ARCUS | Arctic Research Consortium of the United States

7th Annual ARCUS Award for Arctic Research Excellence


Submitted by   Brett Wolk
Authors  
Category   Social Science
Title   Two Cultures on One Road – Integrating Indigenous Environmental Values with Modern Land Management Above the Arctic Circle
Affiliation   Environmental Science, Oregon State University, Boulder, CO, USA

Abstract

The Iñupiat in Northwestern Alaska have managed to integrate many of their environmental values with the operating procedures and management attitudes at Red Dog Mine and other land management agencies in Northwestern Alaska. Through a subsistence lifestyle, the Inuit have developed a deep respect for the intrinsic qualities of nature. This is in many respects at odds with the common Euro-American utilitarian philosophy that nature exists for human use and should be exploited for human benefit. Red Dog Mine is an engineering marvel, a result of creative thinking and technological ingenuity that allows the mine to maintain production while protecting vital subsistence resources. The establishment of Red Dog Mine has changed the lives of many indigenous people in the area by providing jobs and technical training, as well as boosting self-esteem and pride in the region. However, Native beliefs and values have reciprocally had a significant impact on operations at Red Dog Mine and land management policies in Northwest Alaska. Accordingly, the objective of this paper is to examine how the Iñupiat worldview and specifically their subsistence lifestyle has influenced operating procedures and management attitudes with regard to environmental issues at Red Dog Mine and other land management agencies in Northwestern Alaska. I also discuss a few unique situations in which Inuit peoples have made similar achievements integrating their views with international environmental conservation efforts in the Arctic circumpolar region. I found two factors that seem to be most important in influencing the ability of the Inuit to successfully achieve more control in land use issues. These factors are: 1) the diversity of means available to enforce environmental policies and 2) ownership of the land. Finally, I conclude by proposing how some of the agreements and principles established between Inuit peoples, government agencies, and private land manager, both in Northwestern Alaska and on the international level, can be applied more generally to international environmental issues in other regions of the world.