| Summary: | This collaborative project will document geographic patterns of genetic variation in both prehistoric and modern human populations along the North Slope of Alaska and assess how the ancient residents of arctic Alaska are related to contemporary Inupiaq populations throughout the circumarctic region. This will be achieved by the characterization of maternally inherited mitochondrial (mt)DNA sequences, paternally inherited Y-chromosome markers, as well as biparentally inherited autosomal genetic markers in both the archaeologically derived prehistoric samples and the contemporary populations of the North coast of Alaska. Direct comparison of patterns of genetic variation in prehistoric populations and their possible modern descendants, and the placement of this biological variation in archaeological (temporal) context, is a powerful tool for the reconstruction of population history. Although the prehistoric genetic data will come from well-known archaeological contexts (e.g., Nuvuk), the research team will also directly date a subsample of the prehistoric material to confirm the temporal placement of the samples. They will also generate stable isotope data from the ancient samples to facilitate reconstruction of prehistoric diets, paleoecology of the region, and contribute to the reconstruction of ancient migration/colonization events. The data to be generated by this project, on both extant and prehistoric populations, will afford a definitive genetic characterization of the Inupiat people of the northwestern American arctic, and permit testing several hypotheses regarding the origin of the eastern arctic Inuit population. Additionally, the research undertaken here will permit a much more detailed analysis and understanding of the Thule expansion across the North American high arctic, one of the last great transcontinental migrations and colonization events. A fuller understanding of this human dispersal will permit us to identify genetic signatures of rapid colonization, replacement versus admixing colonization models, and help clarify the origin and history of North American arctic populations.
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