Tuktoyaktuk Traditional Knowledge Project and Traditional Knowledge of Climate Change

Regions: Inuvialuit Settlement Region, North Slave Region

Tags: climate change, traditional knowledge, technology, land use, archaeology, oral history, reindeer herding

Principal Investigator: Hart, Elisa J. (8)
Licence Number: 12160
Organization: Government of the Northwest Territories
Licensed Year(s): 1995 1994 1993 1992 1991
Issued: Jan 01, 1992
Project Team: Laura Ettagiak, Jerome Gordon, Agnes Gruben White, One other trainee

Objective(s): To document the oral history of the early years of the reindeer herding industry, focusing on the lifestyle of herders and their families, and their perspectives on that government initiative; to provide heritage training to northerners in the field of archaeology, oral history/traditional knowledge interviews, and an introduction to museum operations and heritage management; to conduct traditional knowledge interviews on climate change in the outer Mackenzie Delta for the Geological Survey of Canada; to obtain information on traditional technology and land use to be used in the interpretation of the archaeological record.

Project Description: The researcher and her team will document the early history of the reindeer herding industry, conduct interviews with elders to obtain information on the location and nature of traditionally used places and gain insights into aspects of traditional technology that are of benefit to archaeological interpretation. As well, traditional knowledge of climate change will be examined through interviews with elders to elicit indicators of climate change.