Nick Mott: This series was supported by Nick Mott: the Pulitzer Center. Bernadette Demientieff: I'm really happy Bernadette Demientieff: to be Gwich'in. Bernadette Demientieff: I'm proud to be a Gwich'in. Bernadette Demientieff: My people are Bernadette Demientieff: some of the most amazing Bernadette Demientieff: humans that ever walked this Bernadette Demientieff: planet. They survived Bernadette Demientieff: some of the harshest, coldest Bernadette Demientieff: winters migrating.
Bernadette Demientieff: And, you know, they fought Bernadette Demientieff: to survive so that I can be Bernadette Demientieff: here. Amy Martin: This is Bernadette Demientieff, Amy Martin: the executive director of the Amy Martin: Gwich'in Steering Committee.
Bernadette Demientieff: I'm actually Bernadette Demientieff: Gwichyaa Zhee Gwich'in- there's Bernadette Demientieff: different tribes Bernadette Demientieff: that we all speak Bernadette Demientieff: united against any Bernadette Demientieff: development in the Arctic Bernadette Demientieff: Refuge coastal plain.
Amy Martin: Welcome to Threshold, I'm Amy Amy Martin: Martin, and this is the fourth Amy Martin: episode in our series about the Amy Martin: future of the Arctic National Amy Martin: Wildlife Refuge. Amy Martin: And it's another two-parter, by Amy Martin: the way. Amy Martin: This time we're focusing on Amy Martin: Gwich'in voices. Amy Martin: The Gwich'in are part of the Amy Martin: Athabaskan family of tribes.
Amy Martin: Their territory spans a huge Amy Martin: region of northeast Alaska and Amy Martin: northwest Canada. Amy Martin: Today, there are 15 small Amy Martin: villages scattered across this Amy Martin: area. Amy Martin: But historically, the Gwich'in Amy Martin: didn't live in permanent Amy Martin: settlements. Amy Martin: They were semi-nomadic. Amy Martin: They based their lives on the Amy Martin: movements of the caribou herds.
Amy Martin: Bernadette pulls out a map to Amy Martin: show me the shape of the Amy Martin: Gwich'in homelands. Bernadette Demientieff: As you can see, there's a line Bernadette Demientieff: right here. That's the border. Bernadette Demientieff: So they stuck the Bernadette Demientieff: border right in the middle of Bernadette Demientieff: our ancestral homelands. Bernadette Demientieff: So half of us are Canadian, Bernadette Demientieff: half of us are Bernadette Demientieff: American.
Amy Martin: Bernadette grew up in Fort Amy Martin: Yukon, Alaska, one of those Amy Martin: 15 Gwich'in villages, Amy Martin: and she now lives in Fairbanks. Amy Martin: The organization she leads, the Amy Martin: Gwich'in Steering Committee, Amy Martin: has been working to protect the Amy Martin: coastal plain since the 1980s. Amy Martin: And the relationship between Amy Martin: the Gwich'in and the caribou Amy Martin: is the foundation of their Amy Martin: opposition to drilling.
Bernadette Demientieff: All our songs, all our Bernadette Demientieff: stories, everything is based Bernadette Demientieff: on the caribou herd. Bernadette Demientieff: I mean, we have a culture, a Bernadette Demientieff: spiritual connection to these Bernadette Demientieff: animals. Amy Martin: Bernadette says drilling on the Amy Martin: coastal plain is a threat to Amy Martin: the Gwich'in because it's a Amy Martin: threat to the Porcupine caribou Amy Martin: herd.
Amy Martin: The 1002 area where drilling Amy Martin: has been approved is one of Amy Martin: the places the herd depends on Amy Martin: to raise their newborn calves. Bernadette Demientieff: That's sacred to my Bernadette Demientieff: people. It's called lizhik Bernadette Demientieff: gwats'an gwandaii goodlit. Bernadette Demientieff: And that's, "sacred place where Bernadette Demientieff: life begins."
Bernadette Demientieff: Every Gwich'in protects the Bernadette Demientieff: Arctic refuge coastal plain. Bernadette Demientieff: That's our identity. Bernadette Demientieff: Without that place, we would Bernadette Demientieff: cease to exist. Bernadette Demientieff: That is how strong Bernadette Demientieff: the message is to us.
Amy Martin: I'm always uneasy seeing all Amy Martin: people of any group think Amy Martin: or feel a certain way, Amy Martin: especially a group that I'm not Amy Martin: a part of. Amy Martin: But I can tell you that it's Amy Martin: really hard to find Gwich'in Amy Martin: people who are supportive of Amy Martin: oil development on the coastal Amy Martin: plain. Amy Martin: I think it's fair to say that Amy Martin: they're very united.
Amy Martin: So this episode is Amy Martin: not about diving into the pro Amy Martin: versus anti oil tension. Amy Martin: That's not really what's going Amy Martin: on here. Amy Martin: Instead, we're going to be Amy Martin: exploring the back story. Amy Martin: Who are the Gwich'in? Amy Martin: What is it like to have such a Amy Martin: strong connection to a wild Amy Martin: animal?
Amy Martin: What do we know about how oil Amy Martin: development on the coastal Amy Martin: plain would affect the caribou? Amy Martin: And how are the Gwich'in Amy Martin: responding, now that oil Amy Martin: development has been approved. Bernadette Demientieff: We have to stand up Bernadette Demientieff: against any more destruction Bernadette Demientieff: to our homelands. Bernadette Demientieff: This is our home.
Speaker 4: This, Mr. President is Speaker 4: what energy dominance is all Speaker 4: about. Speaker 4: So let's go. Speaker 5: Do you think that's that's Speaker 5: progress? That's not progress. Speaker 4: They all like to eat caribou. Amy Martin: That's kind of the connecting Amy Martin: thread Speaker 4: That's connecting thread, Speaker 4: the caribou. Speaker 1: Every single Speaker 1: herd of caribou in Speaker 1: Canada is in major decline. Speaker 4: We are the caribou people.
Speaker 4: If it wasn't for the caribou, Speaker 4: we won't be here today. Amy Martin: It's rainy and cold outside, Amy Martin: but I'm in a very snug log Amy Martin: cabin. Amy Martin: This is Arctic Village. Amy Martin: And when I look Amy Martin: out the window here, I'm just Amy Martin: looking out over vast Amy Martin: wilderness.
