27 March 2025 | 10:30 - 12:00 (MDT)
Open Session - HYBRID
Room: UMC Third Floor - 382
Organisers: Tatiana Degai (University of Victoria, Canada); Casey Ferguson (University of Alaska Fairbanks, USA); Morgen Bertheussen (McGill University, Canada)
Session Description:
Climate change poses challenges to Indigenous coastal communities in the Arctic who are witnessing its impacts daily. Losing land and sea ice to the ocean along with changing subsistence seasonality heavily impacts the socio-cultural, economic, and mental well-being of Indigenous communities. This talking circle will bring together Indigenous knowledge keepers from the coastal communities of Alaska, USA and Northwest Territories, Canada to share their stories and lived experiences on addressing the challenges of changing landscapes and practices. This talking circle will focus on how reclaiming Indigenous languages and knowledges in combination with current community-based observations can support tackling environmental challenges. We argue that land-based education, language revitalization, and community observation practices set the foundation for short and long-term planning and designing coastal communities’ futures. By showcasing examples of successful initiatives that address community priorities and needs, this talking circle will foster community-to-community knowledge sharing and contribute to exploring forward looking thinking and collaboration among rightsholders.
This session originated as part of the AC3TION research project (Alaska Coastal Cooperative for Co-producing Transformative Ideas and Opportunities in the North) which is committed to problem-solving that is process-based and grounded in actionable community-driven science and education. AC3TION grew out of existing partnerships with eight Arctic coastal communities that are responding to increasing climate-driven coastal hazards and environmental change. These include the Chignik Intertribal Coalition, Nelson Lagoon, Atka, St. Paul, Hooper Bay, Gambell, Point Lay, and Tuktoyaktuk.