kelsey nyland, ph.d., a research scientist and adjunct professor at the george washington university department of geography, is studying permafrost through the u.s. national science foundation-funded project circumpolar active layer monitoring (calm). at the 2022 planet forward summit, she discussed long-term trends of warming and thaw in alaska, and the resulting impact on local ways of life.

learn more by reading kelsey’s research.

cultural survival is a non-profit organization that advocates for the rights of indigenous peoples around the world. as the program manager for ‘cultural survival’s keepers of the earth fund (koef)’, bia’ni awards grants to grassroots indigenous-led organizations from different countries to support them as they achieve their autonomy and sovereignty. 

according to the koef website, “since 2017, the fund has provided grants and technical assistance to over 177 indigenous-led projects in 35 countries around the world, totaling $764,317 usd.” 

this past semester, i had the amazing opportunity to work closely with this organization as an advocacy intern, where i researched and wrote articles on various topics while providing general support on projects relating to indigenous rights. 

at the end of my internship, i was able to meet with bia’ni to discuss the impactful work that ‘cultural survival’ and the ‘koef’ are doing for the future of indigenous rights and sustainability. 

when asked if there was a particular project that stood out to her, bia’ni was able to share about a women’s project in chiapas, mexico that is producing organic food through sustainable indigenous practices. 

bia’ni said, “i think it is really nice because the project itself is about food but it also helps to empower young women in their community.” many koef-funded projects highlight gender equality in addition to supporting the revitalization of indigenous practices, because the two topics are often intertwined. 

when i asked her to share her favorite thing about working on the ‘koef’, bia’ni stated “i love having the opportunity to know a very diverse group of people. being indigenous myself, i really love the opportunity to know other people on other sides of the world, to know their culture, to know what they are doing, and also to know what they are facing or struggling with.”

indigenous peoples live in harmony with their environment. but according to bia’ni, “it is because we have been living in our territories and taking the time to get to know our land and environment.”

bia’ni shared that this harmony is also achieved by making mistakes. she explained, “we have faced moments in our lives where we, for example, polluted the river, but we learned from those experiences and we changed what we were doing so, with time, we learned how to live more in peace with nature.”

bia’ni cautions people not to make generalizations about indigenous peoples. she states, “we do have a lot of knowledge and it’s nice to hear that that is something that is now recognized, but what i would like for people to know is that not everyone or every culture knows everything.”

according to bia’ni, we often incorrectly say that ‘indigenous peoples have solutions for climate change’; this is a huge generalization. 

bia’ni says that “talking from my own experience, my territory is very specific and even though i am indigenous, i have no idea how indigenous peoples that live on the ice manage their environment.” 

bia’ni advises that, when talking about environmental solutions, “to remember that we need to go to the specific cultures and not just give a general idea of ‘oh all the indigenous peoples have knowledge’ because there are all kinds of problems.” 

it is important to remember that indigenous peoples “are a diverse group of people and are willing to help but also there are a lot of things that we need to learn, specifically about climate change.” 

bia’ni stated that “climate change has made indigenous people re-learn things we have been doing for a very long time.” for example, today with frequent severe weather events, food cultivation has become a large problem for many communities. bia’ni shared that “some of our partners are currently working to develop new alternatives and knowledge to produce food in a more efficient way.”

at the end of our interview, bia’ni left me with one piece of wisdom. in helping indigenous peoples fight for their land and for the environment, the most important thing is to learn. she said it is important, “to really be able and willing to learn from the most experienced people. that is our task.” 

i cannot say enough good things about ‘cultural survival’. the work that they are doing is directly benefiting thousands of indigenous peoples daily through the development of sustainable projects. i am so grateful to have had the opportunity to work closely with this organization and the amazing, selfless people that run it. 

projects like the ‘keepers of the earth fund’ are at the forefront of the fight against climate change, so we should continue to look to indigenous organizations like ‘cultural survival’ for guidance in this endeavor.

1. donate to indigenous organizations

cultural survival is an indigenous-led non-profit organization that is dedicated to helping indigenous communities around the world. with this organization, you can be sure that your donation is going directly to supporting grassroots indigenous community movements as they fight for the rights to their land and cultures. click here to be brought to their ‘donate’ page.

2. educate yourself about indigenous cultures

finding accurate information nowadays can be difficult, so make sure to get information about indigenous peoples right from the source. check out the news sections of these websites of reputable indigenous-led organizations to learn about current indigenous affairs:

• cultural survival
• international work group for indigenous affairs
• survival international 
• minority rights group international

3. shop from indigenous-founded businesses

another way to directly support indigenous peoples is through purchasing their products online. here are a few sustainable indigenous companies to support: 

• cheekbone beauty for cruelty-free cosmetics and beauty products
• sḵwálwen for botanical skincare products based on indigenous science and self-care rituals
• urban native era for clothing made by sustainable practices
• b. yellowtail collective for handmade goods and accessories created by native american artists
• she native for handmade jewelry created using indigenous techniques

4. attend indigenous events, seminars, and workshops

many indigenous organizations hold events open to the public to get people involved and more informed about indigenous peoples. for example, watch these recorded webinars from the national museum of the american indian to learn about different indigenous topics. keep an eye out for any events in your area!

5. volunteer or intern with indigenous organizations

if you have a skill that might be useful to an indigenous organization (foreign language, article writing, programming, etc), why not support a good cause and intern or volunteer? for example, i interned at cultural survival, but many indigenous organizations also have volunteer opportunities available! you can also research ways to support indigenous peoples in your community.