Amy Martin: We're going to spend most of Amy Martin: this episode in Arctic Village, Amy Martin: a Gwich'in community of around Amy Martin: 150 people in northeast Amy Martin: Alaska. Amy Martin: Snuggle in. Amy Martin: That's a woodstove you can hear Amy Martin: in the background. Amy Martin: There are no roads into the Amy Martin: village. You have to fly in Amy Martin: and the airport is a small Amy Martin: patch of gravel.
Amy Martin: So far in this series, we've Amy Martin: been up on the northern edge of Amy Martin: the Arctic National Wildlife Amy Martin: Refuge. Amy Martin: Now we've hopped over the Amy Martin: Brooks Range, the mountains Amy Martin: that bisect the refuge, and Amy Martin: we're on the southern boundary. Amy Martin: The refuge officially begins Amy Martin: just across the river from Amy Martin: Arctic Village.
Amy Martin: When I was there in August of Amy Martin: 2017, the Porcupine Amy Martin: caribou herd was moving through Amy Martin: the mountains outside of town. Amy Martin: I'm on the border of Amy Martin: the Arctic National Wildlife Amy Martin: Refuge and well above the Amy Martin: Arctic Circle. Amy Martin: There are people out hunting Amy Martin: caribou all around me. Amy Martin: It's pretty cool.
Amy Martin: Alaska is home to 32 different Amy Martin: caribou herds and had over Amy Martin: 200,000 animals. Amy Martin: The Porcupine herd is one of Amy Martin: the biggest. Amy Martin: Their name comes from the Amy Martin: Porcupine River, a tributary Amy Martin: of the Yukon, which winds Amy Martin: through their territory. Amy Martin: And they have the longest land Amy Martin: migration route of any mammal Amy Martin: on the planet.
Amy Martin: It can be more than 1500 Amy Martin: miles roundtrip. Amy Martin: In the early summer, they Amy Martin: nurture their young calves on Amy Martin: the northern side of the Brooks Amy Martin: Range, close to the coast. Amy Martin: By mid-July, they've usually Amy Martin: begun the trek back over to the Amy Martin: southern side.
Amy Martin: If you haven't done so yet, you Amy Martin: might want to listen to the Amy Martin: short intermission we posted in Amy Martin: between episodes three and four Amy Martin: to hear about what that journey Amy Martin: looks and feels like. Amy Martin: It really is remarkably Amy Martin: beautiful. Amy Martin: Looking up into the mountains Amy Martin: on the edge of the wildlife Amy Martin: refuge.
Amy Martin: If this were in the lower 48, Amy Martin: this would be a major tourist Amy Martin: destination. Amy Martin: Walking through Arctic Village Amy Martin: feels more like walking on a Amy Martin: country road than walking Amy Martin: through town.
Amy Martin: Other than the main drag where Amy Martin: you can find the store, a Amy Martin: church, and the school, Amy Martin: the houses are pretty spread Amy Martin: out and it's obvious Amy Martin: that people here still rely Amy Martin: heavily on the animals of this Amy Martin: region to sustain themselves. Amy Martin: Fish are laid out on drying Amy Martin: racks next to people's homes.
Amy Martin: Entryways are decorated with Amy Martin: antlers, and children have Amy Martin: painted tributes to caribou all Amy Martin: over the outside wall of the Amy Martin: store. Amy Martin: And everywhere I went, I found Amy Martin: tiny bits of bone and teeth Amy Martin: scattered on the ground. Amy Martin: This place is so defined Amy Martin: by hunting that the bodies Amy Martin: of animals have become part of Amy Martin: the soil itself.
Amy Martin: And it's also a place defined Amy Martin: by quiet. Amy Martin: This is Arctic Village on Amy Martin: Saturday afternoon. Amy Martin: And that's exactly how Sarah Amy Martin: James likes it. Sarah James: My name is Sarah James Sarah James: and I live in Arctic Sarah James: Village, Alaska. Sarah James: And it's called Sarah James: vashraii k'oo. Sarah James: That means "a creek with Sarah James: a high bank."
Amy Martin: Sarah is in her mid-70s and she wears her long gray hair in a ponytail down her back. As she leads me into her house, Amy Martin: we walk by buckets on her porch, holding thick bones that were clearly part of a living animal Amy Martin: not too long ago. Sarah James: I've been cutting meat. Amy Martin: The bones are stripped clean, Amy Martin: but still stained red with Amy Martin: fresh blood.
Amy Martin: She says they came from a moose Amy Martin: recently shot by a young man in Amy Martin: the village. Sarah James: And he shot his Sarah James: first bull moose. Sarah James: So he gets Sarah James: to distribute. Amy Martin: Following tradition, she says, Amy Martin: he first gave some meat to Amy Martin: everyone who helped him in the Amy Martin: hunt. Amy Martin: Then word went out around the Amy Martin: village for everyone to come Amy Martin: and get a portion.
Amy Martin: But the sharing didn't stop Amy Martin: there. Amy Martin: Sarah divided the meat she'd Amy Martin: been given into smaller Amy Martin: portions so she could hand more Amy Martin: out to others. Amy Martin: The first portion went to a Amy Martin: visitor to the village. Sarah James: And then I'm sending one to Sarah James: my friend. Sarah James: She's not doing good with Sarah James: cancer, and Sarah James: I'm sending one to her.
Sarah James: And then I send Sarah James: one to that one elder down Sarah James: here for me. Sarah James: They were not getting any kind Sarah James: of meat, so I send that down. Amy Martin: As we sit down to talk, all Amy Martin: of Sarah's tools from this work Amy Martin: are still out. Amy Martin: Knives, bowls, a bloodstained Amy Martin: piece of cardboard laid on top Amy Martin: of a low table and Amy Martin: a big rock, which she says Amy Martin: she uses to break the bones.
