Gwich'in Testimony
Interview with Norma Kassi
Oil and Gas Development in Caribou Calving Grounds, Arctic Refuge
Under Siege.
Back in 1985, during the Reagan administration, the U.S. congress
once again proposed to develop oil and gas in the caribou calving
grounds. The Porcupine Caribou herd is about 180,000 strong right
now, though it was much more than that years ago. This news came
to us just as I was elected as a Member of the Legislative Assembly
in the Yukon to represent the Gwich'in - the Caribou People of the
Lakes of Northern Canada.
I also represent our people, on an international basis, with five
other people from Alaska, the Northwest Territories and the Yukon,
to be one of the Gwich'in spokespeople on environmental issues. We
have an international Gwich'in steering committee. When I speak
about our people, when I travel, it is of things I have learned
from them. What I say are the words and knowledge of my people.
The Gwich'in people were a relatively quiet people up until, once
again, the news came that development was proposed for the Arctic
Refuge in Northeastern Alaska - the caribou calving ground. We
occupied the northern part of the Yukon, Northeastern Alaska and
the Northwest Territories without exposing ourselves much to the
world. With this threat to our livelihood, the chiefs decided we
better get together. We are confronted with a slaughter that would
be comparable to what happened to the plains buffalo.
The chiefs got together and talked to one of the oldest
grandmothers in the community - Chitzu Myra Kikavichik. She was a
little over a hundred years old. They told her about the
development and she said it was time to gather the people together.
A long time ago, a hundred years prior, the Gwich'in used to do
this, for many reasons, just like all the other indigenous groups.
She said the people would have to gather and start talking about
"yourselves and your history." She passed on a few days later.
The chiefs took that direction and we all gathered in one of our
villages, Arctic Village, in Alaska. We invited Press from
everywhere in North America. We began the meeting with four days
of council. After two days, Elders went around and named six to be
the key spokespeople. I was one of those chosen and instructed to
begin to share our history and educate people on the outside about
our dependence on the caribou. For four days they counselled us on
every aspect of the caribou - the purpose of the caribou, our
purpose, how we live with the caribou and our spiritual
connections.
After the meeting we were sent out and I travelled all over to drum
up support. We worked with major environmental groups even though
they were seen to have caused alot of damage over the fur issue.
We had to overlook that because we had to work hard to bring
worldwide support. We tried to get on every environmental agenda
we possibly could, to speak. I went to the United Nations
Environment Program and spoke. We brought the issue to light
everywhere; we educated alot of people.
There was Jonathan Soloman, Sarah James, and Kay Wallace from
Alaska, Gladys Netro from my community - Old Crow, and Johnny
Charlie, Alicetine Andre from the N.W.T., and myself among many
other people. The Porcupine Caribou Management Board was involved.
We joined up with major groups: Sierra Club, Audubon Society,
National Wildlife Federation, Alaska Coalition, Greenpeace, and any
others we could.
We sent people into the United States. We attacked the areas where
the Congresspeople were very much against us - those we assumed
would vote against us, because they were so adamant about opening
the Arctic Refuge. We went to the grassroots people of their State
with slideshows. We educated universities. All to get thousands
of letters sent to that particular Congressperson. To the point
that, when the piece of legislation about the development came down
- almost three years ago now, we managed to win.
Everyone thought, well, it's over for a while. But there has been
a change in government in the U.S. At that time there was a very
strong democratic government. Clinton was pretty much on our side
- we still have his support; However, the Congress and the Senate
is a Republican majority. The Republicans are more into
development, economics of making money and the like. So, at this
point, as we speak, we are back onto the issue again.
Two key politicians, Senator Murkowsky and Congressman Don Young
who were running the Alaska State legislature before, are now in
Washington. They were on the two most powerful committees, in the
Senate and the House of Representatives, that would deal with oil
and gas development and revenues. They are the ones really pushing
to open up the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge. A bill was put
forth last week, a whole budget bill for the U.S. to make billions
of dollars for the U.S. Right in there, a one-line item, was to
open up the Refuge. This makes the bill quite difficult for the
U.S. President to veto because there are also medicare items, that
are very dear to his heart, in the bill. They are pretty sneaky -
but we expect this.