6. support indigenous rights public policy

making your voice heard in politics, both at a local and national level, is incredibly important. here are just a few petitions to sign to support indigenous causes:

• clean water for indigenous communities drinking from the great lakes basin
• demand congress support indigenous communities by passing the not invisible act
• good relations pledge

7. spread the word on social media!

in today’s society, social media has a lot of reach. supporting indigenous creators on different platforms is a great way to support and learn about indigenous communities. on the internet, everyone has influence so make sure to spread the word about indigenous rights. 

• podcast: let’s talk native with john kane
• instagram: brazilian indigenous climate activist txai suruí: @txaisurui
• twitter: indigenous revitalization informative account: @indigenoustweets
• youtube: native american educator and influencer diana onco-ingyadet
• tiktok: navajo social justice activist lance tsosie: @modern_warrior__
• bonus source: cultural survival’s indigenous rights radio (check out the ‘climate change and the environment’ section!)

washington — tribal leaders and experts called on lawmakers thursday to invest much more money in tribal climate resilience efforts and elevate indigenous knowledge in climate change decision-making.

indigenous people across the country have lost nearly 99% of their historical lands through forced displacement, which has left them in areas that are more vulnerable to climate change, according to a 2021 study published in the journal science. 

while tribal nations have long been stewards of their land, the climate crisis has forced them to develop new strategies for land and environmental protection based on their traditional knowledge and practices, fawn sharp, vice president of the quinault indian nation and president of the national congress of american indians, told the house select committee on the climate crisis.

tribes need significantly more funding to protect their communities from droughts, floods, fires and more, sharp said. 

“we are chronically underfunded. without the added support of addressing climate change,” sharp said. “we would see our lands, our resources, our territories, even our traditional foods and plants disappear and they’re already disappearing. it would prove to be devastating for indian country.”

without sufficient federal funding for climate resilience and mitigation projects like solar rooftops and methane capture initiatives, sharp said tribes don’t have the resources to understand the scope of the climate crisis on their lands. she also urged lawmakers to establish with indigenous people a federal relocation framework to provide support to communities forced to move because of the effects of climate change, such as rising water levels and drought.

allocating more resources to support small-scale projects would create jobs for indigenous people and tap into the abundance of natural resources on their lands, sharp said. 

most important, though, is that the federal government provide native american communities with direct, long-term funding for climate change adaptation while giving tribes sovereignty over program development, said casey thornbrugh of the mashpee wampanoag tribe and climate change program manager at the united south and eastern tribes inc. 

thornbrugh said tribal leaders need the authority to help shape national climate policy and incorporate native american knowledge and practices into the decision-making process. 

“tribal nations must be afforded the dignity and the means to move to preserve the wellbeing of our nations, as well as our rights to our ancestral places which must be maintained, even if these places become submerged,” thornbrugh said.

in 2010, the national renewable energy laboratory reported that indian country, which makes up 5% of land area in the united states, contains 10% of all energy resources in the country. nrel data shows that many tribal lands are in areas with abundant renewable energy resources, including wind, solar power and biomass.

pilar thomas, former deputy director for the office of indian energy policy and programs at the department of energy, said indian country has an outsized amount of clean energy resources that can be used in climate resilience efforts. effectively using them will require federal investment in tribal climate projects and relevant technology, she said.

acquiring funds is a challenge for many native american communities, thomas said, because the process is too complex. she said there are around 75 federal renewable energy programs across nine agencies that tribes can apply for, which can cause confusion.

thomas said aligning federal programs and consolidating funding sources for climate resiliency projects would help more tribal nations to implement these initiatives within their communities.

“the big opportunity for the administration, as with any administration, is, how do we better coordinate amongst ourselves?” thomas said. “part of that really should start with asking the tribes who are trying to develop projects: what do you need from us, and what can we do from the federal government perspective to support that effort?”

i recently had the opportunity to speak to the indigenous peoples’ liaison for north america with the food and agriculture organization of the united nations, mikaila way. today, her work is focused on building relationships and partnerships with the indigenous nations in canada and the united states focused on revitalizing indigenous peoples’ food systems. 

indigenous peoples’ communities’ challenges and priorities of “food security, food sovereignty, and health have accelerated and intensified during the covid-19 pandemic,” she told me in an interview. way began her job with fao one month before covid-19 changed the world. concerned about how the pandemic would affect indigenous peoples’ communities, she worked with the fao indigenous peoples unit and the liaison office for north america to support communications and network building internationally and regionally. throughout the regional and global coordination, indigenous youth have been and continue to be central in the work to protect and revitalize their food systems and the ongoing response to the pandemic. 

here is our conversation about the expanded and existing collaboration between fao and indigenous youth. the transcript was edited for length and clarity.

q: what do you do in your job? 

a: many different things! the main objective of my work is to connect the work of the indigenous peoples’ unit based in fao headquarters in rome with indigenous peoples in the north america region (canada and usa), with the fao liaison office for north america in washington dc, so we can implement a coordinated work plan. we have done amazing activities, including an introductory series of dialogues with more than 120 indigenous leaders, a high-level expert seminar on north american indigenous peoples´ food systems, a webinar highlighting indigenous women’s role in food systems, and a film screening with the producers of the documentary, “gather” which i strongly recommend all the readers to watch. in preparation toward the un food systems summit, we have coordinated with indigenous youth of north america to develop unified messages and key priorities for global leaders to include in plans for food system transformation. 

q: with the impacts of covid-19 and climate change, how is fao prioritizing opportunities to support and empower indigenous youth?

a: since 2017, the fao has offered an indigenous youth internship program, which is now remote. it is a yearly opportunity that goes out to all regions for indigenous youth internships at fao headquarters in rome, as well as regional offices around the world. the internship supports efforts related to raising awareness on the sustainable development goals (sdg), particularly sdg2 to achieve zero hunger through wide dissemination of fao’s work in this area, with a specific focus on including the voices and opinions of indigenous peoples’ communities.

