Feeding the Future: A Traditional Foods Monitoring Program for Jilká Kwáan
2025 Research Seed Awards
Alaina Birkel
Director of Intergovernmental Affairs
Chilkat Indian Village
a) Detailed overview of project and science question
The Jilká Aani Ka Héeni (Chilkat Valley Watershed) is facing significant changes to its ecosystem. Warmer temperatures, diminished snowfall, increased rainfall, glacial retreat, and more frequent extreme weather events are contributing to flooding, landslides, riverbank erosion, and ecological changes to rivers, habitats, and vegetation (Resilience Plan, 2023). Wild-harvested traditional foods— including salmon, berries, and eulachon—are increasingly impacted by these environmental changes, becoming less predictable, more vulnerable to environmental stressors, and harder to access due to altered river systems and habitat degradation (Resilience Plan, 2023). The food security and food sovereignty of Tlákw Aan (“the Eternal Village” in Lingít; Klukwan) is at risk, and by extension, the livelihoods of our Tribal members. Haa Atxaayí Haa Kusteeyíx Sitee. (Our food is our life). Consequently, the Chilkat Indian Village (Tlákw Aan – Klukwan) seeks to establish a Traditional Foods Monitoring Program to document the food availability and condition of traditional foods within our traditional territory.
Our recent community-based conversations and planning efforts have highlighted the need to “convene traditional and subsistence user groups to discuss past, present, and future changes” (Resilience Plan, 2023, p. 37). Tribal members have identified a strong interest in monitoring: food availability and timing; ecosystem indicators; shifts in harvest areas; and intergenerational knowledge about resource use (Resilience Plan, 2023). These priorities form the foundation for both what will be monitored and how the program will be built—rooted in our knowledge, sovereignty, and governance.
This project employs an Indigenous methodology, as outlined by Kovach (2021), where Jilká Kwáan (the land and people of the Chilkat) epistemology, theory, ethics, story, and community anchor the development of the monitoring program. The primary scientific questions guiding the Traditional Foods Monitoring Program will be co-developed through three paid community workshops involving Tribal Elders, harvesters, and youth, and will build on Tribal members’ existing observations of the changing climate. The workshops will inform how the program is designed—what to monitor (i.e., species, locations, and indicators) and how to monitor them— and how the process of data collection occurs. The conversations within the workshops reflect the Indigenous practice and method of “storywork” (Archibald, 2008; Kovach, 2021) and center the priorities and knowledge of our community. The analysis and synthesis components of the project will adapt the Indigenous co-production of knowledge framework from Yua and her colleagues (2022). This framework understands research to be iterative and cyclical in nature, which necessitates revision and reflexivity as a necessity at every stage of the process (Yua et al., 2022). By establishing a community-defined research agenda, the Chilkat Indian Village (Klukwan) seeks to position the worldview of Jilḵá Kwáan as the scientific authority within our traditional territory that we’ve always been.
This proposal represents the initial phase of a long-term initiative by our Tribal government to carry forward the work that generations of Jilḵá people have done to protect our wild traditional foods and ensure our community’s continued ability to procure them. Grounded in both the principles and interconnected elements of Indigenous food sovereignty (Maudrie et al., 2021; Gutierrez, Kaloostian, & Redvers, 2023), our Traditional Foods Monitoring Program builds on a growing body of scholarship recognizing that community-driven food programs are vital to cultural continuity and well-being (Wesche et al., 2016) and serve as pathway to greater food security (Delormier & Marquis, 2019). The EPSCoR SEED grant will not only support the first phase of the program, it will also support Chilkat Indian
Village (Klukwan) taking meaningful strides forward in reversing the legacy of extractive and unethical research practices towards our community.
Approach:
Objective 1: Design culturally grounded workshops to elicit community-defined monitoring priorities.
The first objective is to design a series of community-based workshops to generate the foundation of the Traditional Foods Monitoring Program. The workshops will be collaboratively developed by Karlie Spud (Traditional Foods Specialist), Alaina Birkel (CIV’s Director of Intergovernmental Affairs and late stage PhD student in Human Dimensions of Natural Resources), Sandrine Thompson (CIV’s
Environmental Planner), and other community members or Tribal staff as needed. The planning phase will include the development of facilitation materials, visual and interactive activities, guiding questions, and strategies to ensure broad and inclusive participation, including a hybrid option. The workshops will draw from community-informed facilitation methods.
Objective 2: Facilitate three workshops with Tribal members to co-produce the foundations of the monitoring program.
Three full-day workshops will be convened at the Hospitality House in Klukwan to engage Tribal members in defining the priorities, methods, and structure of the monitoring program. Workshops will be timed in accordance with harvest cycles to maximize participation: two workshops will take place in late fall to early winter (after moose hunting season), and the third will be held in early spring, prior to the start of the eulachon (hooligan) run. All tribal members will be invited to participate, and honoraria, meals, and children’s activities will be provided (see the attached Budget Spreadsheet and Budget Justification form). Each workshop will be recorded for internal use. The facilitation materials and activities will be documented and saved, and Tribal staff take notes throughout the workshops during large group conversations. Participants will engage in co-creating visual tools—such as harvest calendars, maps, or seasonal indicators—as part of the facilitated workshops. Staff will meet between workshops to synthesize findings and adapt materials iteratively.
