Fort Severn, Ontario
Year(s) Funded: 2010-2011
Topic Area: Food Security
Partners: Fort Severn First Nation, Lakehead University
Title: Community Youth Researcher Survey on Polar Bear and Caribou: the Changing Way of Life in Fort Severn First Nation
Action: The community of Fort Severn First Nation conducted a survey of caribou and polar bear migration and habitat in their traditional territory. Local guides, youth and Elders worked with researchers to collect, analyze, and share local cultural and traditional knowledge, in order to better understand how the species is being affected by climate change. Activities included open community meetings, elder/youth interviews, and youth wilderness and traditional teaching trips. Elders shared Traditional Knowledge with youth about the land and the changes they were seeing. The youth learned how to make videos and share the stories with others.
Results: Elder's observations of changes to the environment and their impact on polar bear and caribou populations were documented. Caribou and polar bears sightings were mapped and helped develop an understanding of their habitats, including how far the polar bear comes in land once they come off the shores of Hudson Bay.
Outputs: Videos of students participating in on-the-land observations. A children’s book containing stories and pictures about how the Elders survived in the wilderness without houses, stores, running water or heat and lived off what was available to them in the wilderness was published.
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