A joint research team from the University of Alaska and the Iñupiat Heritage Center has excavated a massive structure built from bowhead whale jawbones near Utqiaġvik. The site, dating back approximately 800 years, features a monumental archway that served as the entrance to a communal qargi, or traditional sod house. This architectural find is being hailed as the earliest physical evidence of a permanent site dedicated to the Kivgiq Messenger Feast.
Artifacts found at the site include ivory gaming pieces and ceremonial drums, suggesting that the structure was a hub for the competitive games and gift-giving that define the festival. By documenting the layout of this ancient gathering place, archaeologists are gaining new insights into how early Arctic communities used these mid-winter festivals to maintain social ties and trade networks across vast, frozen landscapes.