Nuvuk Archaeology Project: Thule Eskimo Cemetery and Contact Village
July 9 - August 16, 2008 | Barrow, Alaska
Frank Kelley
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Anne Jensen
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Live from IPY! Now Archived! PolarTREC teacher Frank Kelley and the research team in Barrow, Alaska talk about the archaeological research taking place at the Nuvuk site.
Frank Kelley is a true New Englander. He has lived in all six states, and makes his home now in a solar-powered house in Vermont. His early days were spent outside of Boston, watching the Red Sox and the Patriots. He was the child that could be found out in the woods, turning over rocks, and looking for critters. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science and a Masters degree in Secondary Education. His love of nature and kids has given him the opportunity to bring his students to Peaks Island in Casco Bay, Maine, up to the top of Mt. Washington in New Hampshire, and to the shores of Lake Champlain in Vermont. In each setting, he tries to design experiences that allow the students to function as scientists. Mr. Kelley has been teaching for 22 years and currently teaches 5th and 6th grade at Chester-Andover Elementary School in Chester, Vermont.
Anne Jensen is an archaeologist with the Science Division of the Ukpeaġvik Iñupiat Corporation in Barrow, Alaska. She has worked on archaeological projects in northern Alaska since the early 1980s, and she and her family have lived in Barrow since the mid-1990s.
As part of an ongoing project to document ancestral burials near Barrow, Alaska, an interdisciplinary team of archaeologists, physical anthropologists, geomorphologists, and community members will work together to excavate the Nuvuk cemetery and village at Point Barrow. The cemetery dates back at least 1200 years, contains several hundred shallow burials, and is rapidly eroding into the Arctic Ocean. The remains are likely to add significantly to our understanding of the ancient inhabitants of the Arctic, the evolution of their cultures, and their relationships to contemporary populations. Local high school students serve as field and laboratory staff members on the project.
Mr. Kelley and Dr. Jensen will stay in the village of Barrow, Alaska and will work at sites outside of the village.
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Anthropologists:
Scientists who study the origin, behavior, and physical, social, and cultural development of humans.
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Archaeologists:
Scientists who study past human life and culture by the recovery and examination of remaining material evidence, such as graves, buildings, tools, and pottery.
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Geomorphologists:
Scientists who study of the evolution and configuration of landforms.
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Nuvuk:
The Iñupiaq name for Point Barrow and the people who lived there.