We are back to square one. We have very little resources but there
are were Gwich'in people down in Washington, working hard on
Capitol Hill lobbying the senators, so they could put forth an
amendment to that bill for us. Senator Roth was the champion for
the amendment. We needed 50 votes of a hundred senators - We lost
the vote to the amendment: 44 to 56 senators. We are working hard
to get letters pouring in from all over. Hopefully, some letters
will get to the top of the administration - the President - who
must be able to take action.
It is really a shame that they have to sacrifice another Indigenous
Nation just to balance their budget deficit. I still don't feel
defeated and the Gwich'in people don't feel defeated either. It
makes us more determined to fight to preserve the Porcupine Caribou
and our way of life.
I'm staying home to keep in contact with my people and to
communicate what is happening, as it goes by, through radio, by
phone. The Gwich'in, since our initial international gathering in
'85, meet every two years to report back to the people and they re-
direct us with new strategy. We met last year but it looks like,
we are going to have to call together our people this year. If
they are going proceed with development, we will need a more
aggressive approach. We will look for guidance from our Elders for
the strategies.
We can't let this attack happen on our food. We are probably one
of the last group of indigenous peoples who have yet to have this
done to them. We will let our people know what has been done to
various indigenous groups around the world. And bring those people
in to explain to our people what has been done and we'll see what
our direction will become. We may have to do things that have
never been done up here before.
It is a very scary thought, given the history of the U.S.
government, of what they have done to many Indigenous Nations
around the world, to me as a Gwich'in. With a strike of a pen they
can wipe my people right off the map.
Pristine Yukon, Global Warming and Industrial Pollutants.
I worked for the Arctic Environmental Strategy in the last couple
of years for the Council of Yukon Indians. Among the issues we
have dealt with was clean-up in the Arctic. We have alot of long-
range pollutants coming into the Arctic. Since it's cold the
contaminants stay here, the Arctic is a sink for the pollutants.
We have very high levels of PCB's, DDT, mercury, and others,
showing up in our food chain. Not only are there long-range
pollutants, but new studies are showing that there are many local
sources too.
The U.S. Army has forty-two D.E.W. (Distant Early Warning) line
stations across the north. Twenty-one have been shut-down and the
remaining half are quite active. Some of these have been cleaned-
up but it is doubtful that they'll ever be able to clean all the
contaminants left behind. Within a twenty kilometre radius of the
abandoned site tested we have found high levels of PCB's. These
are pouring into run-off into our country and into our traditional
food. The U.S. military has to keep their promises and cleanup
their junk.
Further inland, left behind from the building of the Alaska highway
and the gas pipeline they built during the Second World War, are
contaminants that we now see in our fish and waters. A group of
Indigenous people who live at Lake Lebarge, the Ta'an Kwach'an
Council, were told that their fish are contaminated and can't be
eaten. They have lost some of their food source and this has hurt
them, culturally. The source of the toxics is local, from material
dumped in the lake. Governments are skirting the issue, not taking
any responsibility and nothing has been done to date - except
monitoring.
First Nations people are not very pleased up here with what has
been going on in the contaminants area. There have been recent
studies in the Champagne-Aishihik area, towards the Alaska border,
where it has been found that dioxins / furans were used to kill
growth along the pipeline route and along the highways. This
defoliant is also known as Agent Orange.
We believe, even though the direct connection can't be shown, that
high cancer rates (especially stomach cancer), high levels of
diabetes and gall bladder problems are due to the long-term
accumulation of contaminants. When they made easy access on
traditional lands, of course our peoples would use those areas: to
get their wood, to get small animal food and large animal food.
Lately, the animals are all tasting the same - from the highest
mountain sheep to the low-ground caribou and moose. They don't
have the unique tastes they used to have. The animals are
unhealthy. We're finding deformities in animals, lesions and sores
on our fish. The Arctic is supposedly pristine and clean. This is
not so.
