Planning: Connecting Inupiaq and Veterinary Knowledge about Wildlife Diseases and Food Safety

University Of Alaska Fairbanks Campus, Fairbanks AK

Investigators

Abstract

Climate change and its impacts on pathogen distribution and traditional storage practices in Alaska have the potential to adversely affect human health and subsistence. This project documents traditional Inupiaq understanding of food safety and knowledge of wildlife diseases in subsistence species common in Northwest Alaska. Combining Indigenous knowledge and veterinary science, the PI team will explore local perspectives on food safety and food-borne illness and knowledge of pathogens in subsistence species. Investigators will assess local interest in the development of a research project dealing with subsistence food safety and collaboratively identify appropriate social scientific, monitoring, and sampling methods to answer community questions. Year 1 activities involve virtual and in-person meetings with local residents with an interest in or knowledge of wildlife pathogens in subsistence foods. The PI team will endeavor to include participants familiar with all stages of subsistence animal procurement, processing, and preparation. Using a workshop structure, investigators and participants will discuss Indigenous and veterinary approaches to wildlife pathogens, identifying points of convergence and difference. Should there be sufficient local interest, the PI team will facilitate collaborative development of research questions and identification of appropriate methods, which may include monitoring and sampling, as well as interviewing and participant observation. Ethical aspects of the proposed work will be explicitly addressed, as changes to foodways may have impacts on nutrition and well-being. 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.