Alaska Archaeology Month Poster - 2018

Ocean Bay Tradition

More than 7,500 years ago, Alaska’s first maritime specialists emerged along the southern coasts. Called Ocean Bay—and the ancestors of today’s Alutiiq—they deftly navigated the Shelikof Strait and were the first to cross to Kodiak Island. Along the way, they took full advantage of the sea life variety the currents presented them: seals, sea lions, clams, otters, even porpoises on occasion. They used the skins to craft small boats in which they plied some of the most challenging and productive waters in the world, routinely facing off against big mammals with sharp teeth. Creating semipermanent settlements along the coasts, Ocean Bay people were pioneers of maritime skill and living that wouldn’t become common until millennia later. To master their watery environment, they quarried slate from outcrops where specialists refined the rock to create bayonets. Others crafted stone lamps that, when filled with sea mammal blubber oil, provided gathering places in the winter darkness. Other items became refined maritime tools as well: clam picks made of bone, sea mammal bone hooks for deep-sea fishing, and kelp fishing line.

About Archaeology Month Posters

The archaeological heritage of 42 states is celebrated each year during their respective archaeology months or weeks. April is Archaeology Month in Alaska, by proclamation of the governor. Educational posters are produced by each state to promote awareness of the value of archaeology and archaeological resources. Posters are sent to schools, libraries, agencies, and institutions throughout the state.

The Society for American Archaeolgy awarded this the Best Archaeology Month Poster for 2018! This is the fifth consecutive year Alaska has won this honor.

Production of the annual Alaska Archaeology Month poster is coordinated by the Alaska Anthropological Association’s Public Education Group. Sponsors include the National Park Service, Ukpeaġvik Iñupiat Corporation, Colorado State University Center for Environmental Management of Military Lands, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Bureau of Land Management, University of Alaska Anchorage Department of Anthropology, the Alaska Office of History and Archaeology, and the Matanuska-Susitna Borough Cultural Resources Division.