At this point in time there are 70,000 mining claims and leases in
the Yukon. The laws, acts and legislation that are in place is
very out-dated; they were established in the 1940's. The
government here is still operating under those laws. Under the
Mining Act and the Yukon Placer Mining Act, companies can do what
they want: build houses, mine and leave their waste behind. All
of the Yukon is affected by these toxic sites.
The Yukon Water Act is promoted as a model form of protection of
mining activities. I sat on the Yukon Territory Water Board and
the whole process is questionable. We would sit in a board
meeting, without seeing the places for which licence is given,
looking at creek diversion, water usage, what happens to the site
later, what happens to the contaminated waste, what happens to run-
off. Though these things are questioned, they aren't seen. And
the review happens behind closed doors. As a result, there have
been tremendous mistakes made.
We are hoping, because we've settled land claims, we can be able to
develop some sort of one-window approach to all these pieces of
legislation. We have been dealing with the Department of Indian
Affairs and Northern Development, who are the big developers of the
north. Environment Canada is basically non-existent in the north.
We need to deal with Environment Canada; that is how we hope to
refocus - they should be here.
As result of world-wide development, we are facing global warming.
It is very evident up here in the Arctic, particularly in my
country, in and around Old Crow and Old Crow Flats - just below the
mountains up on the Arctic coast. Many of our lakes are drying up
very fast, it's really hot - we're seeing 90 to 100 degrees now.
In the past the sun used to go down for a least an hour during the
summer, we now have 24 hours of sunlight.
The Elders are watching the animals and their behaviours, as they
always have. They say that the salmon are acting really weird
(especially the King Salmon) and they take this as a sign that
something, a disaster, will happen. Our lands are warming up so
fast lately. When I was 16-17 years-old, I would hitch-up my dogs
and go to Crow Flats, at the end of May, on snow and ice. Now, our
rivers are moving out in April. This affects the caribou migration
habits. The caribou are very confused. They cross major rivers at
certain times, but now when they cross, the rivers are moving, so
as a result, thousands fall in and drown. They aren't used to the
timing.
We're seeing new insects. Bumblebees as big as our thumb. Cougars
are showing up, up here in the Yukon. Southern animals are moving
north, coyotes, bison. Animal habits are disrupted. We're seeing
all kinds of exotic birds that were rarely seen before. David
Suzuki was here last fall and talked about this area becoming like
Miami. Some people think this is great and are moving up, but, for
the environment, this is devastating. Within Whitehorse, many
people are now running out of water in their wells. This shows
that the land is drying up.
Another thing happening, here in the Yukon, is everybody has become
born-again miners and loggers. Stumpage fees are so low; clearcut
logging has moved in on us, into key forest areas. Raw logs are
being shipped out of the territory and out of the country. They
can still do pretty much what they want to since the federal
government handles the forest - it is different in the provinces
where these kinds of activities are beginning to be devolved. Even
though we are in federal jurisdiction, we can't get them to
recognise that we have settled land claims.
I really didn't expect this by my age. I'm 41 now and I have 4
children and 2 grandchildren already. My grandfather told me,
years ago, that these kinds of changes would come. He told me, one
day, when you'd go out on the Crow Flats, where I was raised on the
land, you are going to see just loons. That means there are no
more animals. He would say that we would have to stop eating ducks
because they were poisoned. The sky and lakes at that time were
covered because there were so many ducks. I didn't believe the
time would come in my life. Now, there are few ducks and just a
lonely pair of loons.
Strategies To Survive.
The changes have come fast and are on us now. Indigenous people,
the young, the leaders, really must have a global perspective.
This is needed for our planning for the future because we are
running out of the basic essentials. We'll all need to rely on
indigenous knowledge. Solid declarations and unified positions,
with respect to our environment, are necessary because we can't
afford to continue the way we are if we want to have these
resources for future generations. Nations have to get together and
plan strategies to preserve the resources they have, instead of the
reverse: How we are going to develop and make money.
Our biggest challenge, as indigenous people, is to bring the
knowledge to our own people. There is so little time and
opportunity left. Open your eyes - have a serious look.
-end