Collaborative Research: Salmon Stewardship: Mapping a Cultural Keystone and Building Genomics Capacity for Alaska Native Peoples

University Of Illinois At Urbana-Champaign, Urbana IL

Investigators

Abstract

This community-based project combines Indigenous knowledge with the genomic study of three species of salmon on the Kenai Peninsula. Investigators will generate long-read de novo genomes from salmon remains recovered from archaeological contexts and compare them to genomes of present-day salmon from the same location. Analyses will explore the genomic architecture and evolutionary history of these populations over two thousand years. The genomic work is complemented by anthropological research with Kenaitze Elders, which will document Indigenous ecological knowledge of salmon. This project integrates scientific and Indigenous knowledge to reconstruct the dynamic links between salmon and the Kenaitze people since pre-contact times. This project capitalizes on recent advances in models and methods for analysis of ancient DNA and responds to Alaska Native research and education priorities. Tribal members, students, and post-doctoral fellows will collaborate in the analysis of salmon genomes, while tribal perspectives on salmon and salmon use will be documented through archival research, interviews, surveys, and focus groups. Broader impacts of this work include building local genomics research capacity, training of students and post-doctoral fellows, and enhanced understanding of the interdependence of Indigenous lives and salmon, a cultural keystone for many Alaska Native communities. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.