Envisioning and Re-envisioning Arctic Archaeology: The Enduring Legacies of J. Louis Giddings (1909-1964)

J. Louis Giddings (1909-1964) undertook pioneering archaeological research in the Arctic that integrated natural science perspectives with archaeological investigations—at site-specific, regional, and trans-continental scales; ethnographic and folkloric research; collaborations with indigenous communities at all levels of research; and experimentation with cutting-edge methods. He introduced dendrochronology and dendroclimatology to Arctic archaeology, developed the concept of "beach ridge archaeology"—using the formation of maritime beach ridges to date sequences of archaeological sites upon them; discovered the Denbigh Flint complex—paving the way for understanding ASTt connections from eastern Siberia to Greenland; established the western Arctic's Holocene archaeological sequence through research at Cape Krusenstern and Onion Portage—the first deeply stratified interior archaeological site investigated in Alaska; and brought his findings to scientific and public attention through scientific articles, popular books, and Brown University's Haffenreffer Museum of Anthropology. Since Giddings' death in 1964, his perspectives, students, and collections have guided or influenced northern research. In this symposium, scholars working on sites, collections, ideas, approaches, and problems linked to Giddings' work reassess his legacy and explore what remains to be done with the collections, sites, and concepts on which his research was based as we set new priorities for northern research.