Discussion on Emergent Knowledge Gained Through Indigenous Narratives and Collaborations in Alaska by Nurturing Arctic Community Engagement, Local Empowerment and Cross-Cultural Science Interview

The Navigating the New Arctic Community Office (NNA-CO) builds awareness, partnerships, opportunities and resources for collaboration and equitable knowledge to generate and use knowledge within, between and beyond the research projects funded by the National Science Foundation’s NNA Initiative. The office builds capacity in early career researchers. It provides unique opportunities to inspire and engage a wide audience toward a more holistic understanding of the Arctic — its natural environment, its built environment, and diverse cultures and communities. In Fall 2021, team members Karli Tyance Hassell (Anishinaabe), James Temte (Northern Cheyenne), Matthew Druckenmiller, Jenna Vater, Alaska Native artists Joseph (Iñupiaq) and Martha (Unangax̂) Senungetuk, and graphic designer Sebastian Garber (Athabascan) came together to discuss a vision for the NNA-CO logo design and significance. The result was a seal design that Joseph Senungetuk first sketched from ancestral memory of an ancient Iñupiaq artwork. “The Story of the Seal Design” provides additional information about the artists, the process of developing the logo and the meaning behind the caption UUMMATIÑ IÑUURUQ (“Your heart is alive”). The team not only focused on the design and its significance, but also discussed the broader impact of climate change, the history of research, Indigenous protocols and values, and working together toward leaving a positive legacy in Arctic spaces. In this video, Joseph and Martha reflect on the seal design and what it means for the Arctic. The other thing that I am really passionate about is, you know, kind of changing the narrative. I think for so long Western research has identified problems, and it has identified like these, you know, these areas are… They are really lacking or they are not working well; but I think that we can change the narrative to so much that communities do. They are thriving in certain areas, so let's research more like that. Let's start there and develop all the assets we have instead of just focusing on the issues or the problems. So I love that kind of narrative shift. I don't know if you've seen the news recently, but western Alaska [this past weekend] is facing really devastating impact related to an extreme weather event, a storm. There's also melting sea ice and permafrost that really impact access to traditional foods or practising lifeways. These all impact health and well-being, food security, and community health, which is related to human mental health, for example - everything is connected, right? At the Community Extension Office (NNA-CO), a lot of our work really centres around Indigenous research frameworks, supporting relationship building, which is what James [Temte] had mentioned, and really centring community needs and priorities. A lot of that is done through education and outreach, and we have a team centred around education and outreach who are working with teachers, for example, across Alaska. There are some scientists and teams who are developing curriculum and they're bringing that to classrooms. A lot of our work is highlighting those best practices through sharing stories or gathering resources, and spreading the word about all this really great information that is out there… and connecting people and ideas - I think that's a big part of what the office does. All of which really takes time, especially in the light of historical or ongoing helicopter researchers or scientists that kind of come in and out of communities with an extractive mindset. They don't understand that it's really important to compensate people for their time and input into research projects, or better yet, really establish that partnership and centre community concerns in developing or co-developing research questions and solutions. I …