Understanding the complexities of Tribal communities in rural Alaska

Nome, Alaska. Credit: Adobe Stock

Adelheid Hermann, co-investigator of the Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Policy (ACCAP), developed a set of resources to help researchers, academics, federal and state agencies working in rural Alaska understand the current landscape and complexities of Tribal communities. Tribal resilience is a main focus area of ACCAP, the Climate Program Office’s Climate Adaptation Partnerships (CAP) team in Alaska. Herrmann’s graphics help people visualize the overwhelming number of external and internal forces that Tribes and Tribal members deal with daily. The “Day in the life of an Alaskan Tribe” schematic shows dozens of outside entities that Tribes engage with and receive requests from. Her second graphic, “Internal stressors Tribal members face” focuses on activities and stressors that individuals juggle while trying to protect their livelihoods, culture and subsistence ways of life. The materials were released online on June 13, 2024, and over 1,000 people accessed the materials in the first two weeks they were available.