I雝piat of the Sii is a firsthand account of Wanni and Douglas Anderson's lived experiences during eight field seasons of archaeological and ethnographic research in Selawik, Alaska, from 1968 to 1994. This study traces the Selawik village's history, compares their past and current lifeways, studies the interfacing of the traditional with the modern, and explores how specific events in the Selawik past continued to shape their lives.
This fascinating book records, preserves, and contributes to the knowledge of the history and cultural lifeways of the Siilaviŋmiut people using contextual and ethnographic writing styles that apply community-based, lived-experience, and sense-of-place approaches. The authors, who have remained in contact with Selawikers since the original research period, center I雝piaq elders' and local I雝piaq historians' continued commitments to historical knowledge about the past, their ancestors, and their vast repertoire of traditional cultural and environmental knowledge. They portray the particularity of I雝piaq life as it was lived, sensed, and felt by Selawikers themselves, and as experienced by researchers. Quoted observations, conversations, and comments eloquently acknowledge I雝piaq insiders' narrative voices.
Providing one of few ethnographic reviews of an Alaska Native village,
I雝piat of the Sii will appeal to general readers interested in learning about I雝piaq lifeways and the experiences of anthropologists in the field. It will also be useful to instructors teaching college-level students how anthropological field research should be conducted, analyzed, and reported.
