Brethren Witness - Peace and Justice - Write For Life

Photo by David Radcliff

There are some 13,000 Gwich'in people in northeast Alaska. Church of the Brethren Faith Expedition groups visit in the northernmost Gwich'in community, Arctic Village, which borders the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. To learn more about this community and the challenges facing it, see an article by David Radcliff in the August 2002 Messenger.

The Peril
The Gwich'in people of Alaska have lived with and from the caribou of the Porcupine Herd for thousands of years. Indeed, ancient Gwich'in lore tells of their people and the caribou being created together, each sharing a bit of the other's heart.

The ancient way of life for the Gwich'in people of northeast Alaska is imperiled by the threat of oil drilling along the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The threat arises because of what the drilling may do to the Porcupine Caribou Herd.

The Porcupine Herd uses a narrow band along the northeast corner of the coastal plain as its calving grounds. As many as 40,000 calves are born within a two week span in early summer. The setting is ideal, with plenty of food and protection from mosquitoes and predators.

Rockey on mountain overlook
Photo by David Racliff

Oil drilling is already allowed in over 90 percent of the coastal plain. As the plain is broader in the rest of its expanse, and the caribou there are less numerous, drilling has not had as devastating an effect on these animals as it would on the Porcupine Herd. The Gwic'in, along with conservationists and biologists, believe that such an intrusion would seriously damage the herd—and consequently have drastic effects on the Gwich'in people.

Although they have adapted some modern ways, the Gwich'in continue to depend on the caribou hunt each fall. The animals provide as much as 85 percent of the Gwich'in diet, along with clothing, tools, and craft materials. (for more background, click here)

The Response

Sarah James
Photo by David Radcliff

The Gwich'in people have been working actively since 1988 to protect the birthing grounds of the Porcupine Herd from oil drilling. The Gwich'in Steering Committee has representatives from the different regions occupied by the tribe, and leaders like Sarah James are known internationally for their efforts to preserve the Gwich'in way of life. The 1993 Annual Conference statement, "Community: A Tribe of Many Feathers," called on the Church of the Brethren to support the rights of indigenous people. The crisis facing the Gwic'in people is an opportunity to follow though on this call. Join the 2003 Write for Life campaign, lending your support to the Gwich'in people in their struggle to maintain their way of life.

Write letters of support for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge bill (S. 411), which would designate the 1.5 million acres of coastal plain in the ANWR as wilderness. By designating this area of the ANWR as wilderness, S. 411 would add a layer of protection beyond those already afforded to the area under the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act of 1980 (ANILCA, P.L. 96-487). ANILCA prohibits oil and gas development in the 19-million-acre refuge, unless otherwise authorized by Congress.
Reduce consumption of fossil fuels to reduce pressure for drilling in the Arctic and other sensitive habitats. The average U.S. citizen currently consumes the equivalent of 18 barrels of oil annually. (For information on how global warming is affecting Alaska, click here. To order a Turn Down the Heat packet that invites congregations to reduce auto use, click here.)
Photo by David Radcliff

Take part in a Faith Expedition to Arctic Village. Participants learn about Gwich'in culture, learn to know families, and spend several days in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Menu includes caribou stew. (Click here for more information.)
Order a Write for Life advocacy kit, which includes postcards, a color display, and a letter from Sarah James, resident of Arctic Village and internationally recognized spokesperson for the Gwich'in.