Using open spatial data to investigate the importance of salmon streams in the Indigenous cultural landscapes of Southwest Alaska.

The history of human activity in Southwest Alaska is inextricably linked to the exploitation of its many species of salmonid fish. Alaskan salmonids are anadromous, meaning they live most of their lives at sea, only to return to the river in which they were spawned to reproduce— this makes them a reliable seasonal resource in this environmentally marginal subarctic landscape. Salmonids form a major part of the subsistence lifestyle of modern Native Alaskans, and archaeological evidence suggests that their ancestors experienced population booms and cultural shifts coinciding with the adoption of mass fishing techniques. This was done primarily in response to climate changes, and to sustain burgeoning populations. Analyses of salmonid behavioural patterns are therefore crucial for understanding the lifeways of past peoples in Southwest Alaska. This work outlines a GIS-based methodology for processing an open spatial dataset— the Alaska Department of Fish and Game’s Anadromous Waters Catalog (AWC)— to make it suitable for use in archaeological and anthropological research. AWC shapefiles converted in this manner may be used to identify the most ecologically diverse (and, therefore, productive) anadromous waterways, and the relationship between heritage site distribution and salmon activity along the length of rivers. As a pilot study, we discuss the cultural landscape of the Yup’ik community of Quinhagak in the Yukon-Kuskokwim (Y-K) Delta, and its two active salmon streams— the Agalig (Arolik) and Qanirtuuq (Kanektok) Rivers. There appears to be a strong relationship between the presence of cultural sites associated with fishing (both historic and archaeological) near the mouths of both rivers where the salmon runs begin (the “initial lower course”, or, “ILC”). It also highlights the importance of such rivers as highways to access non-salmonid resources further inland, including hunting and plant harvesting areas. This methodology has a strong potential for assisting in the survey and characterisation of heritage sites elsewhere in Southwest Alaska.

Extent Changes in the Perennial Snowfields of Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve, Alaska

Perennial snowfields in Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve (GAAR) in the central Brooks Range of Alaska are a critical component of the cryosphere. They serve as habitat for an array of wildlife, including caribou, a species that is crucial as a food and cultural resource for rural subsistence hunters and Native Alaskans. Snowfields also influence hydrology, vegetation, permafrost, and have the potential to preserve valuable archaeological artifacts. By deriving time series maps using cloud computing and supervised classification of Landsat satellite imagery, we calculated areas and evaluated extent changes. We also derived changes in elevations of the perennial snowfields that remained stable for at least four years. For the study period of 1985 to 2017, we found that total areas of perennial snowfields in GAAR are decreasing, with most of the notable changes in the latter half of the study period. Equilibrium areas, or bright areas, of the snowfields are shrinking, while ablation, or dark areas, are growing. We also found that the snowfields occur at higher elevations over time. Climate change may be altering the distribution, elevation, and extent of perennial snowfields in GAAR, which could affect caribou populations and subsistence lifestyles in rural Alaska.

Decisions and Adaptations on the Frontier: The Russian Cemetery at Fort Ross, Northern California

This study focuses on stakeholders and changing perspectives on a heritage site. The case study is an historic cemetery within a public state park that was the location of a Russian colony in northern California: Fort Ross State Historic Park. From 1990–1992, I excavated the cemetery at the Russian Colony Ross, which was in use from 1812–1841, and which included Russians, Native Alaskans, Native Americans, and combinations thereof. A total of 135 burials were excavated and reburied. Although the Russian Orthodox Church has clear requirements for funeral and burial, the specific location and extent of the cemetery were unknown. Examining the site from the perspective of different stakeholders and their agendas, this article explores the changing nature of a mortuary heritage site, as well as how different groups interpret and use the same site, how communities reacted to the excavation project, and how the project continues to have an impact on communities. Various stakeholders have used the cemetery in different ways to memorialize their own pasts and make claims in the present.

“Incorporating” American Colonialism: Accounting and the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act

ABSTRACT The history of Alaska is a colonial history (Pomeroy 1947; Haycox 2002). The purpose of this paper is to examine how the corporate form of organization and corporate accounting were used by the United States (U.S.) government to rationalize decisions, exercise control, and exploit Alaskan resources to benefit corporate America and the existing U.S. states. The Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971 (ANCSA) established Alaska Native Corporations (ANCs), whose stock was distributed to qualifying Alaska Natives in exchange for their agreement to extinguish all aboriginal land claims. Guided by prior work in accounting and postmodern colonialism, our analysis uncovers ways in which ANCSA, though lauded by the U.S. government as an innovative and generous settlement, perpetuated a historical pattern of indigenous exploitation by western economic interests, and employed corporate accounting policies and techniques to further the interests of the U.S. government and large corporations at the expense of Native Alaskans.

The Absence of Indigenous Histories in Ken Burns's The National Parks: America's Best Idea

The National Parks begins in 1851 and ends with Alaska in the 1970s, yet almost entirely erases Indigenous history from the landscape, allowing Native Alaskans, Indigenous Hawaiians, and American Indians no foothold or voice in the modern story of the parks. This is remarkable, considering that all of the parks were established on Indigenous homelands and that Native people and politics continue to be intertwined with the recent history of the parks. The experiences of Ojibwe people in the Great Lakes suggest that the creation of national parks in their homeland was part of a broader colonial history of appropriating Indigenous lands and resources, and extended the damaging policies of the Indian assimilation and allotment era farther into the twentieth century.

Auditory Brainwave Stimulation in Treating Alcoholic Depression

An auditory technology is briefly examined describing brainwave patterns and use associated with lower mean MMPI-2 Depression reported by 9 alcoholics at posttest than 15 controls. An exploratory trial with Native Alaskans/Americans gave positive indications for some consideration as a further alternative treatment.

Smoking: a burden to patient and society

Smoking prevalence had been steadily decreasing in the United States until 1993 when the rate stabilized. In 1993 there were 46 million adult smokers, which represented 25% of adults aged 18 years and older. Between 1983 and 1993, smoking prevalence among white men declined from 34% to 27% and from 41% to 32% in black men. Smoking prevalence among women declined from 30% to 27%. Currently, smoking prevalence is still higher for men than women, 28% and 23% respectively. More than 70% of adults began their daily habit of smoking by the age of 18 years. The frequency of this habit is highest among Native Americans/Native Alaskans (39%) compared with that of other ethnic groups. It is interesting that smoking prevalence is highest among men who are high-school dropouts (42%). Our role as healthcare providers is clear. We must protect our patients and society from the consequences of smoking. But healthcare professionals must first lead by example. Although the frequency of smokers is decreasing in this segment of society, it was still 18% for RNs and 27% for licensed practical nurses in 1991. Among physicians, the frequency of smokers has decreased from 19% in 1976 to 3% in 1991. With respect to effects on human health and the costs of tobacco use, our direction, responsibility, and duty to our patients and society are very clear.