5.13. Indigenizing Research Agenda and Methodology in Arctic Science

25 March 2025 | 16:00 - 17:30 (MDT)

Open Session - HYBRID

Room:  UMC Fourth Floor - 415 / 417

Organisers: Stanislav Saas Ksenofontov (ARCTICenter, University of Northern Iowa, USA); Marya Rozanova-Smith (The George Washington University, USA); Andrey Petrov (ARCTICenter, University of Northern Iowa, USA)

 

Zoom link to the Open Session (password-protected)

The password needed to connect to the session will be distributed the day prior to the start of the sessions to all registered conference participants. Further guidelines on how to participate virtually in the ASSW 2025 can be found on the ASSW 2025 website.

 

Session Description:

Indigenizing research agenda and methodology is an important priority to ensure that Arctic research is respectful and inclusive of Indigenous knowledge, is ethically conducted, and addresses urgent community needs and priorities.

We invite researchers, especially Indigenous scholars, to share their experiences in implementing the Indigenized and knowledge co-production approaches throughout the complete research process, including:

• The principle of community engagement at all stages of project implementation.FAIR, CARE, and other principles on Indigenous data sovereignty and governance.
• Local communities' cultural protocols for fieldwork.
• The Free, Prior, Informed Consent.
• The principle of transparency.
• Decolonization and Indigenization of Arctic research.

For this Session, we also invite presentations on Indigenous leadership in Arctic research, data use and dissemination, with a special focus on community data ownership and sovereignty principles, as well as co-authorship/first-authorship with community members when publishing and disseminating research results.

The Session is organized by the ARCTICenter, UNI, Project Understanding the Gendered Impacts of COVID-19 in the Arctic (COVID-GEA), and Project Measuring Urban Sustainability in Transition (MUST), and Project Socio-Ecological Systems Transformation in River basins of the sub-Arctic under climate change (SESTRA).

Instructions for Speakers:  Oral presentations in this session should be at most 12-minutes in length, with an additional 2-3 minutes for questions (unless more detailed instructions are provided by session conveners). See more detailed presenter instructions here.

Oral Presentations: 

• unfold_moreHow to “keep looking”: Understanding Indigenous and Academic Observations of Climate Change as Affordances in Savoonga, AK — Jon Rosales 

  Jon Rosales ¹; Amanda Barreto Salgueiro ²; Perry Pungowiyi ^{3
  1} St. Lawrence University; ² St. Lawrence University and World Resources Institute; ³ Native Village of Savoonga

  Format: Oral in-person

  Abstract:

  This paper expresses lessons learned over 15 years of working with subsistence practitioners in Savoonga and Shaktoolik, AK, two Indigenous villages in the Bering Strait Region. Lessons learned are formulated into a theoretical grounding that may be of interest to others working on co-production projects. The presentation finalizes a theoretical approach to field work presented at the previous Arctic Science Summit Week gathering in 2023. We use psychologist James J. Gibson’s work on visual perception and particularly his concept of affordances to organize and guide co-production work for more effective, rewarding, and just outcomes. This presentation lays out the rationale developed in our paper and provides recommendations for future collaborative projects attempting to combine Indigenous and academic knowledge systems. Affordances, as a grounding principle of how we observe the environment, leads to fuller understanding of co-production work and can lead to specific recommendations for future work. Affordances led us to reconceptualize and revise our conceptions of consent, community engagement, transparency, and research protocols. This approach can also be used to revise grant proposal criteria.

• unfold_moreOn good terms: pathways to decolonizing science-appropriated Indigenous terminologies in Arctic research — Stanislav Ksenofontov 

  Stanislav Ksenofontov ¹; Andrey Petrov ¹; Vera Kuklina ²; Alexander Kholodov ^{3
  1} ARCTICenter, University of Northern Iowa; ² Department of Geography and Environment, George Washington University; ³ Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska Fairbanks

  Format: Oral in-person

  Abstract:

  Many western scientific disciplines adopted Indigenous Knowledge and terminology without deference or understanding of the original meanings and values attached to Indigenous terms and concepts. This form of colonial appropriation has become a serious issue in light of decolonizing Arctic research. Alaas is an example of such appropriation by the western science-based system of knowledge about human-nature relations. However, Indigenous and place-based understandings of Alaas, not their western-science interpretations, should lead future research into this complex natural, social and cultural phenomenon. Alaas in permafrost science terminology refers to “a large depression of the ground surface produced by thawing of a large area (e.g., > 1 ha) of very thick and exceedingly ice-rich permafrost”. While western researchers consider alaas as a geomorphological formation, for the Sakha People in Northeastern Siberia it is Alaas - first and foremost a crucial cultural, spiritual and social space that encompasses names, ichchi (spirits), power, and human, more-than-human inhabitants. Sakha People have been utilizing Alaas for living, cattle and horse breeding, fishing and other traditional activities for centuries. This presentation aims to discuss the term Alaas as it is represented in both western science and Indigenous knowledge. The paper will take the development of ‘alaas’ as an international permafrost science term and Alaas as an economic, traditional, cultural and spiritual space of the Sakha People. In analyzing these histories and meanings, the authors will attempt to provide a pathway to decolonizing western science-appropriated Indigenous terminology.