Amy Martin: Using part of the earth for Amy Martin: cleaning the animals they hunt Amy Martin: is a Gwich'in value, she says. Sarah James: And there's some other respect Sarah James: for our food. Amy Martin: Sarah has led a fascinating Amy Martin: life in the same room Amy Martin: where she's been processing the Amy Martin: moose meat, there's a Amy Martin: photograph hanging on the wall Amy Martin: of her shaking hands with Amy Martin: President Clinton.
Amy Martin: She offers me a cup of tea made Amy Martin: from berries she's collected. Amy Martin: And as the water heats up, she Amy Martin: shows me a whole shelf full of Amy Martin: books in the back of her house Amy Martin: that feature her and her work. Amy Martin: As I got to know Sarah, part of Amy Martin: me wanted to drop everything Amy Martin: and make a whole podcast season Amy Martin: just about her if she would let Amy Martin: me.
Amy Martin: I'm not doing that, but I am Amy Martin: going to devote the whole first Amy Martin: part of this episode to her Amy Martin: story. Amy Martin: Sarah was born in 1944, Amy Martin: the youngest of nine children, Amy Martin: and she spent her early Amy Martin: childhood living way out in Amy Martin: the wilderness, often wearing Amy Martin: clothes her mother made for her Amy Martin: out of caribou hide. Sarah James: I was wearing caribou Sarah James: from head to toe.
Sarah James: That's just us family out there Sarah James: 50 miles from the nearest Sarah James: neighbor all around. Sarah James: Just our family. Sarah James: But I never lonesome or bored Sarah James: that I know of. Sarah James: Yeah. Amy Martin: 15 miles from your nearest Amy Martin: neighbor would be a long ways, Amy Martin: even if you lived on a road.
Amy Martin: But this was roadless Amy Martin: wilderness with bears and Amy Martin: wolves and foxes and wolverines Amy Martin: all around. Amy Martin: Sarah says she was warm, Amy Martin: well-fed and loved, Amy Martin: and she and her siblings had Amy Martin: a lot of fun adventures.
Sarah James: We live our life on the land Sarah James: and I grew up off the land, Sarah James: and I learned more about Sarah James: respect and Sarah James: how each animal lives Sarah James: and how to respect Sarah James: them and all Sarah James: that. Amy Martin: It wasn't like they were Amy Martin: completely cut off from the Amy Martin: rest of the world.
Amy Martin: Sarah says sometimes her dad Amy Martin: would trade some furs for Amy Martin: Western clothes for the kids, Amy Martin: for instance. Amy Martin: But however they could, her Amy Martin: parents were trying to keep the Amy Martin: family immersed in Gwich'in Amy Martin: ways. Sarah James: You know, I grew up Sarah James: in a good way, and I Sarah James: know what's ours and Sarah James: what's not.
Sarah James: But I got taught very well Sarah James: by my Sarah James: family, my parents, Sarah James: my grandparents Sarah James: and my sister and Sarah James: brothers. Amy Martin: And she says she didn't Amy Martin: experience any sense of lacking Amy Martin: anything in her young Amy Martin: childhood. Amy Martin: At least most of the year.
Sarah James: The only time Sarah James: I got really hungry Sarah James: is during the birthing time Sarah James: and nursing time and training Sarah James: time for animal that's Sarah James: starting maybe Sarah James: first week of June until Sarah James: 15th of July Sarah James: because I remember my mom say Sarah James: on 15th July we Sarah James: could trap for a ground Sarah James: squirrel.
Sarah James: And around that time Sarah James: we just don't have Sarah James: anything to eat Sarah James: because we don't have anything Sarah James: in between that time because Sarah James: there's birthing and Sarah James: nursing and training time. Amy Martin: Sarah says she feels really Amy Martin: lucky to have been raised out Amy Martin: on the land this way, Amy Martin: especially because so much was Amy Martin: changing all around the family.
Amy Martin: When her parents were young, Amy Martin: diseases like flu, Amy Martin: chickenpox and TB Amy Martin: brought into the area by Amy Martin: Europeans had swept Amy Martin: through the community and Amy Martin: killed many, which in people Amy Martin: and many other forms of Amy Martin: colonization had begun to Amy Martin: intrude as well.
Amy Martin: Western religion and education Amy Martin: and increasing pressure on the Amy Martin: Gwich'in to stop following Amy Martin: the caribou herds and instead Amy Martin: settle into permanent villages. Amy Martin: But this concept of living all Amy Martin: year round in one place Amy Martin: seemed really strange. Sarah James: What we know is hunting and Sarah James: fishing, and we had to be out Sarah James: there to do it. Sarah James: And it's hard Sarah James: to stay in one place.
Amy Martin: But that was definitely the Amy Martin: agenda of the U.S. Amy Martin: government. Amy Martin: At some point in Sarah's Amy Martin: childhood. Amy Martin: The Bureau of Indian Affairs Amy Martin: began to threaten her parents Amy Martin: that their children would be Amy Martin: taken away if they didn't send Amy Martin: them to school. Amy Martin: So when she was 13, Amy Martin: Sarah was shipped off to Amy Martin: boarding school in Oregon. Sarah James: And that was strange.
Sarah James: I heard my parents I mean, they Sarah James: have to let us go to get Sarah James: education. Sarah James: That was pound into Sarah James: their head. So Sarah James: they're glad that we were Sarah James: in school, but they need Sarah James: our help at home, too. Sarah James: And they miss us too. Sarah James: I heard it used to be a very Sarah James: sad sight in Christmastime.
Sarah James: And when all their kids are not Sarah James: there, you know, I Sarah James: couldn't imagine how it Sarah James: is because I only Sarah James: have one one boy and Sarah James: he's about 44 right Sarah James: now. But, Sarah James: you know, I go crazy just Sarah James: when I don't know Sarah James: if he's okay or not, you Sarah James: know.
Amy Martin: Sarah graduated from high Amy Martin: school, but she says she Amy Martin: received her most valuable Amy Martin: education at home. Sarah James: I feel that I learned more Sarah James: from living off the land. Sarah James: At least I learned Sarah James: respect. Sarah James: And I learn who I am Sarah James: and what's Sarah James: out there and how Sarah James: to share, how to preserve, Sarah James: how to interaction Sarah James: stuff.
