Documenting the Cultural Geography, Biogeography, and Traditional Ecological Knowledge of King Island, Alaska

In the summers of 2005 and 2006, members of the King Island Native Community and approximately ten scientists will conduct research for a project called “Documenting the Cultural Geography, Biogeography, and Traditional Ecological Knowledge of King Island, Alaska.” This project was funded in Fall 2003 by the Arctic Social Sciences Program, Office of Polar Programs, National Science Foundation. It is based upon a 1997 request to coPrincipal Investigator Deanna Kingston by King Island Inupiaq elder Marie Saclamana. She stated “We need to get the elders out to King Island! There are lots of names we’re going to forget if we don’t get them out there soon.” However, at the time Saclamana voiced her concern, Kingston had no idea who to approach for funding to bring elders to King Island. Fortunately, Kingston was aware of other projects in Alaska that documented Alaska Native place names. So, in 1999, Kingston sought and received a seed grant from the Connecticut University System (where she was employed at the time) that allowed her to go to Alaska. The purpose of the trip was to ask other social scientists for ideas about potential funding sources and logistical support and also to begin preliminary interviews with King Island elders. In all, Kingston conducted five hours of interviews with elders and recorded approximately fifty place names. In these interviews, Kingston was struck by several major themes: (1) Many of the places that elders remembered referred to subsistence activities as well as to knowledge of the climate and local environment. (2) Some of the places referred to old village and cemetery sites. (3) Some of the places were remembered fondly as places to play. (4) Some of the places were associated with spirits and/or ghosts.