Traditional Knowledge
Traditional Knowledge – a dynamic body of knowledge and science based on observations, beliefs, connections, and sharing related to local environments and ways of life – is a key part of our salmon management and research. Yup’ik and Athabaskan Dene knowledge and ways of life have been a part of stewarding, managing, and harvesting salmon along the Kuskokwim for thousands of years, and our Elders continue to teach us this knowledge today.
Traditional Knowledge factors into our management when our In-Season Managers, Executive Council members, and Fish Commissioners carefully observe natural indicators their local ecosystems to know when the salmon will begin migrating up the Kuskokwim each year and to predict how strong or weak the run will be. There are many natural indicators along the Kuskokwim that vary based on a community’s location on the river. For example, the indicators that Fish Commissioners in Tuntutuliak, Napaskiak, and other lower river villages pay attention to are different than the indicators that fishers in upper river communities like McGrath and Nikolai notice and observe.
At KRITFC, we value Traditional Knowledge alongside western science in our management approach. As Yup’ik and Athabaskan fishers, Traditional Knowledge is a part of who we are and how we live; there is no other way for us to monitor, harvest, protect, and respect our fish.
“We do live in a changing world, but Traditional Knowledge has sustained these populations for thousands of years, and we know that it works. You don’t need a book to know that it works. To me, it’s key. What Traditional Knowledge does is bring in elements; it brings in the holistic approach to management. Traditional Knowledge considers long time observation, which is science, but it [also] considers social aspects. What are the people needing, what are the people feeling? How are the people going to carry this burden and do what needs to be done? That incorporates our wellbeing – all of our wellbeings – our physical, mental, spiritual wellbeing – all of that is tied together. And then it brings in reliable observation because we’ve been doing it for so long. Traditional Knowledge incorporates anything that’s happening in the natural world, rather than pinpointing one source of data. And, to me, that’s instrumental, and priceless and critical. ”
“Those were the three pointers [for observing and predicting king salmon runs]. I was taught and I watched those pretty close: the amount of snow we have, the arrival of the migrating birds, and the direction of the wind in the springtime at the mouth of the Yukon and Kuskokwim. ”
“It’s very important to bring Traditional Knowledge, because we’ve been doing it for thousands of years. The ancestors taught us, generation after generation. Even today with all the technologies now that make it easier – like outboard motors and snowmobiles, and push button phones making life more convenient – a lot of people still want to live this subsistence way of life because it’s healthy and rewarding and gives us strength to move on.”