Living and Breathing Change: A Southern Tutchone Perspective on Climate and Research
Editor’s Note - In this article Kluane First Nation (KFN) citizen Tosh Southwick and KFN staff member Kate Ballegooyen write from the viewpoint of an indigenous community in the face of climate change. They speak about the necessary need in their community to change and adapt as crossings melt and water levels lower, and the vital partnership that should exist when future decisions and policies on climate change are made to Traditional Territory.
This article first appeared in the newly released 2019 State of the Mountains Report. We'll continue to publish articles exploring the science on our current state of Canada's alpine on our blog throughout the year. Find them all here.
The dry and dusty Ä’äy Chù (Slims River) basin in May 2018. Photo: Zac Robinson
The Past and present land
Looking out at Łù’àn Män (Kluane Lake), it is hard to ignore the impact climate change is having on Kluane First Nation (KFN) Traditional Territory. As we write this, we are nearing the end of November, the temperature is above zero, and the lake, the largest and deepest in the Yukon, is only partially covered with ice. In the not-so-distant past, KFN Elders set nets across the lake, traveling over ice in October to catch whitefish. But this is not the only instance of climate change within the Traditional Territory.
“As KFN citizens, we inhabit an area that our ancestors called home, and like our ancestors, we are innately connected to this land. This land is part of us, and we are part of it.”
In May 2016, the Kaskawulsh Glacier in the Yukon Territory retreated to the extent that it diverted the headwaters of Ä’äy Chù (Slims River), which previously flowed into Łù’àn Män, into an entirely different watershed, the Alsek River drainage. Water levels have since declined in Łù’àn Män by three metres on average. This instance of “river piracy” garnered international attention from researchers, media and government, but largely ignored the impacts to those most affected by climate change – northern and remote Indigenous communities. The community story was lost in the barrage of media coverage and by many researchers. There cannot be an absence of the community and people who are intricately connected to this place. Without the close and deep involvement and direction of Kluane First Nation, there can be no real mitigation of the risks, answers to the questions, or solutions to the new challenges posed by climate change. Armed with Traditional Knowledge, and generations of traditional practices, it is our citizens and Elders who live and breathe these changes.
Grace Southwick, KFN Citizen and Executive Director and KFN Elder Dennis Dickson overlook the Kaskawulsh Glacier in 2018. Photo: Erika MacPherson
Kluane First Nation is one of 11 self-governing First Nations in the Yukon, recently celebrating 15 years of self-governance. This agreement includes a land quantum of approximately 906 square kilometres with surface and subsurface rights. These agreements were the first of their kind in Canada and recognize extensive province-like powers for First Nation governments. Kluane First Nation is based in the community of Burwash Landing on the shores of Łù’àn Män, the territory’s largest lake. The people of KFN are of Southern Tutchone ancestry. Kluane First Nation has approximately 250 citizens with approximately 120 people living in the Traditional Territory.
How environment shapes First Nation cultural identity
As KFN citizens, we inhabit an area that our ancestors called home, and like our ancestors, we are innately connected to this land. This land is part of us, and we are part of it. When the land changes, it changes us. Our traditions, our values, and our world views are all shaped by the land and our connection to it.
Students from Kluane Lake School point to Łù’àn Män, their home nestled within the headwaters of the Yukon River salmon habitat, 2017. Photo: David Hik
We have to relearn the lake and our Traditional Territory for it is irrevocably changed, and that means the way we interact with our Traditional Territory must be adapted. We have entered a space where our Traditional Knowledge, which we have relied upon for generations, needs to be updated to reflect the new learnings, observations and realities. We cannot reliably set nets where our great-grandmothers did with confidence that we will have a successful outcome because the lake is dropping, and it is warming up. The fish are adapting to the changes, and we will have to as well.
We cannot rely on the timing or the thickness of the ice in certain spots anymore, meaning we cannot get to our winter fishing and trapping areas in the same ways we did just a few years ago. Kluane First Nation citizens have to find new ways of navigating what are now largely unknown realties on the frozen lake.
What we can rely on is our long and definitive history of resilience and adaptation. Just as our Elders were forced to adapt to the many changes in their lifetimes, our current generations will need to adjust our traditional practices to the changes brought about by rapid climate change. We will need to focus on the changes and learn new ways so we can pass the knowledge on to future generations.
