Cultural connections to the environment and place

Cohort 1: Non-rural Children

Fall 2018/Spring 2019

Cultural Lesson on Raven. In promoting Environmental Identity Development, it is important to teach children traditional Indigenous cultural values of their place. Dr. Polly Heslop, an Alaska Native Athabascan from Northway, Alaska, and an Assistant Professor in Cross-Cultural Studies at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, read a traditional story about Raven, teaching the children to speak words and phrases in the Athabascan language.

Cohort 2: Rural Children

Fall 2019

Ocean Safety in Iñupiaq. The bi-cultural teacher talked to the students about ocean safety in the context of Iñupiaq language and knowledge. She encouraged the children to use their own observation skills to read and understand the ocean.

Subsistence in the Village. Subsistence practices are an essential part of Iñupiaq culture and rural life. With teacher and parent support, the children practiced subsistence activities on two outings, first berry-picking on the tundra and then fishing at a creek. Adults also encouraged traditional ways of learning; such as learning through observation and learning-by-doing.

Berry-Picking

Fishing

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