fao’s focus comes in direct response to the loud call echoed by indigenous youth and elders for global support in the intergenerational transmission of knowledge and empowerment. this transfer of intergenerational knowledge is one of the key priorities for indigenous peoples’ climate change adaptation strategies. we are working with the global indigenous youth caucus as well as global indigenous youth leaders to ensure their voices and priorities are centered in global debates for covid-19 response, collective rights, and climate change adaptations. 

q: what are the highlights activities of the fao collaboration with indigenous youth?

a: fao offers various opportunities for indigenous youth to participate in the (october) world food day celebrations and the world food forum––from attending online events to participating in the poster and poetry contest. fao north america will be hosting indigenous youth for a world food forum launch event on october 6. the following week, they will be hosting indigenous chefs and producers from the americas for an indigenous peoples’ day and world food day event celebrating indigenous peoples’ cuisine across the region and emphasizing the importance of intercultural education about food systems for indigenous youth.  

over the past year and a half, indigenous youth have been contributing to the global dialogues leading up to the un food systems summit (september 23, 2021). during the summit, youth can use social media to make an impact. social media is a powerful tool to raise their voices and make sure they are seen.

this summer, fao and the global indigenous youth caucus organized the global forum on indigenous youth. due to  covid-19, the forum was held online. the silver lining of the online event was, indigenous youth and fao were able to bring together a larger global audience, and it was powerful to see people calling from their communities and territories. the global sessions focused on bringing together speakers on climate change, innovation, ecological knowledge, food systems transformation, the path forward, and the transmission of intergenerational traditional knowledge. the outcomes from these discussions were reflected in a strong statement and recommendations on sustainable and resilient food systems for global leaders to reference.

there are many other upcoming activities. follow the @faoindigenous and @faonorthamerica twitter accounts to get all the information from firsthand. 

information on the opportunities above, as well as fao’s partner organizations that provide similar opportunities, is available on the fao indigenous peoples unit website, as well as fao north america’s site.

—

about this series: the planet forward-fao summer storytelling fellows work was sponsored by the north america office of the food and agriculture organization of the united nations (fao), and the fellows were mentored by lisa palmer, gw’s national geographic professor of science communication and author of “hot, hungry planet.”

“loko i`a,” or fishponds, have nourished hawaiians and sustained cultural practices since ancient times. some 488 fishponds once dotted the hawaiian islands. while few fishponds remain operational, renovating ponds and maintaining them includes reuniting native hawaiians with one of their most honored traditional practices. 

restoring loko ea began over a decade ago. in 2008, volunteers started an informal community workday program. a year later, kamehameha schools suggested the volunteers create a non-profit that would have “kuleana,” or responsibility, for the restoration. james estores and venson lee founded the mālama loko ea foundation, a non-profit that has since expanded its activities beyond physical work; it now educates the community, fosters a return of traditional native hawaiian practices, and raises fish and food for the community.

when the pandemic hit the organization did not spend their time idly; instead, they sought new ways to reunite and support the community. they applied for a cares act support grant, which allowed them to do outreach by bringing people in and to provide nutrients and food resources to the community in the form of hot and ready plates distributed at the north shore food bank. continuing within cdc guidelines, the mālama loko ea foundation held a food drive where they provided about 400 plates a day to their community, with the help of a few community members, which was significantly economically impacted by covid-19.

“the food drive had been happening for years through a partnership with the north shore food bank, but we were able to increase it through the help of the grant. the entire situation was a pretty amazing sight. also, sad because we’re providing food for the community but hard to see the demand was so high and it kept growing and growing every month,” sayo costantino, loko ea’s operations and education program director, said. 

this food drive not only allowed them to provide for their community but also create a stronger sense of the community. with recent loosening restrictions, they are slowly able to host groups again, as more people came by to “talk story,” ask when they can volunteer, and talk about the food they ate during the food drive.

while the community has always been central to the work of the mālama loko ea foundation, it began in an effort to restore the land from its overgrown and unmaintained state. 

“(loko ea) wasn’t helped and invasive grasses were covering over and the community was not allowed in,” costantino said. “the community felt that as a big sore and wanted access and wanted to do restoration here.” 

in seeking to return to traditional native hawaiian practices, and ultimately raise fish and food for the community, education comes first. “the education is important right now because people don’t know these fishponds can be an actual food source and we want to get that there and be that example for this community,” costantino said. “we may not be able to produce for everyone in hawaii, but we can produce what we are able.”

loko ea is doing this by facilitating a fish parting system in which they take what the fishpond naturally gives, instead of pushing the system to a potential breaking point. “profit is not the goal; it’s for our community,” costantino said. the pond produces between 300-500 pounds of fish per acre per year, which provides for the community and alleviates the need for other sources of food. this is not simply the work of the staff, but also the community who assists in this yearly production.

using education as the most immediate tool in this restorative process, loko ea offers a variety of educational programs for all ages. beginning at their roots, community workdays are open to all age groups. the work is based on the needs of the pond. 

