88 MARCH/APRIL 2022
wave damage now that the thawing permafrost
is making the land sink. “One good winter storm
and we could lose this whole site,” says Knecht.
He speaks from experience. Since the start of
the excavation, the relentless action of the sea
has torn about 35 feet from the edge of the site.
The winter after the 2010 dig was particularly
brutal. Residents of Quinhagak remember huge
chunks of ice slamming into the coast. By the
time Knecht and his crew returned, the entire
area they had excavated was gone. Since then, the
sense of urgency has only increased.
Archaeology’s potential to inspire an appreci-
ation for the past is what motivated Jones to start
the dig. When wooden artifacts began washing
up on the beach, he invited Knecht to assess the
eroding site, then helped convince the village’s
board of directors that excavating Nunalleq was
a good idea. Their meeting grew into a unique
collaboration in which the community and the
visiting archaeologists work as partners.
Jones is proud of the partnership that made
this possible. He also looks forward to more
discoveries at the site and sees a promising fu-
ture for the center. “I want
our kids who are in college
now to run [the center] and
be proud that it’s ours.”
Portions of this article appear in Lost Cities,
Ancient Tombs, edited by Ann R. Williams.
Copyright © 2021 by National Geographic
Partners. Reprinted by permission of National
Geographic Partners.FINELY CRAFTED JEWELRY, SUCH AS THESE IVORY EARRINGS (ABOVE), WAS A
COMMON FIND AMONG THE ARTIFACTS FROM THE NUNALLEQ SITE.
ERIKA LARSEN/NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC IMAGE COLLECTION