This article was originally published on The Conversation, an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts. Disclosure information is available on the original site.
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Authors: Shivangi Mishra, Postdoctoral Associate, Arctic Institute of North America, University of Calgary; and Srijak Bhatnagar, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Science and Technology, Athabasca University
Over three-quarters of adults in Inuit Nunangat face food insecurity, a rate more than six times the Canadian national average. This statistic reflects not only limited access to market food but also the disruptions to Arctic ecosystems impacting traditional food availability.
The primary food sources for many Indigenous Peoples in the region, including the Inuit, are arctic wildlife such as muskox and caribou. The connection Inuit have with the land, sea and animals is integral to bodily, mental and spiritual health. However, climate change is not only upending Arctic ecosystems but also threatening traditional Inuit food sources and the well-being of Inuit people.
Climate change is also impacting the health, sustainability and safety of key Arctic species like muskox, beluga and other land and sea animals. The movement of southern species into the North, and the arrival of invasive species and winter rains, are just a few of the climate-related phenomena that are altering the health and distribution of Arctic species.
Over shared stories and food, we have been bringing together diverse people and perspectives to discuss ways of using DNA for Arctic wildlife and Indigenous food security. Through workshops, we are creating space in Arctic communities for Elders, hunters, trappers and other community members and stakeholders — including scientists — to share knowledge, spark dialogue and shape research.
Can DNA information help mitigate such threats to Arctic wildlife? If so, how? Which animals are the priorities? Answers to these questions require collaboration among diverse stakeholders, including Indigenous communities and peoples, scientists, tourism operators, outfitters, policymakers and decision-makers.
Community-based workshops
Can we assess the herd size of muskoxen or the health of individuals using DNA? How do we sample them? How much would it cost? Can we do it non-invasively using just their poop? Can we find the killer disease in their poop? What about the food they are eating? Any lungworms in there? Are the mainland and island muskoxen different?
These were some of the questions we discussed at last year’s Muskoxen and Genomics in the Community workshop. We learned about DNA technologies such as environmental DNA (eDNA) and their usefulness, cost-effectiveness and limitations.
Building on a community-based workshop model, we and the Arctic Genomics team expanded it through a hybrid format that prioritizes in-person, culturally grounded dialogue while connecting remotely with western scientists from across the circumpolar North.
This approach enables deeper conversations about DNA-based tools, including listening to experts, seeing examples of their use, discussing applicability to priority concerns, assessing cultural relevance and acceptance and identifying ways to protect biocultural property.
Sharing knowledge
Genomics and DNA-based methods provide powerful tools for understanding biodiversity and emerging diseases. However, without involving the community, these methods could become disconnected from real-world needs.
At the workshops, Elders recalled how their ancestors read the land through the behaviour of animals like Umingmak (muskox) and Tuktu (caribou), using generations of observation to predict changes in the environment. Today, the increasing distance hunters must travel to find muskox reflects the deepening impacts of climate change.
These conversations and questions are how traditional knowledge, values and lived experiences are shared. This is where one learns that understanding crosses not only language, cultural and geographic barriers but is also shared between traditional knowledge and western science.
Traditional knowledge offers the first signs of ecological change, such as observations of animal behaviour, migration patterns and changes in the colour and taste of meat. By incorporating local knowledge with genomics, scientists can conduct research that not only aligns with community needs but also provides crucial context for study design, implementation and result interpretation.
In Inuktitut, piliriqatigiinniq is the value that emphasizes working together for a common cause. To create a bridge between the two knowledge systems one simply needs to listen, communicate and commit to working with others. Where hunters can be trained to collect muskox samples, scientists can be trained to report results to the community.
Community-led food security
Indigenous communities have long been under-consulted, over-researched and exploited by western scientists. Meaningful engagement requires long-term reciprocal and respectful partnerships. Community-based workshops are one way to foster them, and collaborating with other community-engaged scientists is another. However, just like any relationship, building trust takes time.
Community-partnered DNA research not only ensures collaboration puts knowledge into action but also ensures genomics and genetic concepts become part of Inuit self-determination. At the workshop, by incorporating different knowledge systems and knowledge holders, we connected other species, such as Arctic willow, raven, slugs and mosquitoes, to the health and well-being of the muskox.
The workshop generated a list of priority species for genome sequencing that can help muskox population health. We helped build new connections between hunters and trappers and scientists, so samples could be collected for genome sequencing. This is an example of the outcomes of our workshops informing the ways in which DNA-based tools can help in wildlife monitoring and co-management. This process helps to ensure research is relevant and grounded in the regions where it is being done.
Importantly, engagement must extend beyond just community-based sampling; it should support collaborative research interpretation, co-authorship and ethical data stewardship. Our workshop participants are co-creators and co-authors of reports, conference abstracts and journal publications (currently in review). These recognize their role and knowledge contributions to research.
Inuit-led, community-based DNA research that integrates traditional knowledge and western knowledge offers a powerful and scaleable model for addressing food security in a changing Arctic. It combines culturally grounded science with Indigenous perspectives to protect Arctic ecosystems and diets, sustain cultural identity and empower future generations.
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Srijak Bhatnagar's work presented here is funded by a grant from Genome Canada and Genome Alberta, with additional support from Polar Knowledge Canada.
Shivangi Mishra does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
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This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Disclosure information is available on the original site. Read the original article: https://theconversation.com/improving-arctic-food-security-through-dna-science-and-respectful-collaboration-with-indigenous-peoples-255758
Shivangi Mishra, Postdoctoral Associate, Arctic Institute of North America, University of Calgary; and Srijak Bhatnagar, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Science and Technology, Athabasca University, The Conversation