“usually what we like to do with volunteers is, if it’s a community workday, we will start with an introduction with the history of the pond so that whoever is here will have an opportunity to learn about the place they will steward at and get a perspective that is suited to better understand the impact the work will have not just for the place but also the surrounding area,” makua perry, loko ea’s malama ‘Āina outreach coordinator and technician, said. 

after this, volunteers move into “malama ʻāina,” or work, which sometimes includes water activities such as pulling weeds. they also might remove invasive species, repair rock walls, plant native plants on the property, or even clear the land to plant in the future. some volunteers simply help prepare for an event by transporting things around the pond or helping with administrative tasks. “no day in loko ea is the same, and it really depends on what she needs from you when you come,” costantino said.

workdays are not the only opportunities that loko ea provides for the community. for those who are able to commit more time they also offer a variety of leadership, mentorship, and internship programs. these are opportunities to not only learn but act––not only for the land but also to ensure the survival and cultural continuation of their people.

after proudly helping their community in the midst of the pandemic and forging new connections, loko ea plans to maintain this momentum moving forward through the power of “mo’olelo.” 

“when it comes to history and tradition, genealogical connections to place, and people, mo’olelo plays a huge part in all of those things,” perry said. “at loko ea, there is a framework that has been created by a generation of storytellers within our culture that helps us understand what we do or don’t see with our eyes because it’s not there. it’s those types of stories that are traveled through our ancestors that kinda create and maintain the cultural integrity of space and the people.”

he continued, “look at the genealogical chant of the kumulipo, written for a chief who was born and recited this 2000 long long history that extends from po which is darkness and created all of these living beings. life starts in the ocean within our genealogical chant. through this chant, we see the story that is told through the creation of the world, and creation of hawaii and man to walk on this earth.”

embedded in this chant are lessons, behavior management, etiquette, and so many layers, hidden layers where they can unravel some things through mo’olelo. makua said, “land is everything that flows through it and everything that grows through it. that’s why it is important to teach protocol, sacredness to land, and culturally significant places like this; there is cultural and spiritual sacredness and it is something that needs to be nurtured. use it for the benefit of all things involved, and learn how to feed your people for generations and generations.”

witnessing the sheer passion of the staff and the community members, i am certain that in due time this is exactly what they will do. the mālama loko ea foundation is not just an organization, but it is becoming a home and beacon of light for many community members on the north shore of hawaii where native hawaiian traditions and practices are being returned to the “ʻāina.” they are reclaiming agriculture and aquaculture work in hawaii and showing the community why these fields are important so that hopefully the next generation will also give back to the land. just as she did for me, when you visit, loko ea will tell you what she needs.

for more information on how you can get involved with the mālama loko ea foundation, please check out their website here: https://www.lokoea.org/. also, if you’re interested in learning more about the history of loko ea and the surrounding area of haleʻiwa, please see diane naomi canon’s story.

—

about this series: the planet forward-fao summer storytelling fellows work was sponsored by the north america office of the food and agriculture organization of the united nations (fao), and the fellows were mentored by lisa palmer, gw’s national geographic professor of science communication and author of “hot, hungry planet.”

ancient hawaiians created a system of fishponds that were sacred, sustainable to nature, and structured societal roles within the native hawaiian class system. at the height of native hawaiian society, between 700 and 800 years ago, this traditional aquaculture system numbered as many as 488 fishponds across the hawaiian islands and supplied food to entire communities. by 1901, just 99 fishponds were in use; and in the 20th century, most stopped producing fish.

loko ea’s malama ‘Āina is one of the fishponds that is being brought back to life. 

native hawaiians stopped maintaining loko ea and other fishponds when a more western society came into hawaii. at that time, people found other work and they stopped managing the natural resources and cultural practices that had previously sustained the food supply, explained makua perry, outreach coordinator and technician at loko ea. “we see elsewhere a huge mindset in the mind of our native people and that’s where we see development and a lot of businesses taking over hawaii and oahu, which has caused us not to see very many fish ponds anymore,” said perry, adding that pearl harbor was the most densely populated area of fishponds. now just two to four are subjects of restoration attempts.

he continued, “back in the days when it came to stewardship of the land, the currency was a trading and barter system, not a money management system; it was a shared balance between the resources we find in the plane.” 

with the introduction of western ideas by colonizers also came the introduction of the capitalistic mindset it holds close, and native hawaiians had to adapt in order to survive. 

“mid-1800’s going into the 1900’s, the plantation era changed and brought the culture into a new concept and understanding that they need to make money to sustain their families and the new westernized way of living,” makua said.

the power of storytelling can be traced back to the beginning of man. whether it be the cave paintings of early cave dwellers to the first written artifacts of the sumerians, humanity has been fascinated with telling stories that have informed their future generations and given insight to strangers of their practices, culture, and ways of life. this is no different in native hawaiians as “mo‘olelo,” or storytelling, is embedded deeply in the hawaiian culture. however, mo‘olelo are not just stories, they are a way for people to explain how the world works. hawaiian culture teaches that finding a balance with and respect for the natural world is critical.

stemming back hundreds of years to the first inhabitants or the first migration of the first people to the islands of hawai’i, today known as native hawaiians, were the first islanders in the pacific to co-exist with ponds through fish farming. specifically beginning on the island of maui, there is a mo’olelo that is shared and passed down within native hawaiian communities and with anyone interested in learning more about native hawaiian practices of a specific man named ku‘ula-kai.

ku‘ula-kai was said to be one of the first prominent land stewards within the island of maui. 

he had a human body but was possessed with “mana kupua,” or supernatural powers, in directing and controlling the fish of the sea. while living at leho’ula with his wife, he dedicated his time to fishing. he constructed a fishpond next to his house named after himself, near the shore where the surf breaks, and stocked his pond with many kinds of fish. this place was meant to be sacred, or “kapu,” for the fishing; here he offered his first fish caught to the fish god. it was reported all over hana that ku‘ula-kai was then given a gift: fish became “laka loa,” or obedient, to his command.

