# Racing to save Alaska's ancient artifacts before the sea claims them

> Typhoon Halong exposed thousands of Yup'ik artifacts in Alaska, forcing archaeologists into an urgent rescue mission against rising seas and climate change.
- Title: Racing to save Alaska's ancient artifacts before the sea…
- Summary: Typhoon Halong exposed thousands of Yup'ik artifacts in Alaska, forcing archaeologists into an urgent rescue mission against rising seas and climate change…
- Keywords: nunalleq, quinhagak, alaska, yup'ik culture, archaeology, typhoon halong, climate change, coastal erosion, permafrost thaw, artifact preservation, rick knecht, emergency excavation
- Source: NPR — https://npr.org/2026/09/19/nx-s1-5966568/ex-typhoon-halong-nunallaq-artifacts-archaeological-dig-site-alaska-quinhagak
- Published: 2026-09-19T00:00:00+00:00
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: nunalleq, quinhagak, alaska, yup'ik culture, archaeology, typhoon halong, climate change, coastal erosion, permafrost thaw, artifact preservation, rick knecht, emergency excavation
## Storm unearths ancient treasures
Last October, Typhoon Halong swept through western Alaska, flooding villages and peeling back the tundra near Quinhagak. A local resident spotted a wooden bowl carved 400 to 600 years ago lying in the debris.
## Nunalleq holds Yup'ik heritage
The Nunalleq dig site near Quinhagak is one of Alaska's best examples of Yup'ik culture before Western contact. The storm scattered thousands of cultural objects and eroded the land buffer protecting buried artifacts.
## Archaeologists launch emergency dig
This past summer, a team led by principal archaeologist Rick Knecht came to Quinhagak for an emergency excavation. They're racing to recover as much as possible before the next major storm hits.
## Frozen ground preserved organic treasures
The dig has uncovered hand-carved animals, grass rope, sewing needles, ornate wooden masks, and kayak pieces dating back 400 to 500 years. Permafrost kept these organic materials intact when they would have eroded otherwise.
## Working against the clock
The dig site is about the size of a backyard pool, carved around buried sod houses. Archaeologist Charlotta Hillerdal, who has worked there for 15 years, was devastated when she heard about the storm damage from Scotland.

> "I was crying," Hillerdal said. "It was a horrible feeling."
## Climate change accelerates erosion
Decreasing sea ice and thawing permafrost, both driven by climate change, are making Alaska's shorelines more vulnerable. The Bering Sea now creeps closer each year, and at high tides seawater reaches into the excavation pit.
## Last October's flooding was catastrophic
The storm covered the site with feet of water. When it receded, it swept away many valuable artifacts. Knecht fears the same could happen again during the next storm season.

> "It's every bit as tough as working in front of bulldozers," Knecht explained.
## Community stewards ancestral legacy
The Nunalleq Culture and Archaeology Center lets descendants and the public access these artifacts. Elizabeth Church, director of Quinhagak Heritage Inc., says the community feels deep responsibility to preserve their ancestors' belongings.

> "They are interwoven into us as people, and we feel a great sense of responsibility to care for them well."
## Artifacts inspire cultural pride
Seeing evidence of Yup'ik resilience, capability, and talent in these ancient objects strengthens the community's identity. Church says knowing your ancestors were so resourceful gives people a boost.

> "When you know that you come from a people that were so resilient and so capable and so talented and so smart, you get a boost."
## Funding race against fall storms
The team operates on a shoestring budget from the Pacific Northwest Archaeological Society and the Daughters of the American Revolution. They're raising money through GoFundMe and Quinhagak Heritage Inc. to return next summer before storm season arrives.

> "I'll be damned if I'm going to leave this for the waves," Knecht said.
## Key takeaway

Climate change is eroding Alaska's coastlines so fast that archaeologists must excavate cultural treasures before storms and rising seas destroy them forever.