Indigenous Knowledge: Revitalizing Everlasting Relationships between Alaska Natives and Sled Dogs to Promote Holistic Wellbeing

Janessa Newman (), Inna Rivkin (), Cathy Brooks, Kathy Turco, Joseph Bifelt, Laura Ekada and Jacques Philip
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Janessa Newman: Tamamta Fellowship, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK 99775, USA
Inna Rivkin: Department of Psychology and Center for Alaska Native Health Research, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK 99775, USA
Cathy Brooks: Department of Alaska Native Studies and Rural Development, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK 99775, USA
Kathy Turco: Alaska’s Spirit Speaks: Sound & Science, Fairbanks, AK 99709, USA
Joseph Bifelt: Rampart School (Yukon-Koyukuk School District), Rampart, AK 99767, USA
Laura Ekada: BLaST (Biomedical Learning and Student Training) Program, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK 99775, USA
Jacques Philip: Center for Alaska Native Health Research, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK 99775, USA

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 20, issue 1, 1-31

Abstract: Introduction: Indigenous peoples have documented their culture’s history in oral stories, revealing lessons about holistic relationships fostering perseverance. Despite vast differences in time, relationships and stories are equally important today. Athabascans retain their values, life skills, and wellness through cultural practices. Creating opportunities for youths to learn through reciprocal relationships increases wellness in Indigenous communities, highlighting the significance of community-developed programs that connect youths to their place and culture. Method: Athabascan youths in rural Alaska get hands-on experience and Elder mentorship working with sled dogs in the Frank Attla Youth and Sled Dog Care-Mushing Program (FAYSDP). Through a community-based participatory research partnership with the community of Huslia and Jimmy Huntington School, we examined how FAYSDP affects youths, and how relationships within culture and land promote wellbeing. Fifteen middle and high-school youths shared their perspectives on how FAYSDP impacts them and their community using photovoice and digital storytelling. Nineteen adults contributed their perspectives in focus groups. We used emerging themes (inductive) and Athabascan cultural values and elements of social capital (deductive approaches) to analyze the qualitative data. Results: Findings illustrate how FAYSDP promotes wellbeing by empowering youths to apply what they learn to generate their own knowledge, while centering communities around culturally significant practices such as dog mushing. It connects youths to their home and their cultural values, using dogs as the driving force to bridge generations and foster youth wellness. Discussion: We discuss implications for community-based programs that engage Elders as teachers and the land as their classroom to promote youth holistic wellness.

Keywords: Indigenous peoples; Alaska Native youths; digital storytelling; connection to land; wellbeing; community-based participatory research; Indigenous knowledge; rural; intergenerational mentorship (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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