Sarah James: And I think that's why Sarah James: even today, I, Sarah James: I kind of survive with Sarah James: what I got. Sarah James: And I'm thankful, Sarah James: you know, I don't have very Sarah James: much, but I'm thankful for Sarah James: it.
Amy Martin: After high school, Sarah's Amy Martin: parents wanted her to get more Amy Martin: formal education, Amy Martin: but she was nervous because it Amy Martin: seemed like she was going to Amy Martin: have to transform herself into Amy Martin: a completely different person, Amy Martin: starting with her clothes. Sarah James: Usually these small Sarah James: college are in Sarah James: the white Sarah James: community and Sarah James: nice community like Sarah James: nice dress.
Sarah James: And I don't I don't have money Sarah James: for clothing. Sarah James: So I kind of feel but I would Sarah James: never make it there. Sarah James: I never had nylons Sarah James: and I hate nylons. Amy Martin: Me too. Sarah James: So Sarah James: and then I had to be among a Sarah James: totally different group Sarah James: of people. Sarah James: Yeah. Sarah James: Different community, all Sarah James: that. Sarah James: It's just. I just couldn't do Sarah James: it.
Amy Martin: But Sarah heard about another Amy Martin: program called relocation. Amy Martin: Several years before, Congress Amy Martin: had passed a law called the Amy Martin: Indian Relocation Act. Amy Martin: This was one piece of an Amy Martin: overall assimilation agenda Amy Martin: which was ascendant in the Amy Martin: 1950s and 60s.
Amy Martin: Sarah was told the federal Amy Martin: government would pay for some Amy Martin: vocational training and later Amy Martin: help her get a job if Amy Martin: she was willing to move to a Amy Martin: city. Amy Martin: This was the express purpose of Amy Martin: the law to urbanize the Amy Martin: American Indian. Amy Martin: Sarah looked over her options Amy Martin: and one place leapt out. Sarah James: And that was San Sarah James: Francisco.
Sarah James: I saw San Francisco that Sarah James: the hippie movement, Sarah James: they were anything Sarah James: but. They have to would pay Sarah James: attention to my clothing. Sarah James: I could just the way I want to. Sarah James: And that peace and love and Sarah James: flower and all of that sounds Sarah James: good. Sarah James: So I said San Francisco. Amy Martin: I love it. Sarah James: And I was scared to death. Sarah James: Too big man!
Amy Martin: She enrolled in Business Amy Martin: College where she would learn Amy Martin: typing, data entry and Amy Martin: other clerical skills. Amy Martin: And she arrived in San Amy Martin: Francisco in 1967. Music: If you're going to Music: San Francisco, Music: be sure to wear some flowers in your hair.. Amy Martin: The summer of 1967 Amy Martin: was dubbed The Summer of Love.
Amy Martin: Tens of thousands of young Amy Martin: people journeyed to San Amy Martin: Francisco that year, heeding Amy Martin: Timothy Leary's call to turn Amy Martin: on, tune in and drop Amy Martin: out. Amy Martin: John Phillips of The Mamas and Amy Martin: the Papas wrote this song for Amy Martin: his friend Scott McKenzie, Amy Martin: which became an anthem of Amy Martin: the Times. Music: All those who come to San Music: Francisco, summertime will be a love-in there.
Amy Martin: Looking at pictures from the Amy Martin: Haight-Ashbury neighborhood at Amy Martin: this time or other places Amy Martin: where the hippies were Amy Martin: gathering, it's clear Amy Martin: that the young white people Amy Martin: were appropriating elements of Amy Martin: Native American culture or Amy Martin: their ideas of native culture. Amy Martin: They were putting on headbands, Amy Martin: painting their faces, even Amy Martin: wearing buckskin.
Amy Martin: And here was Sarah James, who Amy Martin: actually grew up wearing Amy Martin: clothing made out of caribou Amy Martin: hide. Amy Martin: Did you spend a lot of time on Amy Martin: Haight-Ashbury then? Sarah James: I went down there to hang out, Sarah James: yeah. Sarah James: Because you feel comfortable Sarah James: there, yeah. Amy Martin: At least there were no nylons Amy Martin: required.
Amy Martin: Sarah met up with a friend from Amy Martin: boarding school who was in the Amy Martin: area training to be a nurse. Amy Martin: And they began to navigate this Amy Martin: new world together. Amy Martin: And there was a lot more going Amy Martin: on around them than love-ins Amy Martin: and acid trips. Amy Martin: Protests against the Vietnam Amy Martin: War were heating up.
Amy Martin: The civil rights movement was Amy Martin: in full swing, and Native Amy Martin: Americans around the country Amy Martin: began to voice their Amy Martin: frustrations and demand change, Amy Martin: too. Amy Martin: In fact, this is one of the Amy Martin: great ironies of the Indian Amy Martin: Relocation Act. Amy Martin: The goal was to assimilate Amy Martin: Native people and cut them off Amy Martin: from their cultures.
Amy Martin: But as young indigenous people Amy Martin: were increasingly concentrated Amy Martin: in cities, they began to Amy Martin: share their experiences and Amy Martin: ideas, which led to a Amy Martin: new wave of Indian pride Amy Martin: and indigenous activism. Amy Martin: In 1968, the American Amy Martin: Indian Movement, or AIM, was Amy Martin: founded in Minneapolis.
Amy Martin: And in San Francisco, young Amy Martin: native people were starting to Amy Martin: use the phrase "Red Power." Amy Martin: Sarah says the Mission District Amy Martin: became the gathering spot. Sarah James: On a weekend, we get to Sarah James: go down Sarah James: 16th and Mission Street. Sarah James: That's where we hang out Sarah James: because they had they pay band Sarah James: that one place.
Amy Martin: Sarah says Native people would Amy Martin: come in from across the region Amy Martin: seeking each other out for Amy Martin: companionship and political Amy Martin: conversation. Sarah James: And then I started hanging Sarah James: out with San Francisco Sarah James: State College students, Sarah James: and they were talking about Sarah James: Native American rights.
Sarah James: And right away, to my interest Sarah James: keeping around with them, Sarah James: they just started American Sarah James: Indian Law and Sarah James: they were taking that class Sarah James: and we just discussed it on Sarah James: the weekend. We hang around. Sarah James: They go back to Sarah James: their college.
