Module #5

"How are climate, cultures and oceans all connected?"

The Earth's oceans cover 70% of the planet's surface. People rely on the oceans for transportation, food and vital resources. The ocean's role of absorbing and distributing thermal energy affects climates. Alaska, as a region includes half of the United States coastline. Ocean temperatures drive atmospheric circulation. As the sea temperatures goes up, so does the evaporation rate. This rate effects wind and currents. Ocean currents inter-connect and have effects on oceans thousands of miles away and on the other side of the planet. Pollution originating on one coastline can travel on currents reaching areas of the world remotely situated within a decade or less. The oceans are truly connected.

The people of the world who live on or within 40 miles of a coastline will feel the effects of temperature changes of the waters: 1) fish populations my decrease, increase or move out of the area, 2) ecosystems change, and 3.) animals may migrate to different areas to secure a food source. The Alaska Native people who are subsistence living have seen the changes in warming climate first hand. Permafrost melting has caused an unstable foundation with houses collapsing into the sea, animal migrations are moving away due to lack of food and warming temperatures not conducive to their life management and change of plant life. Native peoples follow the fish, wildlife and plants that occur throughout the seasons.

I lived in Pilot Station, Alaska on the Yukon river for many years and our hunters had to go farther and farther from the village to acquire moose, caribou and seasonal birds. We saw ponds drying up and new vegetation take hold. The willows and tag alder are food to moose. We actually had moose moving closer to the village over the last 4 years. Bear are now numerous and a greater threat ( plus food source) during summer berry picking season. Overall, this village has not been more than 30% subsistence population for the last 2 decades.

This affects the cultural knowledge base of the upcoming generation. My school students didn't know how to set snares, flesh out animals, or read the ice in our area. Qassaq ( white man ) food was purchased with food credit cards at the local store or purchased from Span Alaska or other Bush food carriers. Fishing was still a big subsistence item during summers. Only the elders set nets under the river or pond ice to get pike, black fish or sheefish.

To conclude, oceans affect the climate which effects cultures that live near or along the coastline. Man is connected and greatly affected by the climate; his food source, transportation means and cultural ways are dependent and changeable by these forces. People will adapt only so much, before they are forced to move on or lose their culture in order to stay where they are now. Native Alaska subsistence living has been jeopardized by climate change. We are very much witnessing the lose of cultural ways of these people.

Module #4

"How do stories of cataclysmic events help inform students about geosciences and culture?

Cataclysmic events ( such as violent earthquakes, tsunamis or volcanic eruptions) are devastating with sudden and drastic changes to the landscapes upon which people dwell. Human lives can be taken, numbering into the tens of thousands in one quick moment with little to no warning. Students can see live footage of the event's results via news media, inter-net, and satellite connections.

People who live on fault lines, near the coastline or within volcanic activities are aware of these geologic forces and live with the knowledge of past occurrences. I lived on Kodiak Island, Alaska ( a part of the Aleutian chain ) in 1976 and was made aware of the tsunami ( resulting from the 1964 Alaska earthquake) that took out all of the harbor, boats, businesses and one-third of the town residences within minutes on Good Friday. I was told to keep supplies for survival ready in a back pack. There was a tsunami warning siren that would alert all in town to head for high ground.

There were Aleut tales telling of earthquakes and tsunamis in the area in the past. Even dances had the theme of earthquakes, so the future generations would know that area was prone to this movement.Every time there is a cataclysmic event, geoscience is given the fore front where the world seems to learn another facet with updated facts. People are fascinated by drastic occurrences and earthquakes, tsunami and volcanoes fit the bill. The news present background information that gives people more updated and related knowledge than the last event.

To conclude, cataclysmic events occur so suddenly and involve such a large amount of damage and lives lost, that the event becomes ingrained in people's history and culture. One's culture reflects these events in order to warn us and keep us knowledgeable of how dramatic forces are constantly shaping landscapes. Understanding and predicting earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanoes give greater safety for mankind.

module 2

How is everything connected from the perspectives of indigenous peoples and Western scientists?

Sila or Inua is the Native belief that everything is connected. Time, energy, physical world: a unity of independent life forces. Knowledge is spiritual and worldly that can't be segmented. People are one with nature and their surroundings. A holistic approach is taken.
Subsistence practices an intimate connection with the world around The People. The Native peoples live close to nature while harvesting from the land and sea. Subsistence allows resources for shelter, clothing and handicrafts. The universe is respected as a complex system where everything is believed to be a precious gift. Nature is honored through rituals, ceremonies, and art.
I lived in Pilot Station, a Yup'ik Eskimo village on the Yukon river. Two seasons ago, my husband and I were given a hind quarter of moose. The elders who 'gave to us' wanted to know what we would do with the bones. At first, I thought they wanted the marrow (which we also eat ) but then realized they were concerned that we might not dispose of the bones properly. The younger people dump the bones at the village dump. Tradition says to either return the bones to water or bury them. I told Mary and George we would return the bones to the river. They smiled and knew we would keep our word. This was the September hunt and the river was still open for disposal of the bones. We used the hide as a sled blanket.
Tradition tells that one "catches" a moose. The spirit of the moose present itself to the hunter. If the hunter shows respect for the killed animal by wasting nothing, disposing of the remains properly and giving the recently killed animal a drink of water ( for their passage to the next world) then the spirit will present itself the next season. Do all of our current Native hunters still believe and practice this thought? I have asked and never been given a definitive answer.
As hunting seasons, quota, plus moratoriums on hunting areas are enforced on The People, how will this change traditional thinking and practices? The Alaska Department of Fish and Game has set restrictions on number of animals hunted with permits, in an attempt to control and regulate animal populations.
Western scientists work on the premise of a formalized objective (departmentalized ) understanding of our universe. The scientific method is used to 'prove' a concept or hypothesis to be true and thereby a fact. Students of science are taught biology, physics, chemistry, astronomy, separately from Language Arts and the Humanities. Each component was a discrete part.
Einstein's work with the String Theory showed how the fundamental "knowledge" of science can change when new hypothesis are proven right or wrong. It unifies our understanding of everything. We have a foundation of facts that guide our thinking. As the facts change or are disproved, then thinking has to change to accommodate new information.
There are several components in the Traditional native knowledge and Western science that overlap and in common for both ways of thinking: universe is unified, body of knowledge stable but subject to modification, open mindedness, perseverance, empirical observation in rural settings, pattern recognition, verification through repetition, inference and prediction, knowledge based on properties of objects and materials, cycles and changes in the earth and sky.
To conclude, Traditional native ways and reductionistic Western science have connections through observations, practices known 'truths'. Knowing both aspects of thinking concerning science, will greatly benefit the student of both schools. The 2 parts become a whole creating a well- rounded environment for both Traditional and Western peoples.