having had this very special ability to steward and raise marine life in a significant way for the benefit of the native hawaiian communities, one way that he thought to elevate the relationship between man and animals or other types of living beings within the island ecosystem was to create a rock wall structure that extended out into the reef systems in our near-shore fisheries and that ultimately created an amazing estuary and rich ecosystem that connected both salt and freshwater, creating a brackish water environment for the fish to live prosperously. it was said that in hana maui, the east side of maui, ku‘ula-kai created the very first fishpond created hundreds of years ago. the ahu pua’a system was created through this practice and altered depending on specific districts, in which this fishpond system is still practiced today. in fact, the remnants of those historical sites are even still noticeable today through efforts of restoring these ancient fishponds.

the ahu pua’a system was created many generations ago by an “ali’i,” chief or chiefess, named māʻilikūkahi, one of the more prominent chiefs on the island of oahu. in those times of warfare, there were many chiefs and chiefesses, as well was commoners, who struggled to figure out their responsibility to their land, villages, and, ultimately, families regarding their jurisdiction within certain spaces of an island or from the mountain to the sea. in an attempt to bring more order to society, māʻilikūkahi created the ahu pua’a system. ahu is the hawaiian word for altar or space to give offerings, and pua’a is the word for pig. ahu pua’a is a pig-like altar to symbolize the importance of balance and protocol of resources to ensure the avoidance of overuse and taking from others. 

when māʻilikūkahi created this system, he parceled out the islands into smaller districts called ahupua`a, which extended from the mountain down to the ocean. if these small districts are brought together, they create what is called “mokus.” mokus are larger land districts that are given names (like kona, located in the waikiki district) and based upon the direction or the space that they are located on the island. these borders and land districts created a more sustainable way of living and created order within “ali’i,” or commoner class systems, for each person to understand their role in society and where to obtain the resources that were created.

this story of the decline of hawaiian fishponds is not a unique one. with the rise of colonization, western ideologies continued to engulf the world; and many indigenous communities were either forced or incentivized to leave their traditional practices behind. with the development and industrialization witnessed in hawaii, “fields in agriculture and aquaculture are seen as lesser than,” makua said. this is a discouraging fact that has perpetuated many native hawaiians from returning to cultural practices such as the development of fishponds.

—

about this series: the planet forward-fao summer storytelling fellows work was sponsored by the north america office of the food and agriculture organization of the united nations (fao), and the fellows were mentored by lisa palmer, gw’s national geographic professor of science communication and author of “hot, hungry planet.”

in recent months, that gap in understanding has become increasingly apparent. twenty-one states, including arkansas, have introduced or passed legislation to ban “critical race theory” in public schools, according to the hill. this has corresponded with a ring-wing media fixation on the academic framework, which calls attention to the impacts of systemic racism. if enforced, these laws could discourage teachers from telling students about racial inequities in the united states, including in the distribution of environmental burdens.

for the predominantly indigenous attendees at the gathering, held digitally from may 20-21, knowledge of the continuing impact of colonization comes by lived experience. marty matlock, chair of the environmental protection commission of the cherokee nation, executive director of the university of arkansas resiliency center, professor, and cherokee citizen, and summer wilkie, university of arkansas indigenous student coordinator, arranged the gathering to discuss solutions to the ongoing challenges faced by native people in relationship to the environment and to academic institutions.

on land

the first of four sessions focused on environmental and land-based projects. moderated by matlock, the panel incorporated the environmental insights of osage citizen jann hayman, choctaw citizen ryan spring, and cherokee citizens rebecca jim and clint carroll. for the indigenous communities represented, the global challenge of climate change is amplified by the legacy of displacement by the u.s. government.

“two of our communities represented here — choctaw, cherokee — and many others — were relocated 150 years ago,” matlock said. “so we’re on new lands effectively for our communities and we’re trying to figure out how to live on those new lands and bring life from those new lands and put our life back into new lands.”

ryan spring, who works in the choctaw nation historic preservation department and specializes in gis geographic data, expanded on this point.

“from a traditional choctaw perspective, our people were to be stewards of the land and have a relationship with the flora and the fauna that we lived beside,” spring said. “and we’re not able to do that anymore, being removed from our lands, coming here to lands that were ancestral to other people.”

and, in addition to the challenges tied to relocation, over the past 150 years, climate change and environmental pollution have caused their new land, and the resources on it, to change.

matlock recalled the analogy, “if climate change is the shark, water is its teeth.” those teeth come in many shapes. according to spring, in choctaw nation in southeastern oklahoma, water can’t be absorbed by the degraded soil. in osage nation to choctaw’s north, hayman noted a lack of drinkable water. in ottawa county in northeastern oklahoma, jim has spent decades calling attention to the contamination of tar creek, where the lead-laden waters run orange due to the toxic remnants of ore mining.

“in the northeast tribes in ottawa county, when it floods, it floods toxic water,” said jim, who now serves as executive director of the environmental justice organization lead agency. “and as it spills over, it contaminates the land that could’ve been great gardens.”

tar creek is a federal superfund site, meaning it is recognized by the epa as contaminated land that their superfund program has the responsibility of cleaning up. hazardous contamination often comes from profitable manufacturing, mining, and extractive industries. yet, communities are left to bear the environmental and health burdens. as of 2014, nearly 25% of the 1,322 superfund sites were in lands occupied by indigenous people, according to indian country today.

“the challenges are: when can you garden? when can you gather, when you know, and we found out, that there’s not a single blackberry you should eat along that creek bed? not a single one on the spring river that you should eat. not a single wild onion,” jim continued. “and so, how do you learn and how do you go back to your culture when you’re not really sure where the boundaries of ‘safe’ are?”

the challenges of adapting to changing lands and shifting boundaries of safety could soon be universal. as the climate crisis continues, and more people are displaced by natural disasters and altered ecosystems, the knowledge developed by native communities could be integral to shaping a resilient future. to the speakers at the gathering, sharing that knowledge with younger generations is part of being a good ancestor.