Sarah James: I go back to my apartment Sarah James: and Sarah James: well, anyway, one Sarah James: day I guess they decided Sarah James: to take over the Alcatraz, Sarah James: take the island back. Amy Martin: And you were part of that? Sarah James: Yeah. Amy Martin: This is the point in the Amy Martin: interview when I was like, Amy Martin: wait, what? Amy Martin: I sat down with Sarah to talk Amy Martin: about drilling for oil in the Amy Martin: Arctic National Wildlife Amy Martin: Refuge.
Amy Martin: And here I was learning she Amy Martin: was a participant in one of the Amy Martin: most important direct actions Amy Martin: in 20th century Native American Amy Martin: history. Amy Martin: This is Richard Oakes, one of Amy Martin: the leaders of the Alcatraz Amy Martin: occupation, recorded by Amy Martin: a local news channel.
Richard Oakes: We, the Native Americans, Richard Oakes: reclaim this land known as Richard Oakes: Alcatraz Island in the name of Richard Oakes: all American Indians by right Richard Oakes: of discovery. Amy Martin: Alcatraz is a small island Amy Martin: in the San Francisco Bay that Amy Martin: indigenous people had lived on Amy Martin: or used for more than 10,000 Amy Martin: years. Amy Martin: Most recently, the Ohlone. Reporter: What's this nation want to Reporter: establish out here?
Richard Oakes: An American Indian nation Richard Oakes: comprising of all the, all the Richard Oakes: tribes, including Richard Oakes: the Alaskans. Amy Martin: In the 1800s, the U.S. Amy Martin: government took over the Amy Martin: island, urning it into a Amy Martin: military fortress and later Amy Martin: a prison. Amy Martin: And some of those prisoners Amy Martin: were Native Americans.
Amy Martin: Like the 19 Hopi people Amy Martin: who were locked up on Alcatraz Amy Martin: in 1895 for Amy Martin: resisting the forced education Amy Martin: of their children. Amy Martin: The prison was shut down in Amy Martin: 1963, Amy Martin: and six years later, the Amy Martin: students that Sarah was hanging Amy Martin: out with in the mission decided Amy Martin: to take the island back. Reporter: You think you have the legal Reporter: right to clean the island and Reporter: why?
Richard Oakes: Well you're talking about two Richard Oakes: different societies now in Richard Oakes: my society or in Indian Richard Oakes: society, yes, we do. Amy Martin: This was November 1969. Amy Martin: Sarah was working at an Amy Martin: insurance company at this point Amy Martin: and sharing an apartment with Amy Martin: that same friend from boarding Amy Martin: school. Sarah James: Middle of the night at 2:00. Sarah James: They came to our place, our Sarah James: apartment.
Sarah James: For some reason that week Sarah James: we moved. Sarah James: They didn't know we move Sarah James: and they came to our place. Sarah James: We weren't there, so they went Sarah James: on without us. Amy Martin: Would you have gone if you had Amy Martin: been there? Sarah James: Yeah. I probably would just Sarah James: go. Amy Martin: Sarah missed that knock on the Amy Martin: door in the middle of the Amy Martin: night.
Amy Martin: But when she and her friend Amy Martin: woke up the next morning. Sarah James: Then we got up and looked Sarah James: at the TV. Sarah James: There were up there on the Sarah James: island. Sarah James: Hey, they did it! Sarah James: There, they really Sarah James: did it right away. Sarah James: Say, I'm going. Sarah James: So I start packing. Sarah James: So I pack and I went down.
Sarah James: They were there at the dock Sarah James: where they said they're going Sarah James: to be. Amy Martin: They were waiting to take Amy Martin: people who wanted to join. Sarah James: Yeah. Amy Martin: My gosh. Sarah James: But it was a real small Sarah James: rocking sailboat. Sarah James: I'd never been in a sailboat in Sarah James: my life, and I'm not the best Sarah James: swimmer. Sarah James: Got on there. Sarah James: I barely holding on. Sarah James: It was packed full.
Sarah James: Inside and outside. Sarah James: I was outside holding on Sarah James: all the way over there. Amy Martin: The occupation of Alcatraz Amy Martin: lasted for 19 months Amy Martin: until June 1971, Amy Martin: and it's now considered one of Amy Martin: the pivotal moments in the Amy Martin: story of Native Americans Amy Martin: pushing back against white Amy Martin: domination in the United Amy Martin: States.
Amy Martin: At the beginning of the Amy Martin: occupation, the students Amy Martin: issued a proclamation saying Amy Martin: they would pay the U.S. Amy Martin: government $24 Amy Martin: in glass beads and red cloth Amy Martin: for the island, which was more, Amy Martin: they pointed out, than what the Amy Martin: colonists had paid for the Amy Martin: purchase of Manhattan 300 Amy Martin: years earlier.
Amy Martin: I'm going to play a little bit Amy Martin: more of Richard Oakes reading Amy Martin: the proclamation and understand Amy Martin: the power of what he's saying Amy Martin: here. You need to know that the Amy Martin: Bureau of Indian Affairs, part Amy Martin: of the Department of the Amy Martin: Interior, was the face Amy Martin: of the violent paternalism Amy Martin: that these students were Amy Martin: calling out.
Richard Oakes: We will give to the inhabitants Richard Oakes: of this island a portion of Richard Oakes: that land for their own to be Richard Oakes: held in trust by the American Richard Oakes: Indian government, to be Richard Oakes: administered by the Bureau of Richard Oakes: Caucasian Affairs. Richard Oakes: For as long as the sun shall Richard Oakes: rise and the rivers go down to Richard Oakes: the sea.
Richard Oakes: We will further guide the Richard Oakes: inhabitants of the proper way Richard Oakes: of living. Richard Oakes: We will offer them our Richard Oakes: religion, our education, our Richard Oakes: lifeways in order to help Richard Oakes: them achieve our level of Richard Oakes: civilization and thus raise Richard Oakes: them and all our white brothers Richard Oakes: up from their savage and Richard Oakes: unhappy state.
