Nunaaqqit Savaqatigivlugich—working with communities: evolving collaborations around an Alaska Arctic observatory and knowledge hub

• Published in: Arctic Science
• Main Authors: Donna D.W. Hauser, Roberta Tuurraq Glenn, Elizabeth D. Lindley, Kimberly Kivvaq Pikok, Krista Heeringa, Joshua Jones, Billy Adams, Joe Mello Leavitt, Guy Norman Omnik, Robert Schaeffer, Carla SimsKayotuk, Elena Bautista Sparrow, Alexandra M. Ravelo, Olivia Lee, Hajo Eicken
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English; French
• Published: Canadian Science Publishing 2023
• Subjects: Indigenous Knowledge; community-based observing; Arctic change; Chukchi Sea; Beaufort Sea; sea ice; Environmental sciences; GE1-350; Environmental engineering; TA170-171; Arctic; Chukchi; Climate change; Sea ice; Alaska
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1139/as-2022-0044; https://doaj.org/article/7d27eb8a3ee54c9fb9f4530785cb983c

Indigenous Peoples across the Arctic have adapted to environmental change since time immemorial, yet recent climate change has imposed unprecedented and abrupt changes that affect the land and sea upon which communities rely. Co-created community-based observing programs offer an opportunity to harness the holistic breadth of knowledge in communities with the goal of tracking Arctic change while simultaneously supporting community priorities and local-scale needs. The Alaska Arctic Observatory and Knowledge Hub (AAOKH) is a network of Iñupiaq observers from northern Alaska coastal communities working in partnership with academic researchers. Here, we describe five core functions that have emerged through AAOKH, which include tracking long-term environmental changes; communicating Indigenous-led observations of the environment and their meaning; place-based and culturally relevant education; enabling scientific and Indigenous Knowledge exchange; and supporting community-led responses to environmental change. We outline and discuss specific actions and opportunities that have been used to increase knowledge exchange of AAOKH observations, make space for the next generation of Indigenous scholars, and create locally relevant data products and syntheses that can inform resource management and community planning. We also discuss our ongoing efforts to increasingly shift toward a knowledge coproduction framework as we plan to sustain AAOKH into the future.