What does Inuit-led conservation advocacy mean to you?
When I think of Inuit-led conservation I think of my grandmother. My grandmother raised me in Unalakleet, along with the ocean, the river, and the tundra. It was her who taught me the value of respect, reciprocity, and relationships. It is because of these values that Indigenous communities across the Arctic have sustained themselves for thousands of years. We are not just polite and respectful of others within our community, we extend that respect to the environment. We understand that we don’t just have relationships among others in our community, but those relationships extend to plants and animals, for they are our relatives. They are a part of us.
In my Inupiaq cultural values, we are enlisted to be caretakers and stewards of the land on which we live. We tend to the plants and animals, and they give back to us by providing food to nourish us and that is reciprocity. Indigenous people are an essential part of nature. The world is not better without human beings because humans are a part of nature. Every being is essential to the ecosystems around the world. To me Inuit-led conservation means to live in harmony with the land as we have for thousands of years. It means respecting Indigenous knowledge and science when it comes to conservation.
How do you engage with environmental issues/conservation advocacy in school and/or at home?
I engage with environmental issues/conservation advocacy while at home and at school through programs like Arctic Youth Network and Arctic Youth Ambassadors. These programs and networks give youth from Alaska and youth internationally a voice to advocate for what they believe in. For Arctic Youth Network I was able to go to Brussels, Belgium in May for a four year project funded by the European Union and worked on climate adaptation policy recommendations for the European Union with 30 other youth. I try my best to engage in programs that will help me stay connected and give me opportunities to advocate for my home!
What is one experience on the land or the ocean that has stayed with you, and why?
I have only gone caribou hunting once. I was twelve years old. My younger sister and I were tucked in behind my mother as my father drove ahead on his snowmachine with my younger brother. My parents drove over 73 miles North through the snowy Nulato Hills and the icy Norton Bay to Koyuk, Alaska. A few miles outside of Koyuk, my father shot a bull caribou. My siblings and I sat as we watched my mother and father butcher the caribou into chunks to carry home. I could imagine the smell of my grandmother’s caribou soup hot on the stove after school. It was always my favorite meal. As we made our way home, I looked to my left and I saw hundreds of caribou running over the tundra. The sky was painted yellow, orange, pink, and blue as the sun began to set. It looked like something out of a painting. It was the most beautiful sight I had ever seen. In that moment, I didn’t fully understand how big of an impact it had made on my life. In environmental work it is hard not to feel hopeless at times, but I think of the caribou, I think of my connection to land and animals when I feel hopeless. I picture a future where my children would be able to hunt for caribou and have that same connection to the land.
