Watt-Cloutier to deliver keynote at Alaska Native Studies Conference

March 27, 2017

Photo by Stephen Lowe. Sheila Watt-Cloutier is internationally known for her advocacy work showing the impact of global climate change on human rights, especially among Arctic indigenous peoples.

The fifth annual Alaska Native Studies Conference will feature keynote presentations by Sheila Watt-Cloutier, a Nobel Peace Prize nominee, and a panel of three young Alaska Native leaders — Marjorie Kunaq Tahbone, Samuel Johns and Olivia Piiyuuk Shields. The conference will be held April 7-9, 2017, at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

“The Alaska Native Studies Conference celebrates the revival of indigenous languages and ways of knowing,” said Sean Asiqłuq Topkok, an assistant professor of education at UAF and co-chair of the 2017 conference. "This conference is an opportunity to share knowledge and explore ways that we can make our world a better place by surrounding ourselves with culture and language and discussing subjects that challenge our communities and ourselves.”

This year's theme, “Sustaining Indigenous Livelihoods,” explores Alaska Native people's environmental connections, cultural practices and contributions to academia and research. Conference sessions include roundtable workshops, research paper panels, interactive workshops and traditional presentations. The conference is open to the public. General registration costs $125. Student registration is $30. A schedule of events is available at www.alaskanativestudies.org.

Keynote presentations and preconference workshops are free and open to the public. The preconference workshops will run from 1-5 p.m. Friday, April 7, on the Fairbanks campus. To attend the free preconference workshops, participants must register. Topics include drumming, singing and dancing; plant knowledge and salve making; an indigenous art demonstration and hands-on project; a UAF Digital Archives tour; and Alaska Native languages.

Watt-Cloudier’s keynote presentation is scheduled during the conference’s opening plenary session, 9 a.m.-noon on Saturday, April 8, at Schaible Auditorium in the Bunnell Building on the Fairbanks campus. A book sale and signing of her book, “The Right to Be Cold,” will immediately follow the keynote presentation.

The conference will conclude with the Young Leaders Keynote Panel, featuring Tahbone, Johns and Shields, from 2:45-5 p.m. on Sunday, April 9, in Schaible Auditorium.

Watt-Cloutier is internationally known for her advocacy work showing the impact of global climate change on human rights, especially among Arctic's indigenous peoples. Her keynote presentation will be followed by an Alaska Native expert response from Wilson Justin and Theresa Arevgaq John. Justin is vice chair of the Mount Sanford Tribal Consortium board of directors and has advocated for climate justice awareness and legislation for decades. John is an associate professor at UAF's Center for Cross-Cultural Studies and has an intimate connection with and awareness of the natural environment, given her traditional upbringing.

“Sheila has dedicated her life to protecting our indigenous way of life,” said Jessica Black, conference co-chair and assistant professor at UAF's Department of Alaska Native Studies and Rural Development. "In her presentation, she will talk about the importance of protecting the Arctic, because our way of life depends on the environment and all that it encompasses, including the ice, the snow, the land and animals. As the former chair of the Inuit Circumpolar Council, Sheila has advocated for indigenous people in Alaska, Canada, Greenland and Russia.”

For more information or to register, visit www.alaskanativestudies.org or the Alaska Native Studies Conference Facebook page. Contact Topkok at cstopkok@alaska.edu or Jessica Black at jcblack@alaska.edu.

ADDITIONAL CONTACT: Leona Long, 907-474-5086, lclong2@alaska.edu