Being ahead of the climate curve
In many ways, KFN is ahead of the curve when it comes to adapting to climate change. We’ve conducted hazard assessments throughout the Traditional Territory, we’ve installed solar panels, a biomass district heating system, and soon wind turbines will be constructed to lessen our reliance on diesel. Kluane First Nation has also developed a food security strategy to deal with changes to subsistence harvest levels.
Kluane First Nation’s leadership has always worked towards self-reliance and building a resilient community. This vision has allowed KFN to actively respond to climate change and changes to the Ä’äy Chù (Slims River) by partnering with researchers from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Environment and Climate Change Canada, and the Yukon Government Water Resources Branch to assess effects of climate change on salmon spawning habitat and water quality, and to understand how the lake is responding to climate change. Furthermore, KFN has partnered with researchers from University of Waterloo to put forward a proposal to measure ice thickness throughout the lake to ensure safe travel throughout the winter.
Last year KFN and the Dan Keyi Renewable Resource Council jointly hosted the Kluane Lake Research Summit to review current and past lake research. The Summit encouraged two-way learning opportunities among delegates through presentations, dialogue and activities. The main recommendations from the Summit included engaging in cross-cultural learning, developing KFN research protocols and priorities, and the push to further include Traditional Knowledge in research. Another research summit is planned for spring 2019.
Working with those who are a part of the land
“Research in traditional territories needs to be driven in some large part by the people who live there. The agenda needs to shift towards partnership and community questions and solutions.”
It is a surreal experience when you hear or read others talking about the place that you are part of without so much as a mention of any trace of your community, your people, or your history. It is not a new experience for Kluane First Nation citizens; in fact, it is the norm. As a KFN members, when we are presented with research that has been done in Kluane First Nation Traditional Territory without any partnership of KFN, it is immediately apparent. The research is almost always an incomplete picture of the true narrative. It appears as a disconnected vein of some truth rather than a holistic and comprehensive project based in authentic partnerships. Of course, much of this stems from the fact that KFN, like many indigenous communities, inherits research rather than drives it. There needs to be a fundamental shift in the way we conduct research in the traditional territories of indigenous peoples. For example, it can shift to a process that is grounded in partnership and even one that is directed by the local First Nation. In our experience, communities that drive the research questions being explored are vastly more involved and the research is richer for it. We are starting to see glimmers of hope that this shift is coming. These include the invite to contribute to this very publication, and the genuine attempts by scientists to reach out and start a new way of conducting research.
Looking up the valley of the Ä’äy Chù (Slims River) from Łù’àn Män (Kluane Lake), 2018. Photo: Zac Robinson
It quickly became apparent that KFN needs to tell its own story, separate from researchers, media or government. Last fall, the Prairie Climate Centre out of the University of Winnipeg approached KFN to see if we wanted to tell a story about climate change from the First Nation and community perspective. We partnered to tell the story of the Ä’äy Chù and dropping lake levels, which they were unaware of. Citizens traveled to the toe of the Kaskawulsh Glacier to witness the change first-hand, which was not an easy feat. This also involved building capacity amongst KFN youth, who were involved intimately with the filming, interviewing and editing of the film. Elders and community members participated through interviews, speaking not only to recent changes, but also to long- term observations and Traditional Knowledge. We hope to present this film at the next research summit to demonstrate how climate change impacts affect the day-to-day lives of those living in northern remote indigenous communities.
Research in traditional territories needs to be driven in some large part by the people who live there. The agenda needs to shift towards partnership and community questions and solutions. In the North, indigenous communities are on the front lines of climate change. Solutions should come from community members as they know which are best for their communities. It is our hope that, in the future, research is done with Kluane First Nation, that it is guided by our values, goals, and research questions, that our Traditional Knowledge is at the forefront of those studies conducted in the Traditional Territory, and that it is conducted for and by KFN citizens.
Tosh Southwick belongs to the wolf clan and is a citizen of Kluane First Nation. She is currently the Associate Vice President of Indigenous engagement and reconciliation at Yukon College.
Kate Ballegooyen is the Natural Resources Manager, Kluane First Nations (KFN). While her focus is conducting development assessments for KFN, Kate also works to facilitate research projects throughout the Traditional Territory. Kate has been living in Burwash for the past five years.