SHI KICKS OFF FALL LECTURE SERIES WITH TALK ON SUBMERGED ARCHAEOLOGY, ADVANCED UNDERWATER ROBOTICS

Sealaska Heritage Institute (SHI) will sponsor a lecture next week as part of its ongoing fall series featuring leading voices in Indigenous knowledge, conservation and science. The first talk will be an in-depth discussion on submerged archaeology and advanced robotic exploration. The session will be led by Kelly Monteleone, Ph.D., an underwater anthropologist at SHI and adjunct professor at the University of Calgary, and Kristof Richmond, Ph.D., chief technology officer at Sunfish, Inc., a robotics company specializing in undersea exploration and inspection.

The presentation, “Our Submerged Past: Exploring Inundated Late Pleistocene Caves in Southeast Alaska with SUNFISH®,” will delve into the archaeological potential of Southeast Alaska’s submerged caves and rock shelters, which were exposed during the last glacial period over 10,000 years ago.

Monteleone will share insights from her work using advanced sonar and remotely operated vehicle (ROV) surveys, which have identified over 80 high-potential cave sites. The research highlights evidence of early human habitation, reinforcing theories about ancient migration routes in the region.

Richmond will discuss the role of the SUNFISH® autonomous underwater vehicle, a cutting-edge robotic system used to navigate and map these challenging underwater environments. SUNFISH®’s precision mapping and sampling capabilities were crucial to exploring submerged sites west of Prince of Wales Island in 2023, providing valuable data and expanding our understanding of Southeast Alaska’s prehistoric past.

The lecture is scheduled at noon, Wednesday, Sept. 4, in Shuká Hít within the Walter Soboleff Building, 105 Heritage Way, in Juneau. The event will be livestreamed and posted on SHI’s YouTube channel.

This project is supported by NOAA Ocean Exploration Grant #NA21OAR0110198.

Sealaska Heritage Institute is a private nonprofit founded in 1980 to perpetuate and enhance Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian cultures of Southeast Alaska. Its goal is to promote cultural diversity and cross-cultural understanding through public services and events. SHI also conducts scientific and public policy research that promotes Alaska Native arts, cultures, history and education statewide. The institute is governed by a Board of Trustees and guided by a Council of Traditional Scholars, a Native Artist Committee and a Southeast Regional Language Committee.

CONTACT: Kathy Dye, SHI Media and Publications Deputy Director, 907.321.4636, kathy.dye@sealaska.com.

Caption: A researcher operates a Sunfish, a device designed to document underwater areas and caves. Photo courtesy of Sunfish, Inc. Note: Media outlets are permitted to use this image for coverage of this story. For a higher-res image, contact kathy.dye@sealaska.com.