Resilient spirits

Master's Project (M.A.) University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2016The following is a report of a project, "Resilient Spirits", which took place in Nome, Alaska. This project aimed to highlight stories of healing through survivorship. This work focuses on the assets within Alaska Native culture, community, and people. Development of strategies to address violence need to include healing. The project selected a mixed methodology of talking circles and photovoice to highlight the themes of healing, strength, and resilience. These methods served to engage participants in a culturally appropriate manner, in a safe space, and could be utilized at their comfort level. The first phase of the project was the introductory talking circle. It was used to discuss the themes and set up the photo activity. The second phase, photovoice, was chosen as a project activity to assist in sharing stories. Participants used digital cameras in their everyday lives to represent what healing and strength looked like from their perspective. The final third phase was another talking circle. It was a time to reflect on the first talking circle and the process of photovoice. From the unique combination of talking circles and photovoice, stories emerged on healing where there is often silence. Photographs provided a rich illustration of a sense of holistic healing and strength. Knowledge on healing and strength can be found within our Alaska Native communities. Healing is a renewable resource and experienced inter-generationally

Alaska Native men's voices: tracking masculinities through indigenous gender constructs

Thesis (Ph.D.) University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2021Alaska Native Men's Voices, an exploratory project, begins to make visible experiences of what it means to identify as an Indigenous male. Indigenous sovereignty includes practice of Indigenous gender knowledge systems. Self- determination of health and wellness by honoring relationships necessitates the affirmation of Alaska Native Men's voices. The complexity and diversity of Indigenous masculinity cannot be homogenized or made into one definition; these are not the goals of the research. This project aimed to articulate how Alaska Native men self- identify, what meaningful intersections of lived experiences can be drawn, and how do these inform healthy gender relations for future generations. The approach in research methods, how the project was done, articulates values of Indigenous led research and scholarship. Findings from shared stories, 18 individual semi-structured interviews, describe notions of Indigenous masculinities rooted in cultural foundations, knowing one's self, having a sense of belonging, and honor relationships from individual, to family and community. Expansive understandings of holistic wellness include narrative of emotional and spiritual healing. Illustrations of ancestral connection and continuance are put forward by participants as expressions of love for future generations of Alaska Native men.Center for Alaska Native Health Research, Native Movement, the CIRI Foundation, and the Bering Straits FoundationChapter 1: Introduction -- Indigenous masculinities, health and gender relations -- North America, United States and Canada: 'inventing the savage' -- Islands of Hawai'i and Aotearoa (New Zealand) -- Arctic -- AlterNative axioms in viewing gender -- North America: United States and Canada -- Islands of Hawai'i and Aotearoa (New Zealand) -- Arctic -- Affirming indigenous masculinities: Alaska Native Men's Voices project. Chapter 2: A review of masculinities: contextualizing Alaska Native men's voices (Literature and Social Media Review) -- Literature Review -- Masculinities and men's studies -- Indigenous masculinities -- Masculinities studies and applied research; implications for health and education -- Social media on masculinities and men -- Facebook -- Instagram. Chapter 3: The value of how research is done, Alaska Native Men's Voices Methods -- Project development methods -- Structured project development -- Unstructured project development -- Specific aims -- Research questions -- Project methods -- Setting -- Sample -- Study instruments -- Research ethics review -- Recruitment -- Analysis. Chapter 4: Knowledge sharing and stories: Findings from the Alaska Native Men's Voices Project -- Description of sample -- Study questions -- Thematic study analysis -- Summary of key findings -- To begin, what does it mean to be an Alaska Native male? -- Thinking about your life, what experiences taught you what it means to be a man? -- What teachings are important to you? Who taught them to you? -- What do you find meaningful about your role(s) in your community? -- If you were to define what it means to be healthy and well, how would you do that? -- Healing: How have you moved, or seen other men, towards healing and wellness? -- Provider: What does it mean to you to be a provider? -- Inward: What comes to mind when you think about 'looking inward?' -- Relations: What are your ideas on strengthening how we relate to one another? -- Future: What would you like future generations of Alaska Native men to know? -- Conclusion of findings -- Participant acknowledgements -- Participant key. Chapter 5: Alaska Native Men's Voices discussion & conclusions -- Summary of findings -- Discussion -- Conclusions -- Limitations -- Recommendations for future research -- References. Appendices -- Appendix A: Alaska Native Men's Voices interview guide -- Appendix B: informed consent -- Appendix C: IRB exempt letter

Climate change in context:putting people first in the Arctic

Climate change is a major challenge to Arctic and other Indigenous peoples, but not the only and often not the most pressing one. We propose re-framing the treatment of climate change in policy and research, to make sure health, poverty, education, cultural vitality, equity, justice, and other topics highlighted by the people themselves and not just climate science also get the attention they deserve in research on global and regional environmental change. Climate change can often exacerbate other problems, but a singular focus on climate change—as is often the case in much existing environmental literature on the Arctic and elsewhere— can distract from actions that can be taken now to improve the lives of Arctic peoples. The same logic also applies elsewhere in the world, where diverse residents face a host of challenges, opportunities, and obstacles, with climate change but one among many issues. Our proposed approach to regional and global environmental change research draws on the ideas of decolonization, emphasizing collaborative approaches and Indigenous voices in research and policy instead of top-down measures designed outside the affected communities. Only in this way of contextualizing human-environmental experiences can the full effects of climate change be understood—and appropriate responses developed and carried out to adapt to global change

Rising Sun: Prioritized outcomes for suicide prevention in the Arctic

The Arctic Council, a collaborative forum among governments and Arctic communities, has highlighted the problem of suicide and potential solutions. The mental health initiative during the United States chairmanship, Reducing the Incidence of Suicide in Indigenous Groups: Strengths United Through Networks (RISING SUN), used a Delphi methodology complemented by face-to-face stakeholder discussions to identify outcomes to evaluate suicide prevention interventions. RISING SUN underscored that multilevel suicide prevention initiatives require mobilizing resources and enacting policies that promote the capacity for wellness, for example, by reducing adverse childhood experiences, increasing social equity, and mitigating the effects of colonization and poverty