• unfold_moreImplementing Indigenous Data Sovereignty through Arctic Collaboration and Coordination — Natasha Haycock-Chavez 

  Natasha Haycock-Chavez ¹; Noor Johnson ¹; Joshua Brown ¹; Betsy Sheffield ^{1
  1} Exchange for Local Observations and Knowledge of the Arctic (ELOKA), National Snow and Ice Data Center, University of Colorado Boulder

  Format: Oral in-person

  Abstract:

  Indigenous Data Sovereignty (IDS) speaks to the right of Indigenous knowledge holders, communities, and nations to determine Indigenous data usage, sharing, and storage. This concept reflects the importance of data for Indigenous governance and the need for Indigenous communities to control how their data is shared and used, and is being adopted and implemented across the Arctic. The Exchange for Local Observations and Knowledge of the Arctic provides data management support to Indigenous communities and research projects in the Arctic to ensure their data is used, shared, and managed in a way that aligns with community needs. Recently, ELOKA has been working to identify concrete ways to support implementation of IDS for community-led research and data management. Part of this involves a self-evaluation of practices and internal structure. During this presentation, ELOKA will provide an update and outcomes of the self-evaluation process, and share actionable items and examples of implementing Indigenous data sovereignty.

• unfold_moreKutka's Counter Cartography: An Excercise in Itelmen Mapping Methods — Liam Campbell 

  Liam Campbell ^{1 
  1} University of Victoria

  Format: Oral in-person

  Abstract:

  This paper explores Indigenous counter-mapping by integrating Itelmen stories recorded from Wilhelm Steller’s account of the Second Kamchatka Expedition. Departing from Traditional-Use Study (TUS) cartography, this methodology centers on community-led research, weaving together an Indigenous counter-cartography grounded in oral histories and language revitalization. Drawing inspiration from the narrative of Kutka, the creator of Kamchatka, the methodology endeavors to "(re)story" the landscape.

  Western mapping approaches, exemplified by TUS, often hinge on archival data and may inadvertently reinforce colonial extractive practices. Conceived as an Itelmen-led collaborative initiative, this research challenges conventional mapping practices by introducing a counter cartography that questions the underlying assumptions inherent in TUS maps. Employing "transformational listening," the authors interpret an Itelmen story of Kutka on the Tigil River, giving rise to the innovative mapping method, Kutka’s Counter-Cartography. By mapping linguistic relationships between people and non-human kin, the methodology critically examines Steller’s account of Itelmen oral histories, crafting a dynamic map that actively "(re)stories" the landscape.

  Addressing the complexities of mapping relationships, the paper utilizes lines to connect Indigenous Peoples, places, and human-animal kin. Navigating the challenges of mapping human and non-human relationships, the project prioritizes the fluid nature of land tenure, avoiding rigid territorial boundaries. Overcoming the hurdles of a colonial data management system, the research practices Indigenous data sovereignty. This methodology not only fosters collaboration between Itelmen and non-Itelmen people, but also serves as a tool for Itelmen communities, enabling them to assert jurisdiction over their territories, revitalize language and culture, and stifle colonial narratives.

• unfold_moreLost in Research: The Absence of Indigenous Perspectives in Contemporary Russian Studies on Indigenous Peoples of Russia — Ekaterina Zibrova 

  Ekaterina Zibrova ^{1 
  1} University of the Witwatersrand

  Format: Oral in-person

  Abstract:

  The colonial nature of Russia's military aggression against Ukraine has triggered an increase in researchers' interest in the issues of Indigenous peoples of Russia. However, the research results cast doubt on the application of principles on Indigenous data sovereignty and decolonial methodologies. For instance, a recent ethnographic study on the military everyday life in contemporary Russia (Meduza, 2024, media resource) raised concerns about the completeness of the data collected in the Republic of Buryatia, where the research sample consisted of Buryats, the Indigenous people of the region.

  Moreover, the increasingly challenging research conditions – securitization of the ethnicity issue (Yusupova, 2021), and the fear of expressing any opinion under the authoritarian oppressive regime (Rosenfeld, 2023) – are forcing researchers to modify principles of transparency, making studies more vulnerable to the risk of being insufficient. The long-standing failure to apply a decolonial lens to studies concerning Indigenous matters, including Arctic issues within Russia, is rooted in a history of oppression against Indigenous peoples. At the Summit, I will present an analysis of contemporary Russian studies on Indigenous Peoples of Russia and offer insights into the general focus of Russian social scholars on the research process when studying Indigenous peoples.