Alaska Native Science Commission (ANSC)

In an effort to support both local and Arctic-wide issues, the ANSC is an ELOKA collaborator that provides support to the following projects:

Alaska Traditional Knowledge and Native Foods Database

The Alaska Traditional Knowledge and Native Foods Database is a database containing information for more than 300 communities including contaminants, harvest data, consumption data, and native concerns as expressed in meetings and workshops. Subcategories allow contaminants data to be further refined based on persistent organic pollutants, heavy metals, and radioactivity.

Indigenous Monitoring of the Bering Sea Ecosystem Status (IMBEST)

IMBEST is a proposed systematic monitoring network comprised of Alaska Natives and other local residents from different geographic regions of the Bering Sea to collect and interpret observations of ecosystem change utilizing traditional ways of knowing and observation skills.


Lead   Patricia Cochran
Organization   Alaska Native Science Commission (ANSC)
Country   United States
Geographic
Coverage
  Bering Sea, and cities and villages throughout Alaska
Communities   All Native Alaskans
Related
Organizations
  • Environmental Protection Agency
  • National Science Foundation
  • University of Alaska Institute of Social and Economic Research
  • North Pacific Research Board
Web site   Alaska Native Science Commission
Bowhead whale hunting in Barrow, Alaska
 

Bowhead whale hunting is a strong tradition in Barrow, Alaska. Whalers have detailed knowledge of the marine environment. Photo credit: Shari Gearheard

 

Culture & Community

Alasksa Native Language CenterExplore an interactive map of Alaskan native languages on the Alaska Native Language Center Web site. The ANLC offers research and documentation of the twenty native languages of Alaska in the form of story collections, dictionaries, and research papers.

 

Related Resources

Alaska Traditional Knowledge and Native Foods DatabaseConsult the Alaska Traditional Knowledge and Native Foods Database for a wide range of data and topics concerning native foods in more than 300 communities.