United Caribou Association of the Nunamiut

Abstract

Caribou is one food source that the people in Anaktuvuk Pass, Alaska rely on as a dependable and traditional source of food. United Caribou Association of the Nunamiut (UCAN) hopes to emulate the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission in a way that secures a first right of refusal over sport hunters and others. What UCAN proposes by its presence are negotiated restrictions to ensure subsistence taking of caribou by residents of Anaktuvuk Pass. Because the caribou of three Arctic herds are unrestrained and transient, and a shared resource of the State of Alaska, the State Board of Game views the caribou as a shared resource to be used by all citizens of the State of Alaska. The framers of UCAN want to ensure that the State Board of Game, sport hunters, and others know that the people of Anaktuvuk Pass are concerned about their food security. The study discovered that the local community of Anaktuvuk Pass wants outside agencies to know how and why caribou are important to them. Local governing bodies such as the Nagragmiut Tribal Council can and should be taught to develop PowerPoint presentations using their own images, and local storytellers provided avenues to express their concerns. The residents of Anaktuvuk Pass want to be the first to use the caribou as a food resource to protect their food security, and they want to be able to successfully articulate that concern.