Unmanned Aerial Systems, commonly referred to as “drones”, have revolutionized archaeology in the recordation, identification, and evaluation of archaeological sites and significant historic properties. They are also being used as an important tool for the overall preservation and management of significant historic properties and cultural resources.

The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma uses drones to assist with property surveys using aerial photography, project site documentation, and aerial mapping. Recently, the Choctaw Nation Historic Preservation Department used a drone on a low altitude fly-over to collect aerial imagery at an important historic location containing three previously recorded archeological sites. During archaeological reconnaissance at the site, hundreds of artifacts were identified and pin-flagged in the field. The imagery produced by the fly-over could be zoomed to a resolution where each pin flag could be clearly identified. The drone imagery will also be used in collaboration with other GIS data to assist in the development of a archaeological mitigation report following the terms of a Memorandum of Agreement between the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma; the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Housing Authority of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, the State of Oklahoma State Historic Preservation Officer, and the State Archaeologist.

Drone imagery can also be used to manage significant Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma cultural resources, traditional cultural properties, and historic properties. With drone imagery, getting a before and after image of an archeological site area is much easier and more accurate than ever before. A large number of the archeological and historic sites on Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma lands were recorded over 20 to 30 years ago with little to no additional work done at the locations. These archaeological sites are often in very remote areas with limited accessibility and prone to both natural and man-made effects. Using the latest technologies; we can now assess the current conditions of these archaeological sites and create baselines for future preservation plans. We can also assess the vulnerabilities of these properties to future effects such as looting activities, natural erosion of the site over time, flooding episodes at these sites, and animal disturbances (wild hogs are prevalent at certain locations) among many other vulnerabilities.  In monitoring these site locations, we can also better assess their National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) eligibility more accurately.


By Robert Cast, Tribal Archaeologist, Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma Historic Preservation Department
 

Our Tribal GIS Cultural Working Group, operating the last three years as part of the NTGISC’s Advisory Committee, is particularly focused on geospatially-enabled methods to collect, preserve and protect cultural knowledge throughout Indian Country (which, for many of us, includes the Subarctic and Arctic regions).  Many tribal governments have partnered with other governmental agencies, non-profit organizations and research scientists to construct diverse systems to administer these archives.  Cultural sensitivity, privacy and security are three of the most challenging priorities.   My familiarity with these initiatives is primarily limited to Alaska and the Circumpolar North, which includes projects in Canada, Greenland and Russia.  I want to highlight some of these for our membership and I hope this stimulates more discussion among our members and collaborators.

The “Exchange for Local Observations and Knowledge of the Arctic” (ELOKA) is a collaborative enterprise of Arctic scholars and visiting researchers founded during the 2007-2009 International Polar Year at the University of Colorado Boulder.  Since its inception, ELOKA has been supported by the National Science Foundation and has developed into a platform to organize, administer, and showcase research projects throughout the Arctic and Subarctic regions that are good examples of the “coproduction of knowledge” among indigenous people and Western scientists. One of the keystone projects over the last decade has been the “Yup’ik Environmental Knowledge Project,” or “Nunamta Ellamta-llu Ayuqucia” (“What our Land and World are Like”) that has attempted to consolidate landscape and cultural placenames throughout the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta region of southwest Alaska.  The Y-K Delta region is the traditional homeland of Yup’ik Eskimo people in an area roughly the size of the state of Oregon.  The atlas is a work in progress and includes several thousand placenames collected with Native elders over the last forty years.  These places have been annotated in yugstun (using accepted modern Yup’ik orthography).  This project has rekindled interest in traditional placenames and has spun off several other local projects that are being conducted independently in the villages.

Please visit the website  https://eloka-arctic.org/communities/yupik/atlas and browse the site for yourselves.





The Alaska Native Language Center (ANLC) at the University of Alaska Fairbanks has collaborated over the many years with several indigenous placename projects that overlap with the ELOKA program.  Dr. Gary Holton, at the University of Hawaii Manoa and Dr. Peter Pulsifer, at the National Snow and Ice Center in Boulder, CO, continue to be directly engaged in the Alaskan research.  Most of these projects are highlighted below.  Please follow these individual links for more information:
 

Documents

• Initial thoughts on developing a registration authority for Alaska Native place names. A 2015 white paper which proposes a statewide infrastructure for managing Indigenous place names documentation.
• Indigenous Knowledge: Key Considerations for Polar Data Planning. This document lays out policies for sharing Indigenous knowledge, as developed at the ELOKA workshop, Sharing Knowledge: Traditions, Technologies, and Taking Control of Our Future, held September 22-24, 2015 in Boulder, Colorado. This statement was presented to the 2nd Polar Data Forum.

Place Name Projects in Alaska
Many important place name documentation projects have been undertaken across the state. The list below provides link to projects of which we are aware. If you know of other projects please contact us ( info [at] akplacenames.org) and we will add them to the list. Inclusion on this list does not imply affiliation with the ANPN Project. Rather, this list is provided as a gateway to independent place name projects across the state.

• Mapping Traditional Place Names along the Koyukuk River (USGS)
  Language: Koyukon
• Bristol Bay Online (Bristol Bay Native Corporation)
  Languages: Yup’ik, Dena’ina, Russian

Finally, most of these initiatives have been funded all or in part by the National Science Foundation (NSF), Arctic Social Sciences Program.  You can visit their websites to discover all of the publications and supporting documentation for these projects and many more.  If you are interested in participating on the NTGISC Cultural Committee, please contact the committee’s lead, Ryan Spring, Director of the Historic Preservation Department, Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, rspring@choctawnation.com.  We hope this inspires you to become part of our working group!



By Steven R. Street, Director/Archaeologist, Department of Cultural and Environmental Sciences, Assoc. of Village Council Presidents (AVCP), Bethel, Alaska