“our future generations are going to have a huge responsibility ahead of them,” spring said. “and what we need to be doing now is doing the best job that we can to help give them the tools and to help try to… limit those effects.”

on knowledge

during the second session, which focused on health and wellness, knowledge of the past was raised as a relief to the challenges of the present and future. melissa lewis, assistant professor of family and community medicine at university of missouri and cherokee nation citizen, said she had co-authored a study that found that cherokee people who learned their “language, history, and culture had improved mental health.”

“some folks have already done some research demonstrating that people who speak their indigenous language have (fewer) chronic diseases, like diabetes or obesity or heart disease,” she continued. “and i think, again, our language… within it is healing and it guides us and how we see the world.”

lewis was joined by three other panelists: youth services director and choctaw nation citizen nancy mason, university of arkansas ph.d. student and pawnee nation of oklahoma citizen electa hare-redcorn, and haskell indian health center administrative officer and chickasaw nation citizen commander shannon lowe.

while many of the gathering’s panelists and guests are involved in higher education, and all shared an interest in stewarding younger generations of native americans, conversation never drifted from an awareness that educational systems have a history of harm toward native communities. michael durglo, confederated salish and kootenai citizen and historic preservation department head, remarked that, “we’re just like one generation after the boarding school era days,” during which native children in the united states were taken out of their homes and sent to residential schools to assimilate them to european american culture.

“my dad was a boarder,” durglo said. “my dad is no longer with us, but a lot of the elders that i know now basically were just pulled out of their home and beaten for speaking our language.”

now, native people in the academic world are moving forward from forced assimilation and, instead, working to “indigenize” education. doing so requires difficult conversations about ownership and belonging within the university. 

wilkie, from the university of arkansas, closed the health and wellness session, and opened the following session on identity and representation, with an acknowledgment that university of arkansas itself is a land-grant institution built on land taken from the osage people.

“our university would not exist (without), and still benefits from, the theft and coercion of indigenous land,” said wilkie, who has written about the need to go beyond land acknowledgements.

according to matlock, indigenous people are not only connected to the land at university of arkansas, they also helped to build it and were among the first students to attend the university.

“this is why i think the reframing of the 1619 project informs us so much,” matlock said, referring to the new york time’s long-form journalism project.

according to the site, the project “aims to reframe the country’s history by placing the consequences of slavery and the contributions of black americans at the very center of our national narrative.”

“at our campuses, we’re trying to reframe this to our indigenous communities,” matlock continued. “you belong here because your ancestors helped build this place, but it goes beyond that. we have to have contemporary representation, contemporary presence, contemporary identity.”

sara barnett, university of arkansas ed.d. student and citizen of muscogee nation, said indigenizing education will benefit all.

“we need to make a real commitment to serving our native communities and to providing those spaces and creating a campus culture that really welcomes and appreciates diversity,” barnett said while on the identity and representation panel. “it’s not a process of just checking a box, or an afterthought, or having a certain position or taskforce on campus, but it’s really about that change in culture and creating those spaces so that it comes naturally.”

she was joined on the panel by university of arkansas professor of creative writing and indigenous studies, toni jensen, and fellow uark ph.d. student, andrea rogers. jensen’s memoir “carry: a memoir of survival on stolen land” is a new york times editors’ choice; rogers’ historical fiction novel “mary and the trail of tears: a cherokee removal survival story” was named one of the best books of 2020 by npr.

on the future

the idea of “indigenizing education” may seem vague, particularly to those who haven’t questioned the prevalence of western history and thought in our schools. in the closing general session of the gathering, anthropologist dr. robert franco gave one concrete model, titled “transcending barriers to success.” franco is director of the office for institutional effectiveness at university of hawaii and his research focuses primarily on the people of samoa. 

the four components of the transcending barriers to success model include making connections between western and indigenous knowledge in redesigned curriculum and supporting indigenus students in stem fields. yet, franco also emphasized a “need to humble the science and the academic perspective” and amplify community-based knowledge.

this point is informed by the “place-based” nature of franco’s recent work; he focuses on biocultural restoration, a concept that centers on healing the cultural, spiritual, and physical relationships between humans and nature. franco noticed a shift to this framing amongst his associates during the the university of hawaiʻi-west oʻahu’s 2019 grand challenges summer institute, which sought to address water issues through new academic approaches.

“the first thing we should do is restore those water systems,” franco said. “by restoring those water systems, we then are more resilient for the impacts that climate change will bring. so then you see a subtle shift from climate change to biocultural restoration.”

franco put an emphasis on active learning, through which students get outside and into ecosystems with the guidance of cultural specialists.

the final speaker of the gathering, durglo, already is putting these concepts into action on his ancestral lands in northwest montana. there, he started the environmental advocates for global and local environmental sustainability, or eagles. he said the youth program that began with 40 members now has 400. it’s his dream for it to go international.

in 2012, durglo developed a climate action plan for the confederated salish and kootenai tribes. he recorded visits with eight elders and incorporated their knowledge into the plan. now, as he’s empowering the next generation, it’s possible to see how the lessons of the past can be used to shape a more resilient, equitable future.

“we need to be mindful and pay attention and to plan and prepare,” durglo said. “we’re the caretakers of the environment and prepare a place better than how we found it for those yet to come.”

only one side event during the week-long meeting at the fao headquarters in rome was dedicated to fishing, and the fishing industry rarely, if ever, came up during main events. according to people who work on fisheries and aquaculture for the fao, this is indicative of a larger problem.

