AAOKH puts Indigenous perspectives front and center in essay for the international Arctic Report Card
AAOKH contributed to the international 2023 Arctic Report Card supported by the US National Oceanographic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
In our essay “Nunaaqqit Savaqatigivlugich: Working with communities to observe the Arctic”, AAOKH Project Coordinator and Commuity Liaison Roberta Tuurraq Glenn-Borade took the lead to describe environmental changes reported by observers, impacts to their communities and traditional activities, and a broader need elevate and include Indigenous perspectives in research, planning, and management. Co-authors included observers Billy Adams, Bobby Schaeffer, Carla SimsKayotuk, Guy Omnik, and Joe Leavitt, and Project Lead Donna Hauser. Roberta made a splash at the press conference where the entire Arctic Report Card was announced in San Francisco on 12 December 2023.
“When you have local observations side-by-side with scientific data, it tells a more complete story of not just what’s happening but how those changes are being perceived and their impact in terms of activities or travel.”
– Roberta Tuurraq Glenn-Borade in UAF press release
Watch the full press conference:
Roberta, as well as Donna and some of the observers, were interviewed by several news outlets including the New York Times, NPR, Arctic Sounder/Anchorage Daily News, Indian Country Today, and Alaska Public Media.
We argue that observations and knowledge from Indigenous residents of the Arctic, such as those made through AAoKH, are underrepresented and sometimes undervalued, and hope that an outcome of our participation in the federal Arctic Report Card will generate new interests and attention. Overall, we continue to strive to share the observations from the AAOKH network of Iñupiaq community observers to encourage ethical and equitable inclusion of Indigenous perspectives in the national and international conversations about Arctic change.
Interested in learning more about the history, goals, and future plans for AAOKH? Check out our recent publication that had the space to go into much more detail than was possible in the Arctic Report Card essay.
