Subsistence practices of Iliamna Lake Villages: An investigation of dynamics of traditional and local ecological knowledge
Dates
Year
2014
Citation
Kugo, Yoko, 2014, Subsistence practices of Iliamna Lake Villages: An investigation of dynamics of traditional and local ecological knowledge: University of Alaska Anchorage.
Summary
This thesis addressed how Alaska Natives of the Iliamna Lake region have practiced subsistence and indigenous religious traditions to live sustainably in their local environments and how their ways of living have been practiced from the 1960s to 2013. Research was framed from the perspective of traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) to explore the residents' beliefs, practices, and the long-term observation of their local environment in Pedro Bay (predominantly Dena'ina) and Newhalen (predominantly Central Yup'ik). Research methods used included participant observations, key respondent interviews, and mapping exercises. Analysis of the qualitative data indicates that Pedro Bay and Newhalen residents have practiced the same elements [...]
Summary
This thesis addressed how Alaska Natives of the Iliamna Lake region have practiced subsistence and indigenous religious traditions to live sustainably in their local environments and how their ways of living have been practiced from the 1960s to 2013. Research was framed from the perspective of traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) to explore the residents' beliefs, practices, and the long-term observation of their local environment in Pedro Bay (predominantly Dena'ina) and Newhalen (predominantly Central Yup'ik). Research methods used included participant observations, key respondent interviews, and mapping exercises. Analysis of the qualitative data indicates that Pedro Bay and Newhalen residents have practiced the same elements of "traditional" food sharing practices and gift-giving relationships between humans and non-humans that are identified in the ethnographic literature for Dena'ina and Central Yup'ik people. Some of their beliefs and practices are difficult to label as "traditions" because the respondents reported different explanations of the practices passed on by their family and intertwined with multiple personal experiences. Research findings are that while the TEK is significant component of the beliefs and practices of Native subsistence users in Pedro Bay and Newhalen, future investigation should address individual viewpoints because the construction of knowledge and practice is ongoing, resilient and dynamic in the face of new economic, social, and cultural conditions and environmental changes.