site had narrowed from roughly 30 feet to none, leaving behind clumps of tundra. “I didn’t recognize the site at first after Halong,” he remarked.
Preservation efforts for the rescued artifacts involve soaking marine salts from the wood and utilizing chemicals to maintain structural integrity during drying. Directly removing wooden artifacts from the beach could lead to cracking within hours.
An onsite museum lab houses the artifacts, and archaeologists anticipate returning next spring for a “rescue excavation” of layers exposed by the storm. For Knecht, the situation parallels the initial discovery phase in 2009: “It feels like we’re starting from scratch again.”
