Inland Subsistence and Seasonality in the Kodiak Archipelago, Alaska

Abstract

This article presents the first published faunal analysis of an inland archaeological site in the Kodiak archipelago. Nanwam Caniani Nunasinalleq (Big Old Village by the Lake, KAR‐310) is an archaeological site on Kodiak Island’s Karluk Lake. Archaeological faunal remains from this site were analyzed to understand how Alutiiq/Sugpiaq ancestors used the inland environment and its resources. Zooarchaeological identifications revealed local fish, terrestrial mammals, and birds, as well as small numbers of marine fish, mammals, and shells. Together with the site survey data and ethnographic evidence, we suggest that this site was part of an inland village used over multiple seasons. This scenario is a departure from earlier interpretations of settlement patterns and the seasonal round of the Kodiak Archipelago and the Gulf of Alaska, in general, but consistent with more recent survey data.