Richard Oakes: We offer this treaty in good Richard Oakes: faith and wish to be Richard Oakes: fair and honorable in our Richard Oakes: dealings with all white men. Amy Martin: The whole proclamation is Amy Martin: definitely worth a read. Amy Martin: It's a pretty brilliant Amy Martin: political essay in which these Amy Martin: young indigenous people turn Amy Martin: the tables on white society Amy Martin: in a way that couldn't be Amy Martin: ignored.
Amy Martin: And Sarah James was there, Amy Martin: but she didn't stay long Amy Martin: because in January 1970, Amy Martin: her father died suddenly Amy Martin: and she left for Alaska Amy Martin: immediately. Sarah James: And I never went back Sarah James: because there's no phone Sarah James: or electricity here Sarah James: and no way to go back. Sarah James: All that kind of stuff.
Amy Martin: So here's Sarah James in 1970, Amy Martin: 26 years old, raised Amy Martin: in the Alaska wilderness and Amy Martin: swept up into events that were Amy Martin: making headlines all around the Amy Martin: world. Amy Martin: And now she's suddenly back Amy Martin: in Arctic Village. Amy Martin: The census that year recorded a Amy Martin: population of 85 people. Amy Martin: I imagine she might have felt Amy Martin: like this was sort of the end Amy Martin: of something.
Amy Martin: But as it turned out, all Amy Martin: of this had been training Amy Martin: for what was coming next. Amy Martin: We'll have more after this Amy Martin: short break. Matt Herlihy: Hi, my name's Matt Herlihy and Matt Herlihy: I've been a Threshold listener Matt Herlihy: and donor since season one came Matt Herlihy: out in 2017. Matt Herlihy: I was also one of the first Matt Herlihy: volunteer board members of the Matt Herlihy: nonprofit organization that Matt Herlihy: makes Threshold.
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Amy Martin: Hi Threshold listeners. Do you ever find yourself wondering what businesses are doing and what more they should do to confront climate change? Then you should check out Climate Rising, the award-winning podcast from Harvard Business School. Climate Rising gives you a behind-the-scenes look at how top business leaders are taking on the challenge of climate change. The show covers cutting edge solutions from leveraging A.I. and carbon markets to sharing
Amy Martin: stories that inspire climate Amy Martin: action. Amy Martin: Recent episodes feature Amy Martin: insightful conversations with Amy Martin: leaders like Netflix's first Amy Martin: Sustainability Officer, Emma Amy Martin: Steward, who discusses how the Amy Martin: global entertainment giant Amy Martin: uses its platform to promote Amy Martin: climate awareness.
Amy Martin: You'll also hear from CNN's Amy Martin: chief climate correspondent Amy Martin: Bill Weir about the importance Amy Martin: of integrating climate change Amy Martin: into news coverage. Amy Martin: Each episode dives deep into Amy Martin: the challenges and Amy Martin: opportunities that climate Amy Martin: change presents to Amy Martin: entrepreneurs and innovators.
Amy Martin: Listen to Climate Rising Amy Martin: every other Wednesday on Apple Amy Martin: Podcasts, Spotify Amy Martin: or wherever you get your Amy Martin: podcasts. Dallas Taylor: I'm Dallas Taylor, host of Dallas Taylor: 20,000 Hertz, Dallas Taylor: a podcast that reveals the Dallas Taylor: untold stories behind the Dallas Taylor: sounds of our world. Dallas Taylor: We've uncovered the incredible Dallas Taylor: intelligence of talking Dallas Taylor: parrots.
Speaker 6: Basically, birdbrain Speaker 6: was a pejorative term. Speaker 6: And here I had this bird Speaker 6: that was doing the same types Speaker 6: of tasks the primates. Dallas Taylor: We've investigated the bonding Dallas Taylor: power of music. Speaker 7: There's an intimacy there in Speaker 7: communicating through Speaker 7: the medium of music Speaker 7: that can be really a Speaker 7: powerful force for bringing Speaker 7: people together.
Dallas Taylor: We've explored the subtle Dallas Taylor: nuances of the human voice. Speaker: We have to remember that humans Speaker: over many hundreds of thousands Speaker: of years of evolution have Speaker: become extremely attuned Speaker: to the sounds of each other's Speaker: voices. Dallas Taylor: And we've revealed why a famous Dallas Taylor: composer wrote a piece made Dallas Taylor: entirely of silence.
Speaker 7: I think that's a really Speaker 7: potentially quite useful and Speaker 7: quite profound experience to Speaker 7: have. Dallas Taylor: Subscribe to 20,000Hz Dallas Taylor: right here in your podcast Dallas Taylor: player. Dallas Taylor: I'll meet you there. Amy Martin: Welcome back to Threshold. Amy Martin: I'm Amy Martin and I'm in Amy Martin: Arctic Village, Alaska, Amy Martin: listening to the story of Amy Martin: Gwich'in leader Sarah James.
Amy Martin: After a childhood in the Alaska Amy Martin: wilderness adolescence in Amy Martin: an Oregon boarding school, Amy Martin: an on-the-ground activist training in San Francisco, Sarah had returned home to a state about to be transformed by oil. Up on the coast, the Prudhoe Bay oil field had been discovered. And by the late 1970s, the Trans-Alaska Pipeline was built. Oil was flowing south to the Port of Valdez
Amy Martin: day and night. In the 1980s, Sarah started hearing that drilling operations might be expanded to the east of Prudhoe. Into the calving grounds of the porcupine caribou herd. Sarah James: And so I went to my brother. Sarah James: At that time, they told Sarah James: my brother, Well, how come they Sarah James: keep telling me they're going Sarah James: to do gas and oil development Sarah James: up there? Sarah James: And he said, yeah, Sarah James: oil companies are huge.
Sarah James: They're very huge. Sarah James: We can't stop it. Sarah James: You know, just us Sarah James: is too huge. Sarah James: I don't think we'll get Sarah James: anywhere with it. Sarah James: Well, we shall see about Sarah James: it. I told him that, you know, Sarah James: and he said there might Sarah James: be a way. Sarah James: Let's, let's work on it, Sarah James: he said. Sarah James: So I laugh. Amy Martin: And she got to work.
