WSTalk Fall Winter 2023 - Flipbook - Page 38
mbracing my
true
Black,
Indigenous,
Italian roots
in NJ has
proved to be
more of a history
lesson
than a fairy
tale realizing that none of the lessons
learned were in school curriculums
in any of my educational institutions.
My fascination with culture has piqued
my interest with understanding topics like critical race theory, the Equal
Rights Amendment, and social & health
disparities across our nation. Recently,
my daughter and I joined friends on a
cruise to Alaska which opened Pandora’s box to another world of diverse rituals and experiences focused on Native
American culture.
In the 500+ federally recognized
tribes in the United States, 229 are
federally and state recognized tribes in
Alaska contributing to 15% of their diverse population. The ceremonies and
customs are passed down and a highlight of excursions to many of our stops
that boast the largest totem pole displays in the country. Our guides shared
rich history of the fables passed down
over thousands of years of totems used
as burial portals for chiefs and legends
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of landscape all playing a vital role in
the 10,000 years of history while still
practicing traditional lifestyles and
ceremonies like hunting, 昀椀shing, and
gathering locally sourced vegetation.
We traveled to Ketchikan to see the
Native carvers, took a tour through
Glacier Bay to learn about the Tlingit
clan and visited National Historic Park
in Sitka wandering the pathways lined
with totem poles. Our most daring feat
was an Icy Straight Point excursion
to the world’s largest Zip Rider with
six 5,330’ ziplines dropping 1,330’ at
speeds exceeding 60mphs from the top
of Hoonah Mountain which is Alaska
Native owned and operated with all
pro昀椀ts supporting Alaska’s largest Native Tlingit village. The views from 300
feet above parts of the 17 million acre
Tongass National Rainforest are among
the most amazing scenes nature has to
behold.
The itinerary featured sailing through
the glorious Mendenhall Glacier 昀椀lled
with photo opportunities from every
angle of our cruise ship. As we prepared for each tour and changes in
temperature, we were not prepared for
the enormous e昀昀ects that global warming has had on the more than 100,000
Alaskan glaciers. The retreating and
thinning coastline has impacted 95%
of the glaciers causing signi昀椀cant environmental shifts on the ocean and
land throughout Alaska. Hundreds of
these glaciers are expected to disappear
over the next 80 years. As we joined
the guests on the Lido deck admiring
the view, an older couple sat next to
us holding hands and re昀氀ected on the
昀椀rst time they saw the Mendenhall
Glacier almost 30 years ago. The glacier now shows icy surfaces less than
25 % of the total mountain where the
couple remarked that the glacier was
once covered in its previous state. Each
year, several feet of ice once consistently frozen now over decades are warmer
and wetter falling into the sea.
The Indigenous communities in Alaskan have been adapting to the changing
climate with irreversible ties to impacts
on food security, natural disasters, and
health disparities. Their coastal storms
are coupled with loss of sea ice has
caused 昀氀ooding putting infrastructure
at a risk from damage to their homes to
camp grounds and hunting locations.
Natural wildlife is also at several risk
as the warm water continues to increase in temperature threatening the
food source that almost 80% of Indigenous households rely on for food.
The Native community is no stranger
to the delicate balance of Mother Earth
and her abundance however the many
man-made processes and technologies
have harmed that balance. The beliefs
of respecting our planet and our connectiveness are true today across our
nation for all of our tribal communities. My trip to this beautiful state will
forever change my perspective and
respect for my culture and the people
who thrive in the face of crisis. We will
continue to learn much from our Indigenous culture and by understanding
their communities, educating ourselves
in their history and participating in
their activities and rituals.
“
Most importantly, doing our
part to impact the culture
climate through a
sustainable lens.
. . . . . . . . .