Objective 3: Analyze and synthesize workshop materials and conversations into a community defined Traditional Foods Monitoring Program.
Drawing from the knowledge and priorities shared during the first two workshops, the Traditional Foods Specialist and Director of Intergovernmental Affairs will collaboratively develop a draft version of the Traditional Foods Monitoring Program. This draft will outline what will be monitored, when, and how, based entirely on community-defined values, ecological indicators, and seasonal knowledge. The third workshop will serve as a space to present and refine this draft with the community, ensuring the process remains grounded in accountability and cultural responsiveness. The monitoring program will be adjusted as needed based on community input, resulting in a finalized, community-designed program that supports the food security and sovereignty of Jilḵá Kwáan and ensures intergenerational knowledge transfer.
Timeline and Feasibility: CIV’s team has the necessary technical and cultural expertise to implement this timeline successfully. The workshops build on long-standing community planning practices, and the proposed process honors seasonal rhythms and cultural responsibilities.
Timeline Overview:
- July–September 2025: Workshop design and facilitation planning by the core team; development of materials, activities, and hybrid access setup.
- October–December 2025: Conduct Workshops 1 and 2 (post-moose harvest); begin synthesis and staff debriefs between workshops.
- January–March 2026: Continue synthesis and co-development of monitoring program; conduct Workshop 3 in late March to present and refine draft.
- April–June 2026: Finalize Traditional Foods Monitoring Program; prepare internal documentation and program implementation plan.
- b) Description of how the project aligns with and contributes to Interface of Change goals
This project will “Build collaborative research capacity to access how climate-induced changes affect marine resources on which Gulf of ҹAV coastal communities are reliant,” (IoC Goal 1) and “generate environmental data and web-based tools to inform adaptive community solutions to sustainably harvest and farm marine resources in a changing climate” (IoC Goal 2), by:
1) Generating community-defined ecological criteria and data on the availability, condition, and seasonal timing of wild traditional foods—including salmon and eulachon (hooligan)— that are deeply connected to both marine and freshwater systems;
2) Supporting place-based adaptation strategies for Tlákw Aan, which will inform larger models of ecological resilience across the Gulf of ҹAV; and
3) Contributing directly to Indigenous-led research and capacity building by supporting community-driven science that centers Jilká Kwáan knowledge.
- c) Details of how project outcomes will be shared with academic and public audiences; and
Community participation and self-determination are the foundations of this project. The Traditional Foods Monitoring Program is part of a broader effort by our Tribal government to reclaim data sovereignty, promote food sovereignty, and protect culturally important resources from the accelerating impacts of the changing climate. The dissemination of project outcomes will honor the consent and direction of our community and the Tribal Council. External sharing of outcomes will be reviewed through Tribal processes to ensure that intellectual property, cultural sensitivity, and data sovereignty are respected. That said, the outcomes of this project will inform the government-to-government work that CIV is engaged in, including environmental permitting, Tribal governance, and academic partnerships. Depending on Council consent, project findings may be shared in the following ways:
- Academic or public presentations led by CIV staff, affiliated scholars, or collaborators at conferences, university events, or Tribal gatherings.
- EPSCoR reporting and knowledge-sharing platforms, if approved by the Tribal Council, to support cross-community learning among other Interface of Change partners.
- d) Description of plans to apply for continuation support for research.
Both the process of developing our Traditional Foods Monitoring Program and the datasets generated by the program will guide future research initiatives of the Chilkat Indian Village (Klukwan). Following the initial phase of this project, we plan to pursue continued support for collaborative research on culturally important foods impacted by climate change that are aligned with our community-defined priorities. Our Tribal government also hopes this project will justify the long-term establishment of a full time food sovereignty position, ensuring long-term stewardship and data continuity.
References:
Archibald, J. A. (2008). Indigenous storywork: Educating the heart, mind, body, and spirit. UBC Press. Delormier, T., & Marquis, K. (2019). Building healthy community relationships through food security and food sovereignty. Curr Developments Nutr. 2;3(ܱԳ2):25–31.&Բ;
Gutierrez, B.V., Kaloostian, D., & Redvers, N. (2023). Elements of successful food sovereignty interventions within Indigenous communities in the United States and Canada: A systematic review. Curr. Dev. Nutr. 7
Kovach, M. (2021). Indigenous methodologies: Characteristics, conversations, and contexts. University of Toronto Press.
Maudrie, T.L., Colón-Ramos, U., Harper, K. M., Jock, B.W., & Gittelsohn, J. (2021). A scoping review of the use of Indigenous food sovereignty principles for intervention and Future Directions, Curr. Dev. Nutr. 5(7).
Resilience Plan for Tlákw Aan (Klukwan). (2023). Chilkat Indian Village (Klukwan), Environmental Department. https://adaptalaska.org/wp-content/uploads/CIV_Climate-Resilience-Plan_2023- 1.pdf
Wesche, S. D., O’Hare-Gordon, M.A.F., Robidoux, M. A.., & Mason, C. W. (2016). Land-based programs in the Northwest Territories: Building Indigenous food security and well-being from the ground up. Canadian Food Studies, 3(2), 23-48.
Yua, E., Raymond-Yakoubian, J., Daniel, R. A., & Behe, C. (2022). A framework for co-production of knowledge in the context of arctic research. Ecol. Soc. 27(1).