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Indigenous Communities

Indigenous peoples, communities, and ways of life are, in many places under pressure to adapt to changes in the environmental, social, and political landscape.

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Indigenous communities have a unique, deep, and longstanding connection to and dependence upon the landscape. As these communities try to navigate and thrive in a rapidly changing environment, their leadership, insight, guidance, and active participation in addressing the many challenges and opportunities they face will be essential to a sustained and vibrant future that honors cultural traditions and a shared future. 

Newtok Elders Panel Picture

Highlight: Event with Newtok Village Elders

In December 2017, the Polar Institute hosted a discussion with elders from the Village of Newtok, Alaska. The elders shared how coastal erosion and thawing permafrost has put their village under immediate risk of destruction. The programming in part helped prompt decision-makers to allot $22 million in federal funds for the relocation of Newtok.

Watch the event recap