Abstract
The caribou stewardship practices of the Iñupiat have persisted through cycles of abundance and decline for the Western Arctic Caribou Herd (WACH). This research seeks to address the challenges and opportunities faced when mobilizing Indigenous Knowledge in the National Park Service (NPS) management of the herd. Motivated by Indigenous stewardship concerns, NPS staff facilitate and participate in an informal working group focused on caribou hunter success. Using Indigenous Knowledge methods, this study examined the outcomes of the working group and the use of “rules of thumb” to identify and share stewardship practices. In the two cases, the Caribou Hunter Success Working Group created space for subsistence hunters to develop educational materials based on Indigenous Knowledge to address specific hunter success issues. Subsistence users participate in the federal subsistence programs and related subsistence forums, and it is the work of the NPS to mobilize the knowledge they contribute to improve subsistence management for both the users and the resource. There are two additional benefits for the NPS: (1) a better understanding of the use of the resource, and (2) when regulations are informed by Indigenous Knowledge, there is a greater likelihood of adherence. The mobilization of Indigenous Knowledge leads to more effective management.
Highlights
The Iñupiat of northwest Alaska have an intimate relationship with caribou going back millennia, as both a primary food and material resource, and as a feature of their collective identity
There are two additional benefits for the National Park Service (NPS): (1) a better understanding of the use of the resource, and (2) when regulations are informed by Indigenous Knowledge, there is a greater likelihood of adherence
In carrying out AlaskaNational Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA) National Park Service (NPS), managers work alongside neighboring state and federal land management agencies, and rural subsistence users who depend on the parks
Summary
The Iñupiat of northwest Alaska have an intimate relationship with caribou going back millennia, as both a primary food and material resource, and as a feature of their collective identity. In carrying out ANILCA National Park Service (NPS), managers work alongside neighboring state and federal land management agencies, and rural subsistence users who depend on the parks. NPS managers for Kobuk Valley NP and Cape Krusenstern NM work in Kotzebue, located in northwest. The majority of subsistence users are of Iñupiaq heritage and rely on Indigenous Knowledge (IK) to steward resources for the generation [1,2]. The use of the term Indigenous Knowledge recognizes that the Iñupiat have generations of knowledge related to the WACH, as well as adaptive relationship to the resource.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
