Gwich’in Recruits, Gwich’in Lives

• Main Author: Dunaway, Finis
• Format: Book Part
• Language: English
• Published: University of North Carolina Press 2021
• Subjects: Arctic; Canada; Greenland; First Nations; Gwich’in
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.5149/northcarolina/9781469661100.003.0018

Based largely on interviews with several Gwich’in spokespeople, this chapter considers what the Last Great Wilderness tour experience meant to them. It explains how Lenny Kohm worked closely with First Nations and tribal governments, the Gwich’in Steering Committee, and the Porcupine Caribou Management Board to recruit Gwich’in representatives to join him on tours. The chapter also notes how slide show tours changed Gwich’in lives, as many Last Great Wilderness veterans moved into leadership positions in their communities and are still actively involved in the Arctic Refuge struggle. Some of the Gwich’in leaders profiled in this chapter include Joe Tetlichi, Lorraine Netro, Kenny Smith, Bobbie Jo Greenland, and Faith Gemmill. Gwich’in spokespeople emphasized how Arctic drilling posed an existential threat to their culture and also how the issue had transnational significance, affecting communities on both sides of the US-Canada border.