Return of the Native Movement

There is no simple answer to this question. The history of unjust acquisition of land and resources through the Treaty of Cession (1867), the Statehood Act (1959), and the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (1971) heavily impacted, through theft, exploitation, and assimilation, Indigenous peoples here in Alaska. The Gwich'in nation, from which I come, is unanimously opposed to opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil exploration or drilling. My tribe, the Neetsaii Gwich'in, also rejected ANCSA and the corporate structure it forced on most other Indigenous peoples in Alaska. There are also many traditional people from the Inupiaq nation north of us who are opposed to the drilling. But their corporate entities, which are led by their own people, are supporting development because it is in their corporate charter to maximize profits for their shareholders. It is a common Western tactic in colonizing Indigenous peoples and our lands -- incite division, co-opt leaders, and force assimilation.

There is a concerted effort by corporations and government to extract what is left in Alaska, so we are in a situation of having to protect many places. A few of the hotspots right now are the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and the Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge, which need protection from oil exploration and development. Pebble Mine and Donlin Creek are proposed gold mines that need protection as well.

I am not one to predict the future. I do know, though, that we are losing pristine and sacred places, as well as human and other life, in every moment because of our destructive path as humanity. The insatiable human drive for greater profits and power is beyond my comprehension. It is certainly an illness. I feel that we all need healing to know ourselves and be guided through our hearts to move in ways to reach others and minimize the damages, as what is unsustainable collapses upon itself.

Traditional ways of life have been a point of contention between the environmental movement and Indigenous peoples. Our peoples have worked out our relationships with these lands and animals over thousands of years. To deny us our ways of life is a violation of human rights. Beyond this, it would be like telling the whales they can no longer eat fish and plankton. They are both sustainable and natural practices, when not tainted by Western greed and overconsumption.

Indigenous peoples are being heavily impacted by climate change because we live from the land and rely on it for our livelihood. In my lifetime, I have experienced a 10-degree change in winter temperatures within my village in northern Alaska. We will have to adapt; there is no other choice for us. My hope is that people will continue to wake up to the reality we are living in and mobilize to transition away from fossil fuels.

Within Native Movement, we are all between the ages of 15 and 30 years old. We outreach in high schools and at universities. We also have programs in the arts and host events such as hip-hop tours and poetry slams. The movement we are inspiring is about living a life rich with culture while also healing ourselves, protecting the land, and building sustainability at a bioregional level.

I offered a keynote address for Energy Action in January, 2005, in Washington, D.C. Since that time, we have built relationships with Energy Action through the Black Mesa Water Coalition and the Indigenous Environmental Network. Our leaders have traveled away from their homes to build relations with Energy Action on several occasions. It would be a meaningful gesture for Energy Action leadership to visit in some of our communities, so that they can have greater understanding of where we are coming from.

I am not interested in putting a specific title to the work that I do; I feel that would be limiting my reach, when I see all realms as being related. The worldview of many Indigenous peoples is this way, wherein our understanding about how we live as human beings incorporates maintaining our relations with all of creation. This means that the environment is inseparable from us; we are one and the same. So environmentalism, in a conservative sense, does not make sense to many Indigenous peoples because it excludes human beings as being an integral part of the natural world. At the same time, environmentalism gives many of our people hope that those of European descent are beginning the process of healing and understanding how devastating the path of greed and overconsumption is to themselves and all life.

Check out the "Resources" page of the Gwich'in Steering Committee website.

I, too, have friends among the Lakota. When I am invited and it works out for me to be there, I am excited to build relationships and offer support to the leaders from those lands.

We are in the process of raising $425,000 to support our work this year. Our approach is to seek funding through foundations, individuals, and fund-raising events such as concerts and luncheons. We are planning to open a social entrepreneurship that supports our work as well. So far, about half of our support has come through private philanthropy, and we are open to building relationships with more people who are moved by our vision and work.

I find myself moving more and more into a position of building relations between philanthropists and the Indigenous community. I am open to dialogue with anyone interested in this question of how to financially, and otherwise, support the Indigenous cause. Feel free to for more information.