Yuuyaraq today, Yuuyaraq tomorrow: modeling erosion threats to Yup’ik traditional land use areas

• Published in: Journal of Maps
• Main Authors: Sean Gleason, Jonathan Lim, Daniel Marsden, Joe Pleasant, Warren Jones, Willard Church
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2023
• Subjects: Yup’ik; Alaskan Native; subsistence; community-based research; climate change; coastal erosion; Maps; G3180-9980; Yukon; Kuskokwim; Yupik
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1080/17445647.2022.2146539; https://doaj.org/article/dc40bc12ab8b4fd6bf1e89a0442e8ec1

ABSTRACTThe following article illustrates the impact of contemporary coastline change on Yup’ik subsistence practices known collectively as Yuuyaraq. We draw from an extensive archive (n = 490) of historic maps, aerial photographs, and surveying reports collected and digitized over the course of on-site visits to Quinhagak, AK from 2018-2021. In addition, our research team conducted numerous recorded (n = 7) and unrecorded (n = 42) interviews with community members about recent environmental changes near Quinhagak to study the impact of coastal erosion. Our aim is to demonstrate how archival maps can provide high quality, mobile-friendly visualizations so that Yupik researchers and community members can study the impact of climate change in the Yukon-Kuskokwim (Y-K) Delta.