Lisa Seidman Excellence in Writing Scholarship

I would like to combine my interests in writing and anthropological research of Native Alaskan people such as the Dena’ina. For example, project that I am particularly interested in would be creating a narrative based on the life of Frederica De Laguna. I would research her archaeological work in Kachemak Bay, and its intersection with current Native Alaskan Dena’ina life. She was the first to make a dig on Yukon Island’s Great Midden, four layers of Alutiiq/Dena’ina civilizations dating to 4,500 years ago. Yukon Island happens to be my summertime office, as the midden is a focus on sea-kayak expeditions I lead in my home in south central Alaska. De Laguna’s work has been the backbone of my knowledge of Kachemak Bay. My research and subsequent publications would examine her texts on Dena'ina Beggesh, their philosophy on burning belongings upon death. Instead of a strictly scientific approach to my project, I aim to rather get into the heart and mind behind the woman, in a more journalistic, accessible narrative approach. For example, I would pose this question to engage my readers about the philosophy of the Dena’ina people; how would your relationship to possessions change, if they were to be burned along with your remains? Conservation is crucial to me as an Alaskan, particularly indigenous transportation in the climate crisis. This preference has shifted since De Laguna's time from dogsleds to snowmachines due to the melting ice cap. Raised in a dog-mushing community as transportation to our off-grid homestead, I’ve witnessed firsthand the cultural significance of dog-teams diminishing in Native communities. I aim to utilize my education in written communication to grab the attention of the public, particularly residents of Northern areas most acutely affected by the climate crisis, as well as being awareness to the changes in Native Alaskan lifestyles due to global warming. De Laguna’s life fascinates me more each time I paddle past her 1939 excavation site, and my writings would explore the relevance of her exceptional work in shattering limits on women. She put herself through college at Bryn Mawr by penning murder mysteries on the side, and she chose to never marry, staying true to her profession. I feel a connection with indigenous conservation, as I have grown up in a rural Alaskan environment. Frederica De Laguna is the most inspiring example of feminine strength I have come across. Her history, as I hope mine to be, has been full of strength, contribution, and adventure; my readers would come away with insight into her brilliant mind in both archeology and unconventionality as a woman.