Inglefield Archaeology Land Project Audio Blog

Thule Air Base 08-07-2008

Mon, 11 Aug 2008 09:42:00 -0400

Eli calls from Thule Air Base in Northwest Greenland giving updates on the team's travel plans. Everyone is busy cleaning equipment and enjoying the comforts of the air base before tomorrow's flight to Baltimore. In closing Eli offers travel advice to his audience, telling us that if asked to go to Greenland, the only possible answer is 'yes'.

Leaving Cape Grinnell 08-04-2008

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 13:01:08 -0400

In what is probably the final audio post from Cape Grinnell, Eli describes the team's last weekend in Northwest Greenland, which included back-filling the archaeological site and being visited by an arctic wolf. Eli takes this opportunity to say thank you to everyone involved in the project, and express how much he has enjoyed his time in the arctic.

The Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum would like to thank Robert Denton, Senior Media and Design Consultant, for designing the template for the podcast and orchestrating the means by which it has been possible to post Eli’s phone calls. We also appreciate Eli Bossin’s (Bowdoin class of 2009) efforts to send us news from the field and Hillary Hooke’s (Bowdoin class of 2009) willingness to summarize and post the Cape Grinnell messages.

Solar Eclipse 08-01-2008

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 13:00:04 -0400

This morning Eli and the rest of the team were able to experience a full solar eclipse, as Northwest Greenland was one of the few places from which the eclipse was visible. The interview for this podcast is with Navarana Sørensen, of Qaanaaq, who is participating in an archaeological dig for the first time. Navarana is a translator and interpreter, and despite being a native of Northwest Greenland has never been to the Cape Grinnell area, making this a completely new experience for her.

Whaling 07-28-2008

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 11:40:20 -0400

Excavations 07-25-2008

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 10:06:26 -0400

Eli gives an update on the progress of the investigation and the changes made to the team since the last message in this installment of the podcast. Dr. Genny LeMoine, curator of the Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum and co-leader of the investigation, discusses the impact of the arctic environment on the preservation of the archaeological site, and describes the interior of a Thule house she is excavating.

Continuous Rain 07-21-2008

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 10:08:43 -0400

In this message, Eli explains that inclement weather is preventing him from making more frequent audio posts and is interfering with the group's investigation of the archaeological site, sometimes forcing them to work half-days. Trine Johansen, a graduate student at UC Davis, discusses her dissertation work on the effects of cultural contact, specifically the effects that contact with Euro-Americans had on the previously isolated polar Inuit.

On Our Way 06-29-2008

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 10:28:25 -0400

This is Eli's first message from Cape Grinnell, detailing the events of the first week in Greenland. The message, which came via satellite phone, was cut off abruptly.

Interesting Finds 07-01-2008

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 10:27:32 -0400

In his second message from Northwest Greenland, Eli discusses the archaeological finds of the group and the weather conditions. The message ends in static after the satellite signal is lost.

New Activities 07-03-2008

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 10:27:58 -0400

In this installment, Eli describes Cape Dorset hunting implements the group has found in the archaeological site and the new activities he is trying, including swimming in the Arctic Ocean and tasting muktuk (narwhal skin and blubber).

Archaeoentomology 07-07-2008

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 10:26:40 -0400

Today Eli interviews Frédéric Dussalt, an archaeoentomologist from Laval University. Archaeoentomology is the study of insect remains found in soils in archaeological sites, which can provide information about the environmental conditions at the site when it was occupied. Archaeoentomologists collect live insects at archaeology sites for comparisons with the archaeological specimens. Eli also describes how he spent his first day off in Cape Grinnell.

Geomorphology 07-14-2008

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 10:27:07 -0400

This installment sees the team finishing work on the Late Dorset site, making a trip to Force Bay, and dealing with cooling weather. Eli discusses how some team members are keeping busy when they are not working, and interviews Owen Mason, a geomorphologist from Anchorage, AK. As Owen explains, his job as a geomorphologist involves reconstructing the landscape history and development to gain valuable information on past climate conditions in the region.