Traditional Use Study with the Native Village of Kiana for Kobuk Valley National Park
Project ID: P13AC01120
Federal Agency: National Park Service
Partner Institution: Portland State University
Fiscal Year: 2013
Initial Funding: $20,000
Total Funding: $48,511
Project Type: Research
Project Disciplines: Cultural
National Park: Kobuk Valley National Park
Principal Investigator: Deur, Doug
Agreement Technical Representative: Devinney, Eileen
Abstract: This project is a collaborative effort to conduct consultation, planning, and completion of a Traditional Use Study (TUS) for Kobuk Valley National Park. The project focus is on the Kuuvangmiut community of Kiana, Alaska, one of six predominantly Inupiaq Eskimo communities with deep traditional cultural ties to the lands and resources encompassed by the park. Ultimately, the National Park Service (NPS) wishes to conduct similar studies with five additional Kobuk River area villages. A TUS will be conducted to document the array of historic and contemporary resources of cultural significance to the Native community of Kiana. The Native Village of Kiana (a.k.a., Kiana Traditional Council) expressed interest in participating in a TUS type of study during government-to-government consultation meetings regarding the management of sites of cultural significance. The project will be conducted in three Phases: I) initiating planning, consultation and compilation of existing resources, II) ethnographic research and field work based on the project scope as determined in Phase I, and III) compilation of data in the form of a written report, GIS datasets, and other formats as determined during the tribal consultation and collaboration in Phase I. All phases will involve collaboration between Portland State University researchers and NPS staff. The NPS has a mandate to formally consult with traditionally associated Alaska Native groups regarding place of cultural importance within the park and any potential effects that park operation might have upon them. The NPS also has a mandate to systematically document such places and to assess their eligibility for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places under the National Historic Preservation Act, so that they may be protected, documented, commemorated, and interpreted for the benefit of American citizens and NPS visitors alike. Public benefits of the TUS include use by park associated tribes to support their efforts to identify and preserve traditionally significant resources and use in educational programs in the Northwest Arctic Borough School District.