Presenter(s): Trenton Martinez − Environmental Science
Faculty Mentor(s): Mark Carey
Poster 168
Research Area: Environmental Science
Indigenous communities within the Arctic region directly experience the consequences of climate change and have been disproportionately impacted. However, environmental projects and research concerned with these regions have failed to consider the cultural values and traditions of the local people. Popular world-views have contributed to the marginalization of indigenous populations in the Arctic as they are perceived as insignificant in relation to the global population. Thus, traditional knowledge is an essential component in collecting observational data and developing sustainable practices that maintain the community’s values, traditions, and relationship with the environment. Through examination of specific cases, the importance and use of traditional knowledge is demonstrated in its implementation, or lack thereof, within environmental strategy, design, and practice. Collectively, some of the most valuable data and information was obtained from oral narratives that provide an environmental history, personal experiences of environmental events and disasters, and the cultural adaptations, including hunting and traveling behaviors, as a response to local observations of environmental changes. This type of data is scientific knowledge specific to the region and culture, which prevent generalizations to be made through comparisons between similar environments without comparing differences between indigenous cultures as well. Incorporating these cultural aspects ensures that strategies to combat climate change protect the lives as well as the values and traditions of the people.