Storm strips shoreline at Nunalleq site, dispersing Yupik artifacts

A storm surge and high winds associated with the remnants of Typhoon Halong on Oct. 11 and 12 stripped dozens of feet of shoreline from the Yupik village of Quinhagak in western Alaska, scattering a long-preserved archaeological site and washing up wooden masks, spoons, toys and other artifacts along the beach. About 1,000 pieces were recovered by local teams after the storm, but archaeologists say many more may have been displaced, possibly as many as 100,000 items once recorded at the Nunalleq, or old village, site.

The damage came where permafrost had protected layers of a precontact Yupik settlement that researchers have excavated since artifacts first began appearing on the beach around 2007. Rick Knecht, an archaeologist and emeritus senior lecturer at the University of Aberdeen who has worked on the Nunalleq project for 17 years, described the loss as significant for understanding Yupik life before outside contact. "When there are holes or disturbances in the site, it's like trying to read a book with holes in the pages," he said, adding that the storm created what he called "a few holes in the book right now."

Knecht and local volunteers combed beaches on four-wheelers...