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Ancient Bones and Iñupiaq Culture Dispatches


Excavating Ancient Burials

BARROW, ALASKA-- Our crew weathered a cold rainy day in the Arctic to excavate two ancient burials at the Nuvuk site on Point Barrow. Though human remains cannot be filmed, worked bone, netting stones and other remnants can be seen...



How We Know Where to Dig

BARROW, ALASKA-- The Point Barrow spit looks like a sea of gravel with few clues on the surface to tell us where the burials may be. So how do we know where to dig? One way is by digging "shovel test pits"...



First Day in the Field

BARROW, ALASKA-- The first field day started out a bit oddly. The crew gathered, minus the football players among the high school students, who are…



Training with Trowels and Candy

BARROW, ALASKA-- A number of the crew members had never excavated before. One of the fun things about the Nuvuk project is that we hire…



Assembling the Crew and Gear

BARROW, ALASKA-- The last few weeks have gone by very quickly. The local high school students for the crew have been chosen, and the out-of…



What Comes Before

BARROW, ALASKA-- Have you ever seen a report of some amazing new scientific discovery on TV, or read about it in the newspaper or on…



Living the Dream

BARROW, ALASKA– Since I was a little girl I’ve been fascinated with the past. In this video, I describe the fulfillment of my lifelong dream to work as an archaeologist in the Arctic.