Conciliating Kah Lituya: Future Investigations at Ltu.áa as a Case Study for Establishing a Marine Cultural Survey Program at Glacier Bay National Park

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "Paper / Report Submission (General Sessions)", at the 2023 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

Tlingit lore describes a monster who enhabits the deep caverns at the mouth of Lituya Bay and shakes the water like a sheet creating a consistently tumultuous environment. The significance of this area encompasses both natural and cultural resources and is known for a 1700 ft tsunami that scoured the landscape. Culturally however, Ltu.áa is an origin site for the Tlingit and eventual contact and shipwreck site of the explorer Jean-François de Galaup de la Pérouse in 1786. At present, no archaeological survey has been conducted in the waters of Lituya Bay, or any other area within the park boundary. By using the future investigations of Lituya Bay as a foundational road map to a larger program, this project will bring light to the need for a robust maritime program at Glacier Bay National Park that would be beneficial interdivisionally.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Paper / Report Submission (General Sessions)   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2023

Keywords

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Nicole Haddow