“fisheries in general, by and large, do not gain as much attention or recognition or publicity as terrestrial agriculture,” said omar elhassan, an aquaculture biosecurity consultant for the fao.

fisheries and aquaculture provide the primary source of animal protein for 17% of the world’s population, according to the fao. and in low-income, food-deficit countries and small-island developing countries, nearly 25% of people rely on fish for their primary source of animal protein. when it comes to nutrition, fish matter, both globally and locally.

the same is true for employment, as it is estimated that more than 260 million people around the world work in the fishing industry. this number doesn’t necessarily account for those who aren’t employed as fishers but rely on sustenance fishing to feed their families. aquaculture and fisheries assure the livelihoods of 10% to 12% of the world’s population, or about 770 million to 925 million people.

if you picture huge industrial fishing boats – or the tv show “deadliest catch” — when you hear the word “fisherman,” you’re not alone. industrial-scale fishing tends to dominate how the western world understands fishing, but it doesn’t reflect the reality for most of the world’s fishers. small-scale fisheries employ 90% of the world’s capture fishers. adjust your mental image to include open-air fish markets, small fishing boats, and “the old man and the sea,” and now you’re closer to the truth. oh, and half the people in your mental image should be women.

empowering female fishers

women make up half the workforce of the seafood industry (including both fisheries and aquaculture). because the fishing activities are often equated with capture fishing and most capture fishers are men, the number of women involved in the fish supply chain has typically been vastly underreported.

“we see some women are fishing, but they are certainly marginalized often because they don’t often get on the boat, and that might also depend on some traditional beliefs – for example, that women are bad luck having on the boat,” said nicole franz, a fishery planning analyst for the fao.

women do the majority of the post-harvest work in many small-scale fisheries worldwide, whether they are cleaning and selling the fish or repairing fish nets and boats. but carrying these responsibilities doesn’t mean women always have access to necessary resources or to the markets, and they rarely reap the full benefits of their work.

“(women) don’t necessarily get the fair distribution of benefits within the value chain. if they’re not organized, that’s even worse. we see examples when you have a women’s organization that can act as a trade group together then obviously they can demand higher prices and they’re in a better position to access the market,” franz said.

the fisheries department at fao works closely with women’s groups, especially in africa and asia, to help support the rights and empowerment of women fishers. franz cites the recent establishment of a national women fishers’ organization in tanzania as an example.

technology as an intervention in fisheries

technology can make a critical difference in the fish supply chain, especially in terms of productivity and nutrition. in africa and southeast asia, it’s common to dry small fish by placing them directly on the beach. access to something as simple as a drying rack can completely change how much a small-scale fishing community can gain from their harvest.

“a small innovation like putting this fish on a rack rather than on the floor could make a big difference in terms of the product quality and hence the price, the nutritional qualities, and the overall volume that is produced by these women,” franz said.

some traditional fish-smoking processes can cause respiratory illnesses among women and children who are exposed to the smoke. the fao is working on providing access to better ovens that allow women to work without health risks. usually, a country or an organization will make a request to the fao for better technology, and the fao will provide training on how to build, operate, and maintain the technology. this helps to avoid dividing the market, which is what would happen if some women were directly given the technology and others were not.

“you need to very carefully assess the situation beforehand and discuss with the women themselves a solution on how maybe as a group they can come up with a system where they take turns in accessing this oven or how they divide the benefits of the products that are coming from the use of this improved technology,” franz said.

indigenous fishers and rights to the resource

small-scale fisheries also are critically important to indigenous communities, from the arctic circle to the coasts of south america. as with women, it’s difficult to track how many fishers are indigenous, but this is an area that the fisheries department of fao is beginning to dedicate more attention to because of how important fishing is to indigenous peoples around the world.

one of the main issues facing indigenous fishers is the recognition of access rights. customary or informal access rights are often disregarded when governments develop regulations and create fishing quotas. in the united states, the fish wars were a notable series of conflicts between the washington state government and native american tribes in the 1960s and 1970s. the state government tried to enforce fishing laws that were in conflict with hundred-year-old treaties held by the tribes, and the u.s. government eventually sided with the tribes.

tribal governments and organizations can help people organize and assert their rights, and franz has noticed an uptick in organizing among young indigenous people, especially.

“it’s an expression of this growing awareness and interest to get organized, to get the voice into processes, and to see how the particular issues that indigenous peoples depending on small-scale fisheries are also facing on top of what already is often a challenge for small-scale fishers,” franz said.

climate change threatens livelihoods

you may be wondering why any of this matters, since climate change is acidifying and warming our oceans, killing our fish, and driving people away from their coastal and island homes. but climate change only makes the need for fisheries-focused work even greater, because the people who rely on fish for income or food will be hit hardest. the role of the fao, then, is to figure out how to increase the resilience of coastal fishing communities.

“we have colleagues (who) work on climate change impacts on fisheries because obviously, in particular, coastal communities are very, very exposed, and the vulnerability to the impacts of climate change are considerably higher in coastal areas,” franz said. “they’re looking at the impact both on the resource, in terms of, for example, how stocks are shifting patterns based on the change of temperature in the sea, but also the impacts of increased climate vulnerability on coastal communities.”

multibillion-dollar fisheries in the united states are threatened by ocean acidification, which impedes the structural development of corals, lobsters, and other marine organisms. one state that is particularly threatened is alaska, the home of the nation’s largest crab fishery. alaskans tend to rely more on subsistence harvests than many other americans, so communities that rely on subsistence crab harvests are especially threatened by the changing ocean. thousands of miles away in the caribbean, ocean acidification is harming the coral reefs that are critical to the economies of florida, puerto rico, and the u.s. virgin islands. coral reefs bring in tourism, produce fish to be harvested, and reduce coastal flooding and erosion.

women and indigenous fishers are especially vulnerable to climate change because their more limited rights and mobility make it harder for them to migrate when their current homes no longer yield enough fish. increasing their economic mobility and power in the market can make women and indigenous fishers more resilient to climate change.

the social costs of conservation

destructive fishing practices and overfishing can transform ecosystems and reduce fisheries, sometimes to the point of no return. when there are few regulations over access to a fishery, resources become depleted and communities are devastated.

