Subarctic Stories, Global Insights

The University of Alaska Fairbanks Department of Anthropology proudly celebrated a strong showing at the 2025 Alaska Anthropological Association (AAA) Annual Meeting, held in Anchorage this spring. With a robust mix of poster presentations and paper talks, UAF PhD students and faculty demonstrated the academic rigor, interdisciplinary expertise, and community-oriented spirit that define the department.

This year’s meeting of the AAA brought together scholars, practitioners, and students from across the state and beyond to explore human history, culture, and archaeology in Alaska and the Circumpolar North. The association’s mission centers on advancing the knowledge of Alaska's past and present through research and collaboration—and the annual meeting serves as a cornerstone for professional development and scholarly exchange.

The event offered an impressive platform for UAF’s graduate students to share their original research, much of which was developed in close collaboration with department faculty. Three standout poster presentations on Friday exemplified the cutting-edge scholarship coming out of Anthropology's PhD program:

Stable Isotopic Evidence for Pottery Uses in Interior Alaska

Wyatt Rowe presented “Stable Isotopic Evidence for Pottery Uses in Interior Alaska”, exploring how isotopic analysis can reveal ancient subsistence and pottery practices among Athabaskan groups. Liu’s work ties advanced scientific techniques to cultural heritage, enriching our understanding of diet and food processing in precontact Alaska.

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Stable Isotopic Evidence for Pottery Uses in Interior Alaska

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The uses of pottery in Interior Alaska are less understood than the Norton and Thule pottery traditions in northwestern Alaska. As part of a broader project exploring the uses of pottery in Interior Alaska by UAF’s Ancient Diets and Archaeological Proteomics (ADAPt) Lab, we examined 12 sherds from four different prehistoric archaeological sites within the Interior. To achieve this, we employed bulk δ15N and δ13C analyses of residue and ceramic samples of each sherd and compoundspecific δ13C isotope analysis (CSIA) on extracted lipids. The bulk δ15N isotope data was interpreted using a two-end mixing model, which indicated that neither exclusively aquatic resources nor exclusively terrestrial resources were processed in these vessels; instead, results point to a mixture of resource types, aquatic-sources  (e.g. fish and waterbirds) and likely terrestrial fauna and floral resources. Combining δ15N  bulk data with δ13C CSIA results provides additional insight and allows for applying a three end-member model. The combined data strongly indicates residues dominated by freshwater (e.g. fish and possibly waterbirds) fats in sherds from three of the four sites and caribou fats mixed with aquatic fats in sherds from a fourth site.

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Microstructure of Alaska Interior Pottery Sherds

Wei Liu showcased “Microstructure of Alaska Interior Pottery Sherds,” highlighting the ceramic technology and production techniques of Athabaskan potters. Liu’s research contributes to a growing body of knowledge about Indigenous technological innovation in the Subarctic.

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Microstructure of Alaska Interior Pottery Sherds

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Aside from brief mentions in several ethnographies, little is known about Athabaskan pottery traditions in Interior Alaska including how and where it was manufactured. To learn more about the manufacture of pottery recovered from late-precontact Interior sites, 12 pottery 70 sherds from four Interior archaeological sites were observed macroscopically and under low-power microscopy. All sherds were observed and photographed using a Leica M80 stereomicroscope (10X - 60X magnification) in the ADAPt laboratory of UAF. The exterior, interior and the profile of each sherd were observed for surface decorations, presence and composition of residues, type and proportion of tempers, firing core and overall internal structure.  Results of these analyses are discussed and suggest a unique manufacturing tradition in the Alaska Interior. In particular, we note the presence of organic temper in all samples, with 11 of 12 sherds having feather temper.

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African American Soldiers World War II Winter Encampment Site 35

MoHagani Magnetek, a writer, educator, and public scholar, presented “African American Soldiers World War II Winter Encampment Site 35,” based on research from the Alaska Highway Historical Archaeology Field School. Her work highlights the role of Black soldiers in WWII Alaska and reflects her focus on Black feminist archaeology and cultural memory.

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African American Soldiers World War II Winter Encampment Site 35

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Before Company B of the 97th Regiment of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers deployed to Alaska, they helped build Eglin Air Force Base in Valparaiso, Florida, the training ground for the Tuskegee Airmen. After Japan attacked Pearl Harbor in 1941, the U.S. mobilized over 10,000 troops, including 3,400 African American soldiers, to protect the Pacific Northwest. Construction of the Alaska Highway, which was initially 73 scheduled to take two years, was completed in just eight short months, finishing on October 25, 1942. The 97th Regiment was ordered to stay through the harsh winter to keep the infrastructure operational, enduring extreme cold, inadequate tents, unsuitable clothing, and severe food shortages. In collaboration with the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities, archaeologists from the University of Alaska Fairbanks are investigating the 97th Regiment's winter camp, located adjacent to the Robertson River Bridge along the Alaska Highway. The Alaska Highway Archaeological Field School will explore construction camps built in 1942 by the 97th Regiment. Students will stay in a temporary camp near the excavation site. Students will learn basic archaeological fieldwork skills while excavating and documenting historic structures, features, and artifacts.

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The presentations reflected not just individual academic excellence but also meaningful collaboration with faculty mentors. Assistant Professor Tammy Buonasera and Professor Joshua Reuther were co-authors on the research presented by Wei Liu and Wyatt Rowe, while Assistant Professor Justin Cramb collaborated with MoHagani Magnetek on her field school poster. This synergy between students and faculty speaks to the department’s emphasis on hands-on research and building professional experience through shared inquiry.

Beyond the posters, UAF students also delivered insightful paper presentations during sessions spanning Thursday and Friday. These 20-minute talks provided the opportunity to delve deeper into research questions, theoretical frameworks, and fieldwork experiences:

• Rowe and Liu teamed up again for their co-authored presentation, “Preliminary Study on Use and Manufacture of Late Precontact Athabaskan Pottery,” contributing new data and perspectives on Subarctic material culture.
• MoHagani Magnetek offered an evocative and critical presentation titled “Who Made the Gumbo: An Autoethnographic Exploration of African American Gastronomic Practices in Alaska.” This talk traced African American culinary legacies as a vehicle for understanding community, identity, and resistance in Alaska’s unique sociocultural landscape.
• Gabriela Olmos Rosas, another PhD student in the department, presented “From the Ground Up: Latino Work, Identity, and Purpose in Alaska,” drawing from ethnographic fieldwork with laborers to examine meaning-making in immigrant labor experiences.
• Lynne Walker’s talk, “Constructing an Institutional Identity: Alaskan Museums and Semiotic Landscape Analysis,” explored how museums across the state use signs and symbols to convey narratives of place, identity, and heritage.

Professors also made strong contributions of their own. Professor Ben Potter co-chaired the session on Subarctic Archaeology and co-authored a Thursday poster presentation alongside Professor Josh Reuther, further underscoring their ongoing leadership in regional archaeological scholarship. Their involvement in both the conference’s academic framework and their students’ work provided attendees with a living example of mentorship in action.

Participation in the AAA meeting also reflects how UAF’s Anthropology Department fosters academic immersion through opportunities such as the Anthropology Colloquium Series, field schools like the Alaska Highway Historical Archaeology project, and numerous faculty-led research initiatives. Students benefit from small cohort sizes, direct access to accomplished faculty, and a supportive environment for pursuing community-engaged and impactful research.

Congratulations to all the PhD students and faculty who represented UAF Anthropology at the 2025 Alaska Anthropological Association Meeting! Your work continues to inspire, educate, and expand our understanding of Alaska and beyond.