Sarah James: I was one of the tribal council Sarah James: then, and Sarah James: the tribal council chose Sarah James: me to deal with Sarah James: environment issues. Amy Martin: So Sarah started going to Amy Martin: meetings throughout the region, Amy Martin: learning about what was going Amy Martin: on up on the coast and how it Amy Martin: might affect the caribou. Amy Martin: She says she definitely wasn't Amy Martin: working alone.
Amy Martin: Lots of folks were involved, Amy Martin: including Inupiat people Amy Martin: who are also concerned about Amy Martin: protecting the caribou and Amy Martin: their own communities. Amy Martin: In 1987, they succeeded Amy Martin: in getting the U.S. Amy Martin: and Canada to sign an Amy Martin: international treaty designed Amy Martin: to protect the Porcupine Amy Martin: caribou herd.
Amy Martin: And the language of the treaty Amy Martin: made it clear that the animals Amy Martin: needed to be protected, both Amy Martin: for their own sake and for Amy Martin: the sake of the people who Amy Martin: depended on them, both Amy Martin: nutritionally and culturally.
Amy Martin: The treaty also established Amy Martin: the Porcupine Caribou Amy Martin: Management Board, which still Amy Martin: exists today and is supposed Amy Martin: to be consulted on development Amy Martin: projects that could impact the Amy Martin: herd. Amy Martin: But the Gwich'in knew the Amy Martin: allure of the oil was going to Amy Martin: continue to turn the heads of Amy Martin: the big companies. Amy Martin: And the treaty lacked an Amy Martin: enforcement mechanism.
Amy Martin: By itself, it wasn't enough to Amy Martin: prevent drilling on the coastal Amy Martin: plain. Amy Martin: So members of the new Amy Martin: management board started going Amy Martin: out to villages and talking to Amy Martin: people. Sarah James: They went to each village and Sarah James: talked to elders, Sarah James: what we should do. Sarah James: And Sarah James: the one elder, Mary Kay.
Sarah James: And she said, Well, Sarah James: when we deal with it back Sarah James: in the day, like back Sarah James: before our first visitor, Sarah James: when there's a threat to our Sarah James: nation and this Sarah James: is a threat to our nation, Sarah James: they come together as a nation Sarah James: and, and then they Sarah James: make a decision within Sarah James: less than four days, Sarah James: then that's how they deal with Sarah James: the issue.
Sarah James: And those days bow and arrow Sarah James: days. Sarah James: And we should do that. Sarah James: We should call it a nation Sarah James: back to gather Sarah James: it, take it on from then. Amy Martin: Sarah says this idea of Amy Martin: bringing the whole Gwich'in Amy Martin: Nation together to figure out Amy Martin: how to respond to the threat of Amy Martin: oil development quickly gained Amy Martin: traction among the Gwich'in.
Sarah James: So they call Sarah James: and gather here in the Arctic Sarah James: Village, June 5 Sarah James: to 10, 1988. Sarah James: People start coming, and Sarah James: I think we have 15 Sarah James: chief U.S. Sarah James: and Canada and Sarah James: 15 elders Sarah James: and one youth from Sarah James: each village. Amy Martin: That was kind of the official Amy Martin: delegation.
Amy Martin: But Sarah says Gwich'in people Amy Martin: from across their home Amy Martin: territory started arriving Amy Martin: and getting the whole Gwich'in Amy Martin: community together in one place Amy Martin: at one time was no Amy Martin: small feat. Amy Martin: These are tiny villages Amy Martin: scattered across really rugged, Amy Martin: wild territory with Amy Martin: no roads connecting them Amy Martin: and divided by a national Amy Martin: border.
Amy Martin: One family chartered a plane. Amy Martin: Others piled into boats Amy Martin: and took them up the rivers. Sarah James: It's difficult to travel Sarah James: that river from here to Sarah James: Yukon. Sarah James: But then they did. Amy Martin: Sarah says back in what she Amy Martin: calls "bow and arrow days," Amy Martin: the semi-nomadic life of the Amy Martin: Gwich'in meant that all of the Amy Martin: different subgroups met and Amy Martin: mingled frequently.
Amy Martin: But the colonization process Amy Martin: had changed. That and the Amy Martin: various Gwich'in bands have Amy Martin: become much more separate from Amy Martin: each other. Amy Martin: At the 1988 gathering, Amy Martin: Sarah says, they were reminded Amy Martin: that they shared a common Amy Martin: language and history Amy Martin: and common concerns Amy Martin: for the future. Sarah James: And it's just like a rebirth Sarah James: of the nation as a whole.
Sarah James: Everybody getting to know each Sarah James: other. There's some graveyard Sarah James: of their relatives Sarah James: here. They want to worship. Amy Martin: One native-owned media Amy Martin: organization was allowed to Amy Martin: film parts of the event. Amy Martin: And we've put a link to that Amy Martin: video up on our website. Amy Martin: There were non-Gwich'in people Amy Martin: who came to the gathering too.
Amy Martin: Government officials, Amy Martin: representatives from Amy Martin: conservation groups and Amy Martin: Sarah says they brought their Amy Martin: non Gwich'in ways of doing Amy Martin: things with them. Sarah James: They came up with the agenda. Sarah James: But when Sarah James: they start the meeting, Sarah James: those elders took over Sarah James: the meetings and said, we don't Sarah James: need this agenda.
Sarah James: So they tore up the agenda Sarah James: and said, we'll take it from Sarah James: here. Amy Martin: Whatever plan the outside Amy Martin: groups may have had. Amy Martin: The elders said, No, thank Amy Martin: you. Amy Martin: This is our gathering and we'll Amy Martin: do it our way. Sarah James: And then somebody presented Sarah James: a talking stick. Sarah James: It's just a stick with the Sarah James: eagle head on it.
Sarah James: And then they said, who will Sarah James: talk with a stick? Sarah James: And we had to be in the center Sarah James: of the whole community Sarah James: hall. Sarah James: So that's how they Sarah James: ran their meeting. Amy Martin: And almost everything happened Amy Martin: in Gwich'in. Amy Martin: The video doesn't give names Amy Martin: for individual speakers, but Amy Martin: it does provide translations.
