NWT RESEARCH DATABASE

Regions: Inuvialuit Settlement Region

Tags: social sciences, traditional knowledge, sea ice, land use, resilience

Objective(s): This project aims to work with traditional knowledge holders and local experts of the communities of Sachs Harbour, Ulukhaktok, and Paulatuk, to document the following three areas with special emphasis on their relation to the Beaufort Sea circumpolar flaw lead: (1) historical scan and analysis of Inuvialuit Knowledge of sea ice use and ecology of the flaw lead; (2) past, current and future use of the CFL and Region; (3) study and contribute information and methodologies for the parallel enrichment of an Inuit-Science knowledge exchange.

Project Description: This project aims to work with traditional knowledge holders and local experts of the communities of Sachs Harbour, Ulukhaktok, and Paulatuk, to document the following three areas with special emphasis on their relation to the Beaufort Sea circumpolar flaw lead: 1. Historical scan and analysis of Inuvialuit Knowledge of sea ice use and ecology of the flaw lead (information, maps, and literature, hunting/fishing, places names, stories, travel routes). 2. Past, current and future use of the CFL and Region (mapping interviews of individuals’ uses in the three communities). a. The physical nature and changes in sea ice conditions in the local areas of the three participating communities in the ISR (formation, duration, degradation, types) b. The key factors affecting sea ice conditions and changes (climate, currents, and tides) c. Relationships, impacts and affects associated with changes in CFL sea ice conditions (quality, distribution, timing, etc.) on individual communities. (What it means to have more/less access to marine resources, changes in travel routes, safety, etc.). d. How Inuvialuit have coped with past/present changes (resilience) 3. Study and contribute information and methodologies for the parallel enrichment of an Inuit-Science knowledge exchange (ship/field (in situ) knowledge exchanges, and scientist interviews within CFL teams). The research team will facilitate the linking of IK with science generated in the other CFL team projects with the vision of better meeting community needs as well as research objectives. Further engagement and participation of the TKSC members during the coordination and implementation of the TK interviews and follow-up activities in the communities will be fundamental to the success of the interviews. The community consultation and collaborative community-based research interview components will be a mixture of focus groups, semi-directed interviews, participatory mapping, audio, video, and photo documentation, and sea ice terminology documentation and analysis, to document Inuvialuit knowledge in all 3 communities. Interviews are essential on the sea ice (in situ) to learn about it first hand and be able to take photographs of what is being discussed in Inuvialuit Knowledge interviews. The photographs can also be used to prompt discussion during subsequent interviews, and can be used to develop a terminology list so that Inuvialuktun/English words can be linked with an image and a definition. This is essential for establishing a common frame of reference between Inuvialuit knowledge holders and both Inuvialuit and non-Inuvialuit research staff. Interviews will be tape-recorded and the tapes transcribed with the assistance of a translator to ensure the essence, context, and meaning of statements is captured. Topographical maps and Mylar overlays will be used to capture all mapping interviews. Marking travel routes, ice cover, animal movements, etc, after each map interview will be transposed directly onto computer tablets containing electronic map overlays and the appropriate software. Scientists from other CFL teams will, and have already, participated in aspects of the IK study such as helping to develop research questions and participation in interviews when appropriate. Having the scientists and IK holders work together will help build a bridge to enhance two-way communication among knowledge holders in the two systems. To facilitate identifying where connections might be made between the science and IK, interviews will be conducted with each of the science project leads to identify their key research questions, preliminary findings, questions for community knowledge holders and possible contribution to community understanding of the local environment (e.g. flaw lead). Comparing the perspectives if IK holders and scientists will provide valuable information to contribute to a better understanding of the “Two ways of Knowing” and the possibilities of integrating science and Inuit knowledge. The researchers will continue to work together with scientists in the other 9 CFL Teams, even in the later stages of their research (results, analysis, and communication stages), to initiate collaborations with teams and projects that are interested in proactively bringing together the different ways of knowing and understandings of the Circumpolar Flaw Lead system. We will continue to explore the part that scientists and Inuit communities can play by being involved in this important science/Inuit knowledge exchange. Extensive local and regional involvement is planned for the project. It includes involvement that can be related to three key areas, social/cultural engagement, educational opportunities, and finally economic development opportunities. Examples of end products to be presented to the communities through differing mediums include, but are not limited to: interview transcripts, a list of Inuvialuit sea ice terminology, a detailed report on the project that provides a comprehensive view of Inuvialuit knowledge and use of sea ice, climate change and adaptations for this region (in the following forms: plain language report and student project reports when conducted, fact sheet with key project findings and regular updates, draft versions of all scientific publications before submission). In addition, a number of local and regional radio interviews with project members and key participants from the participating communities is foreseen. Posters and plain language Traditional Knowledge Steering Committee Reports documenting purpose, scope, and decisions for the research project in year 1, reporting on ongoing work in years 2 and 3, and providing published summary findings in year 4, distributed to each of the three communities. The fieldwork for this study will be conducted from August 01 to December 31, 2009, in Sachs Harbour, Paulatuk and Ulukhaktok.