The Daily - Day 3 - June 20, 2019 - 30

Ideas
B I G

A C T I O N

Levi Ginnis Jr., a member of
the Gwich'in tribe, surveys
the landscape in a scene
from the film Welcome to
Gwichyaa Zhee.

Native Realm

In the film Welcome to Gwichyaa Zhee, Len
Necefer and Greg Balkin give voice to the
Gwich'in people, who have been ignored in
the management of their ancestral homeland
in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
By Doug Schnitzspahn
tion opened the Arctic National
Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) to
drilling last year, it disregarded
the protests of so many Americans
who have fought for decades to
protect the 19.3-million-acre wild
enclave. It also gave no regard to
the native people, the Gwich'in,
who have lived off this land for
thousands of years. In response,
Len Necefer, a professor at the
University of Arizona and founder
of NativesOutdoors, decided to
document the Gwich'in, their life in
the Arctic Refuge, and their fight
for survival. In filming Welcome to
Gwichyaa Zhee, with support from
Patagonia and The Wilderness Society, Necefer and filmmaker Greg
Balkin immersed themselves in the
culture of these indigenous people, who are so deeply tied to their
homeland yet seem to have so little
say in its future. Necefer talked to
The Daily about the project.
What was the impetus for making the film?

In the fall of 2017, I quit my job
with the Department of Energy
in large part because the Trump
administration rescinded protection of the Bears Ears National
Monument and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Just north
of the Arctic Circle, the Gwich'in

30

people are fighting to protect the
lands and caribou from oil and
gas development in the Arctic
National Wildlife Refuge, a place
that has provided them with a rich
and bountiful existence since time
immemorial. Indigenous groups in
southeastern Utah are doing much
the same, seeking to defend their
homeland and cultural heritage
from energy and mining exploitation in the Bears Ears National
Monument. The short film Welcome to Gwichyaa Zhee explores
the commonalities and differences
between the two indigenous people, and why the Gwich'in people
need our support. These stories
have so many overlaps. Both are
trying to protect these places for
generations to come. [The film can
be seen at gwichyaazhee.us.]
What can we all learn from the
Gwich'in people?

When we fight against injustice,
we cannot lose our humanity
nor strip it from those we disagree with. I have seen how the
Gwich'in leaders have refused to
engage at that level, even in the
face of dehumanizing attacks.
What did you learn in the making of the film?

I learned an incredible amount
from my co-producer and film

/ SUMMER MARKET 2019

genius, Greg Balkin, about how
to tell this story as well as all the
complicated pieces of filmmaking.
I also learned the fish we caught in
the film-and then ate-are largely
used for dog food in rural Alaska.
That was novel.
What was the most difficult
thing about telling this story?

Truly, it was trying to focus on
just one piece of the struggle and
fit it within a 14-minute film. The
Gwich'in are also facing challenges with climate change that are
very serious. In future work, I'll be
doing more to focus on this aspect
of their life and culture.
What misconceptions do most
Americans have about native
communities like the Gwich'in?

One of the biggest challenges is
simply visibility. Most folks in this
country don't know what living
in rural Alaska is like. They don't
know how fulfilling and enjoy-

able living off the land can be.
Most folks call this way of living
"subsistence." However, if you do
it right you'll have more than you
actually need.
How can the people who see the
movie help?

First, they can give to the Gwich'in
Steering Committee (ourarcticrefuge.org). Second, call your
congressional representative and
ask them to support H.R. 1146
Arctic Cultural and Coastal Plain
Protection Act.
Are native people starting to
have a more influential voice in
the management of public lands
in the U.S.?

Since the fights over Bears Ears
and the Arctic National Wildlife
Refuge are still continuing, I
would say yes. However, the only
way we can leverage these gains
is by having allies and folks that
support us.

G R E G BA L K I N

WHEN THE TRUMP ADMINISTRA-
http://www.ourarcticrefuge.org http://www.ourarcticrefuge.org http://www.gwichyaazhee.us
The Daily - Day 3 - June 20, 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Daily - Day 3 - June 20, 2019
