| Summary: | The history of human activity in Southwest Alaska is inextricably linked to the exploitation of its many species of salmonid fish. Alaskan salmonids are anadromous, meaning they live most of their lives at sea, only to return to the river in which they were spawned to reproduce— this makes them a reliable seasonal resource in this environmentally marginal subarctic landscape. Salmonids form a major part of the subsistence lifestyle of modern Native Alaskans, and archaeological evidence suggests that their ancestors experienced population booms and cultural shifts coinciding with the adoption of mass fishing techniques. This was done primarily in response to climate changes, and to sustain burgeoning populations. Analyses of salmonid behavioural patterns are therefore crucial for understanding the lifeways of past peoples in Southwest Alaska. This work outlines a GIS-based methodology for processing an open spatial dataset— the Alaska Department of Fish and Game’s Anadromous Waters Catalog (AWC)— to make it suitable for use in archaeological and anthropological research. AWC shapefiles converted in this manner may be used to identify the most ecologically diverse (and, therefore, productive) anadromous waterways, and the relationship between heritage site distribution and salmon activity along the length of rivers. As a pilot study, we discuss the cultural landscape of the Yup’ik community of Quinhagak in the Yukon-Kuskokwim (Y-K) Delta, and its two active salmon streams— the Agalig (Arolik) and Qanirtuuq (Kanektok) Rivers. There appears to be a strong relationship between the presence of cultural sites associated with fishing (both historic and archaeological) near the mouths of both rivers where the salmon runs begin (the “initial lower course”, or, “ILC”). It also highlights the importance of such rivers as highways to access non-salmonid resources further inland, including hunting and plant harvesting areas. This methodology has a strong potential for assisting in the survey and characterisation of heritage ...
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