| NSF Org: |
OPP Office of Polar Programs (OPP) |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | August 6, 2014 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | August 6, 2014 |
| Award Number: | 1445218 |
| Award Instrument: | Standard Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Anna Kerttula de Echave
OPP Office of Polar Programs (OPP) GEO Directorate for Geosciences |
| Start Date: | August 1, 2014 |
| End Date: | July 31, 2015 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $15,756.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $15,756.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
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| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
201 E 3RD AVE ANCHORAGE AK US 99501-2503 (907)258-3337 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
RS |
| Primary Place of
Performance Congressional District: |
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| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
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| Parent UEI: |
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| NSF Program(s): | ASSP-Arctic Social Science |
| Primary Program Source: |
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| Program Reference Code(s): |
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| Program Element Code(s): |
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| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.078 |
ABSTRACT
This award supports a small workshop to be held in Zhaigansk, Sakha Republic, Russia, in August 2014 as part of the Network or Indigenous Knowledge (NIK). NIK is a project by the Yukon River Intertribal Watershed Council that is building a global network of watershed users, managers, scientists, community scholars and knowledge holders on the Yukon in both Alaska and Canada, the Amazon, and the Nile. This workshop would introduce NIK to the Yakut and Evenk people of Siberia in order to bring the Lena River Basin, one of the 3 rivers in Siberia that contributes fresh water to the Arctic Ocean and is the largest river whose watershed is entirely in Russia.
The Lena River It is the 11th longest river in the world and has the 9th largest watershed that provides fresh water to the Arctic Ocean. NIK scientists are providing a mechanism by which global watersheds can be monitored year round by local people, something not possible by field scientists, most who can only visit their research sites in the summer season for a few weeks. NIK will train local people in scientific methodologies for monitoring the health and production of the Lena River Watershed. Local monitoring will provide data on the health and production of one of the worlds largest watersheds, information critical to understanding the Arctic Ocean ecosystem and how it is changing.
PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT
Disclaimer
This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.
Yukon to Yakutia
Report to National Science Foundation
The “Yukon to Yakutia” workshops sponsored by the National Science Foundation and the Trust for Mutual understanding as well as private funding from Jon Waterhouse were a smashing success! Departing for Russia in 2014 at the very height of tensions between Russia and the U.S. over the Crimea and Ukraine (mostly media driven) would seem the epitome of madness. But, when we’re talking about Indigenous People and their world-wide desire to connect, assist one another, and help humankind the “madness” is inspiring!
Each Team member, departing from their home bases, Anchorage, Alaska, Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, and Woods Hole, Massachusetts met in New York for final prep and the flight to Moscow, Russia.
Arriving in Moscow they immediately set about the round of logistic, Indigenous and government meetings related to the workshops. Meetings were held with RAIPON Russian Association of Indigenous Peoples of the North. http://raipon.info/
These meetings were attended by all of the top officials from RAIPON and representatives from the Russian DUMA (Gosudarstvennaya Duma). The meetings were very comprehensive and the Russian officials were most welcoming. They commented on the fact that we were coming to Russia while others were leaving. They loved the concept of the Indigenous workshops and connection between the groups and offered their full support.
They also let us know that they would be reporting back to the full Duma and seek their support for the work. We were asked to have another meeting with them upon our return to Moscow at the end of our travels which we enthusiastically agreed too.
The Team departed Moscow and traveled to Yakutsk. While in Yakutsk we had scheduled meetings with The Yakutia University, The Russian Permafrost Institute, the Minister of the Environment, and local government representatives. While in Yakutsk we gave three school presentations to introduce the schools to water quality techniques and Native cultures from the U.S. and Canada. Team members, Jon Waterhouse (S’Klallam, Chippewa and Cree) and Jodi Inkster (Kaska First Nation), led lively discussions with the local school leadership and students. The meetings with the Russian Permafrost Institute led to an agreement to create a Memorandum of Understanding for future cooperation.
Traveling by airplane north to Zhigansk that would serve as our main base of operations was a stunning flight. The vastness of the Russian Taiga is hard to comprehend; it truly does go on forever.
A very large celebration greeted the Team upon arrival. Traditional foods, dancing, and greetings were most exciting! This warm welcome from all of the People and villages we visited over the next few weeks contributed significantly to the success of the project. During the following weeks the Team traveled to communities and camps to workshops with the Native Elders and schools to build a way forward for them to participate in science and interact with cultures around the world through the use of the “Virtual Campfire” (SKYPE). Jody Inkster and Jon Waterhouse brought an understanding of their respective Native cultures while gaining understanding of the Evenk and Yakut way of knowing through cultural participation and interactive presentations. Mary Marshall spent countless hours documenting to entire expedition through video and still photos. Many more hours were spent by Ms. Marshall interviewing and documenting Evenki and Yakut thoughts, knowledge, and practices to blend with the collected modern science. Ms. Marshall’s interviews sought and found the deeper, more human element of Native Knowledg...
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