| April
1, 2005 Cultural Harmony Threatened By Oil Development by Matthew Gilbert, alaskanplumbline.info I am Gwich'in Athabascan from Arctic Village, Alaska. We are called the Caribou People; caribou is the basis of our culture, our whole livelihood. Caribou plays an intricate role in every area of our life. From caribou we get clothes, shelters, tools, legends, dances, jewelry, spirituality, and our biggest source of food; there is nothing we do in our everyday life-even today-that is not related or influenced by the caribou. Arctic Village is in a valley at the foot of the Brooks Range on the southern edge of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The caribou migrate over a mountain by our village every fall, which is our hunting season. As a child, I remember my grandfather and I visiting dozens of family-camps planted over the mountain. This memory stands out for me because these trips satisfied my cravings of adventure every child posses. When we visited these camps I felt a sense of community never felt in the village--which is a welcoming and friendly atmosphere only achieved in the wilderness. I cannot help but to wonder if this was the way it was with my ancestors when they visited each in their nomadic lives. After we visited the camps, my grandpa and I would go over the mountain and onto the tundra to track down the caribou. The mountain where we hunted the caribou is a very low one, but when you're on top of it you can see the whole valley, and the glimmering rooftops of the village below; it's beautiful. In mid-fall, the mists off the horizons make the land glow below this is the scene you see as you ride back with a caribou. This beautiful way of life will end if we do not have the caribou to hunt. We cannot call ourselves Gwich'in Athabascans without the Caribou. The Bush administration, as well as our state representatives, are relentlessly pursuing the development of this sacred Gwich'in place artificially called the "1002 area." They have now won a little leverage on the issue, but we are still standing strong against them. We like to call the refuge the calving ground or "the place where life begins" in our tongue. The coastal plain is sacred it is the birthplace of the Caribou. Not only does the refuge house the caribou, but also the biggest polar bear denning area in the U.S and over 135 migratory birds. Proven by almost every scientific report, the Porcupine Caribou herd is sensitive to human intervention during calving and post-calving season. If they develop the very area the Caribou calve called the "1002 area," the caribou will move into an area further south. Moving further south raise risks of migration routes being disturbed by poor food sources, higher predation, and a lack of insect relief. My grandfather has occasional heartburn because at many times during the year when subsistence is low and the yearly caribou harvest are inadequate. He is forced to eat processed store-bought food with high cholesterol and sodium. These foods do a number on his blood pressure and heart. Our traditional foods have been our only source of protein and all other required nutrients for the last 10,000 years or even longer. People in my village used to live long lives on account of their traditional diets. My great-grandfather easily lived to be 89 and all the other elders lived in the range of 80 to 95 years. Whereas nowadays, the deaths doubled due to alcoholism and heart attacks-due to bad diet. Diabetes is running rampant in our Native lands. There isn't a Native alive who doesn't have at least one relative with diabetes. Every traditional food-dependent elder I met never had diabetes. So you can begin to see the significance of our traditional foods. Caribou is our main source of traditional food. Most people think subsistence is simply hunting to Alaska Natives and nothing more, but what they fail to realize is it is not just hunting, the very practice of hunting caribou and moose defines us as who we are; it's our cultural. You cannot limit our hunting by seasons, anymore than you can limit how much dough or cheese an Italian can use when making pasta or how much we an African Tribesmen should dance a year. Subsistence is our culture not just our hunting. To westerners, subsistence is hunting and providing; to Alaska Natives, subsistence is culture and fulfillment. The word "subsistence" in English refers to a low standard of living. Whereas, in the Alaska Native culture, such as mine, it means the exact opposite it means a way of life that brings an abundance of rich resources. We wish to continue a practice over 10,000 years old. For my own story, I shot my first caribou at thirteen, which was my rite of passage. Would you ever be the same if you had killed an animal two times your size and was able to feed your entire family? Traditional hunting practices are embedded in the rite of passage for young men like me. Traditional hunting practices are also significant for the young women and their tasks at home-which are cutting the meat and sowing clothing out of the fur. It is also significant to the young children because we teach them about who they are and what they will be doing one day. Subsistence is a complex network that incorporates the entire Native community, and that is exactly the life in our village. Arctic Village's traditional economy has been functioning for more than 10,000 years. This is a system that is endangered by the Bush administration. We live in a village and we provide for our families, and sometimes even the whole village. It is in the giving, in the knowledge of the land, in the thought of bringing home an animal that will be used in a number of ways that brings bliss to the Gwich'in hunter. We call this rush Our Way of Life: it is the wellspring of our culture: we are the caribou people. The coastal plain that oil companies are pushing to allow oil and gas development is called America's "Serengeti" by environmental groups. It has grandeur is unsurpassed in North America. You can see pictures of absolute splendor of the refuge at: www.arcticwildlife.org As for the Central Arctic Herd, now said to be "co-existing" with the oil field in the Arctic Slope, there are stark contrast with meats of this herd and the Porcupine Caribou herd. Where the Arctic Central Herd meat has odd coloration and soft textures (which is abnormal), and the Porcupine Herd meat is more rich, tender, and natural. There are also cases of asthma developing in the villages surrounded by the oil fields in the Arctic Slope. Although, the proof of the oilfields causing the asthma is not conclusive, the villagers that had asthma before the establishment of the oil fields were very slim. The refuge is the only 5 percent protected by law from the oil industry, whereas 95 percent of the North Slope is open to oil exploration. U.S Geological Survey studies show that the potential oil in the Refuge would only supply U.S demand for six months. National Opinion polls consistently show the majority of Americans oppose opening the Arctic Refuge to oil drilling. My people are calling for protecting the livelihood of the Porcupine Caribou Herd. The National mindset towards this pristine wilderness is that they want it protected. I oppose drilling in the refuge because I am Athabascan, and it goes against everything I believe. My traditions, cultures, and livelihood are in danger and I hope that I have illustrated the seriousness of the matter. I oppose oil drilling because it will leave my grandparents and all other traditional people in the village with no choice but to depend on processed store-bought foods. Foods detrimental to their health as is becoming visible with the high rate of heart disease, diabetes, and obesity among Alaska Natives. We are not going to survive without the caribou. It is either a lifetime of caribou or welfare, and caribou is a lot more reliable than welfare. Our pleas and requests have often gone unheard because the majority of the populace does not fully understand the meaning of "subsistence" and "culture." The words are not capable of defining the holistic sense of our culture. I know from my own life how important the Caribou is to my people, but I wish I can clearly convey and share my experience for others to see the Gwich'in way of life. Science has proven to be a formidable ally in our argument against oil development in the refuge by the statistics and information. Numerous studies have shown the potential destruction and disruption oil development would enact on the biological nursery called the calving ground. It has been proven by numerous sources and common-sense that oil development and wildlife are not compatible. In conclusion, the calving grounds, as Gwich'in like to call it, is a pure place that cries for protection. America's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is one of our last environmentally pure places in the United States; it is in the same category as Yellowstone Park. If we allow oil and gas development on the refuge, than all refuges are at risk. The refuge is the "sacred place where life begins" for the Gwich'in Athabascans. It has helped us maintain a good life for millenniums. It literally is where 'our' live begins. The caribou has ensured our survival now it is our turn to ensure theirs. |
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| Copyright 2005
Insurgent Media. All Rights
Reserved. in-sur-gent (in sur'jent), n. 1. a member of a group which revolts against the policies of its leadership. |
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