“what we see often is that there are no regulations for access, and that’s part of an issue in terms of environmental sustainability, because we see growing populations, increased pressure on coastal areas,” franz said. “on the other hand, for many of these communities, fishing is the only way to make a living, to get food.”

the presence of industrial fishing companies puts pressure on the already tenuous balance of access and protection. common resource management models include coastal zones that are reserved for small-scale fishers, quota systems assigned to a community or an individual, and co-management systems that allow governments to directly collaborate with small-scale and industrial fishers. but monitoring and enforcement is always a challenge for a government, which is a benefit of co-management.

“it’s about handing over, in many ways, the responsibility for the stewardship directly to the communities by generating a system in which they really recognize and value those management measures because they have co-designed them,” franz said.

conflicts between conservation efforts and fishing communities are also a growing issue, especially since national or state governments may create marine protected areas without consulting small-scale fishing communities that will be affected. conservation has social costs, and just access to resources is sometimes overlooked in pursuit of environmental protections.

“in fao, what we’re using is the ecosystem-based approach to fisheries, which tries to look at the environmental, the human, and the institutional dimensions together to make sure that these tradeoffs and tensions are identified from the beginning, and that whenever management measures are decided or the use of an area is decided, this is kept in mind,” franz said.

when negative impacts on the community are unavoidable, it’s important to look out for them in other ways.

“you make sure that either there’s a compensation mechanism or there’s some kind of a safeguarding function to ensure that you’re not having these unintended impacts afterwards that you haven’t even thought about,” franz said.

wild-caught vs farm-raised: the aquaculture debate

not all fish are harvested from the wild, which is a good thing since climate change and overfishing are shrinking fisheries worldwide. aquaculture is responsible for about half of global fish production.

here’s another mental image you may need to adjust: for the most part, aquaculture is not done in factories by large corporations but in backyard ponds by individuals and families. most aquaculture is small-scale, and 90% of the world’s aquaculture takes place in china and southeast asia, according to fao aquaculture biosecurity consultant omar elhassan. and again, about half of the people involved are women.

elhassan believes aquaculture is the future of global fish production, and he notes that aquaculture has been the fastest growing sector of food production since the 1980s. but cultural opinions about it differ greatly from place to place.

“all the fishing zones are essentially at capacity,” elhassan said. “the only thing that’s going to boost food fish production is (aquaculture), but also it really depends on the cultural mindset towards aquaculture.”

in asia and europe, aquaculture tends to be widely accepted, but in the united states, wild-caught fish is believed to have superior freshness and nutrition. 

“in the u.s., (fish) is one of the largest trade deficits. all of the fish in the u.s. is essentially just imported from other countries, and it’s a mix of aquaculture and wild-caught,” elhassan said. but false or misleading labeling leads americans to believe all of the fish they’re eating came from an ocean or a lake.

in elhassan’s opinion, there’s nothing inferior about fish, shrimp, or other animals that come from aquaculture versus from the wild. in terms of nutrition, health, and safety, the american distaste for aquaculture has little factual backing.

protecting aquaculturists’ livelihoods through biosecurity

the main risk faced by aquaculturists is aquatic animal diseases, which can rapidly infect an entire population of animals because it is hard to pinpoint the original source of infection and stop the spread of disease in a pond. biosecurity is a set of measures that people involved in aquaculture undertake to fortify an aquaculture production facility against aquatic animal diseases, and it’s what elhassan focuses on at fao.

“if you’re a small-scale farmer and you lose your entire stock, that can be quite devastating for livelihoods,” elhassan said. it’s like a corn farmer who loses his entire crop to a flood or a sheep herder who loses his herd to an animal attack.

“let’s say i’m a small scale aquaculturist and i lost all of my shrimp stock because of a disease, and let’s say that i’m not even in the worst case; i lost my whole stock but i still had some money or i could still take a loan. there’s still persisting problems of having this disease in my pond. now i have to take all the water out, i have to disinfect the water – can’t just throw it into the environment – and i’m going to have to dry my pond and my soil and sediment and disinfect the things for like at least three months before you would be even allowed to try to produce again,” elhassan said.

the role of the fao is to work with governments that request aquaculture biosecurity assistance to try to protect small-scale aquaculturists from losing their livelihoods in this way.

“what really drives a lot of the work, at least for us in the aquaculture branch, is trying to connect different stakeholders such as national, international, government, academia, and small-scale to recognize aquaculture as a truly profitable enterprise,” elhassan said.

getting fisheries to the global stage – or not

fisheries and aquaculture are profitable, important industries that employ and feed millions of people – especially women and indigenous peoples – around the world. in recognition of this, the fao is working to ensure that the needs of fishers, aquaculturists, and the people who rely on their harvests are addressed by the un. but most public-facing policy conversations in the international community still focus on terrestrial agriculture. despite the love that many cultures share for the ocean, it seems unlikely that fish will ever hold our attention like cows have.

but on the other hand, elhassan and franz measure success through the local impacts of their efforts, not through the global perception of their work. their focus is the small-scale fisher, not the large-scale policymaker. and maybe that’s for the best – maybe the most impactful work is done when policies for fisheries and aquaculture remain on the smallest scale.