Amy Martin: And this man is saying, "Oil Amy Martin: burns when the trucks and cats Amy Martin: work and the wells are drilled, Amy Martin: the oil spreads all over the Amy Martin: caribous' food." Amy Martin: He says, "What will become Amy Martin: of our children when the Amy Martin: caribou go?" Amy Martin: The story of the outside groups Amy Martin: creating an agenda and Amy Martin: the elders promptly tossing it Amy Martin: out- I think this is an Amy Martin: important detail.
Amy Martin: As we talked about last time, Amy Martin: one of the meta battles Amy Martin: surrounding the fight over Amy Martin: drilling in the refuge is who Amy Martin: controls the narrative. Amy Martin: Are pro-oil groups using Amy Martin: some Inupiaq people to advance Amy Martin: their agenda? Amy Martin: Are conservation groups doing Amy Martin: the same with the Gwich'in? Amy Martin: But both of those lines of Amy Martin: thought give all the agency Amy Martin: to white people.
Amy Martin: In Sarah's narrative, the Amy Martin: Gwich'in are the protagonists, Amy Martin: they know what they want and Amy Martin: they make it happen. Amy Martin: She's not describing some Amy Martin: hapless group of people who can Amy Martin: easily be manipulated by Amy Martin: outsiders.
Woman at Gathering: And together here, Woman at Gathering: we're going to fight Woman at Gathering: in a good way Woman at Gathering: to teach Woman at Gathering: many white people out there Woman at Gathering: who do not understand our ways. Woman at Gathering: We got to teach them. Amy Martin: Sarah says it quickly became Amy Martin: clear that there was no Amy Martin: disagreement among the Gwich'in Amy Martin: about the goal.
Amy Martin: What they were trying to figure Amy Martin: out was a strategy. Woman at Gathering: They know that they're Woman at Gathering: against oil and gas Woman at Gathering: development, but how are we Woman at Gathering: going to do it? Woman at Gathering: You know, what to do, Woman at Gathering: where we're going to go, how Woman at Gathering: are we going to do it?
Woman at Gathering: And then they say, Woman at Gathering: the only way we're going to win Woman at Gathering: is unless we do it in a good Woman at Gathering: way, educate the world Woman at Gathering: in good way and make Woman at Gathering: friends because we can't Woman at Gathering: do it ourselves, it's too huge. Amy Martin: So they wrote a resolution, Amy Martin: a short, clear message, Amy Martin: saying who they were and what Amy Martin: they wanted.
Amy Martin: You can read it on our website. Amy Martin: It says the Gwich'in have a Amy Martin: right to continue their way of Amy Martin: life and that their culture Amy Martin: depends on the caribou. Amy Martin: Therefore, oil and gas Amy Martin: development should be Amy Martin: prohibited in the 1002 area. Man at Gathering: We have it in writing with our Man at Gathering: signatures on it.
Man at Gathering: I think they Man at Gathering: know at least we have Man at Gathering: one nation of Man at Gathering: Gwich'in people that are saying Man at Gathering: no and Man at Gathering: we mean no. Man at Gathering: And, you know, maybe Man at Gathering: it means it may Man at Gathering: help in the decision-making. Sarah James: We are the caribou people. Sarah James: If it wasn't for the caribou, Sarah James: we wouldn't be here today.
Sarah James: And to take away of who Sarah James: you are and be proud Sarah James: of who you are, Sarah James: that's genocide. Amy Martin: At the 1988 gathering, Amy Martin: the Gwich'in chose eight Amy Martin: ambassadors to help get that Amy Martin: message out to the world. Amy Martin: Sarah was one of them. Amy Martin: And this was a permanent Amy Martin: appointment. Amy Martin: This was now her assigned role Amy Martin: in the community for the rest Amy Martin: of her life.
Amy Martin: So she picked up that mantle Amy Martin: and has never set it down. Amy Martin: She's given speeches all over Amy Martin: the country. Amy Martin: She's traveled to Washington, Amy Martin: D.C. countless times to meet Amy Martin: with lawmakers and to testify Amy Martin: at congressional hearings. Amy Martin: And every two years since 1988, Amy Martin: the Gwich'in have held another
Amy Martin: gathering. And every two years, Amy Martin: they've reaffirmed their Amy Martin: opposition to drilling on Amy Martin: the coastal plain. Sarah James: They never break what they make Sarah James: the decision on at that time Sarah James: and never have. Sarah James: And never will. Amy Martin: So that's the message Sarah has Amy Martin: been repeating over Amy Martin: and over. Sarah James: Look like Sarah James: we made the right decision back Sarah James: in 1988.
Sarah James: We overcame many, many Sarah James: battles because Sarah James: all American out there Sarah James: along with us, spoke Sarah James: loud and clear, they don't want Sarah James: a gas and oil development. Sarah James: And I believe it's Sarah James: going to stay that way. Sarah James: I believe we're going to win. Amy Martin: I recorded this conversation in Amy Martin: August of 2017.
Amy Martin: In December of that year, Amy Martin: President Trump signed the Tax Amy Martin: Cuts and Jobs Act, and Amy Martin: the Arctic National Wildlife Amy Martin: Refuge was open for oil Amy Martin: and gas drilling. Bernadette Demientieff: I feel like my home Bernadette Demientieff: is being attacked. Bernadette Demientieff: I feel like Bernadette Demientieff: my children are being Bernadette Demientieff: attacked. Amy Martin: Again, this is Bernadette Demientiff.
Bernadette Demientieff: To Bernadette Demientieff: me, this is how I look at Bernadette Demientieff: it. Bernadette Demientieff: Like I would walk into your Bernadette Demientieff: house, sit at your table, and Bernadette Demientieff: you start going through your Bernadette Demientieff: cupboards and Bernadette Demientieff: go in and kick them back on Bernadette Demientieff: your couch, kick them out.
Bernadette Demientieff: That's how I feel Bernadette Demientieff: when they're coming in here and Bernadette Demientieff: just wanting to rip everything Bernadette Demientieff: apart. Bernadette Demientieff: You know, I get angry, Bernadette Demientieff: but then I have to always Bernadette Demientieff: remember I have to go back to Bernadette Demientieff: what our elders say and Bernadette Demientieff: do it in a good way. Amy Martin: Stay with us for part two.