Hunters in Savoonga have taught us that from a very young age hunters are taught that if they become lost on the tundra to dig down in the snow and look for the direction the grass is laying. Traditionally the grass would be laying down to the south, southeast. But with climate change, hunters there are telling us that the prevailing wind direction has switched to the southwest, meaning the grass would be laying down to the north, northeast. We are walking the tundra around Savoonga on transects to determine the direction grass is laying down as indicator of wind direction and correlate those observations with regional weather data.
2022: Amanda Barreto and Jon Rosales reconnected with the IRA and the Village Coordinator Carole Sookiayak to start the new project on the impact of changing wind patterns on subsistence practices and as a new way to monitor climatic change. By talking with the elders to gather more information on how and why to watch the weather, focused on wind patterns. The elders verified the claims that the predominant wind direction has changed and that these patterns can be observed in the grasses - both alive and dead. This is because wind dynamics in grasses can be used as an indicator of predominant wind direction and that weather observations are embodied in a complex system involving their cultures and diet. The fast pace in which climate change is happening, coupled with recent technological advancements, such as cellphones and GPS, are disrupting traditional ways of observing these weather patterns. Thus the next project will focus on the Indigenous science methodology of observing wind in grasses as a locally-adapted and fine-scale approach central to both cultural survival and understanding of climate change.
2023: Amanda Barreto and Dr. Rosales visit Savoonga to report on our nearly 15 years of study with the AKSIK project. The team present to students of all ages at the school and hold a community meeting to share the outcomes of our project efforts and provide a space for members to ask questions and share their ideas.