Historic Land Use Processes in Alaska's Koyukuk River Area

Abstract

Northern Athabaskans with extensive knowledge of their traditional history and culture are increasingly interested in preserving their heritage. The authors are working with Allakaket area Koyukon people in Alaska to record data on important historic sites and events, but they are also using ethnoarchaeological approaches, particularly Binford's models of settlement systems and site mobility, to help make the information they gather more valuable to both local Native people and archaeologists. Drawing on their preliminary data, as well as existing research, they describe changes in the late winter part of the seasonal round, showing how, over time, the Koyukon become more logistically organized as they become more sedentary. These changes have interesting archaeological implications, including effects on site mobility patterns. The Koyukon belief system, with an intricate set of traditional beliefs and practices, has significant, though largely unexplored potential for influencing archaeological variability.

Key words: Alaska, Athabaskans, archaeology, belief systems, boreal forest, ethnoarchaeology, historic archaeology, historic sites, Koyukon, Koyukuk River, landscape use, settlement patterns, Subarctic