Abstracts - Posters

Isi Askiwan - The State of the Land: Prince Albert Grand Council Elders Forum on Climate Change

Robin Smith¹, Willie Ermine, Ernest Sauve, David Sauchyn and Ralph Nilson
¹First Nations University of Canada
rsmith@firstnationsuniversity.ca

First Nations perspectives about the natural world can enhance western scientific research and understanding of the impacts of climate change on quality of life and community health. Elders and other First Nations knowledge holders from the Prince Albert Grand Council area in Saskatchewan came together in February 2004 to discuss the impacts of climate change on the health of their communities and traditional territories. The Elders' forum was based on respectful learning and traditional protocols in which Elders could share information about climate change with one another and with members of the scientific community. Three basic objectives guided the Elders discussion: To identify what has been experienced or observed by the Elders in regards to climate change; to identify the impacts of these changes on the health and quality of life of Aboriginal communities; and for the Elders to communicate the capacity of communities in adapting to these changes, both in the past and in the future. PAGC Elder responses to these issues will be highlighted, along with a number of broad themes such as the connection between the natural and social environment, and the conciliation of Elder knowledge and western scientific perspectives on climate change. Funding support for this initiative was provided by the Prairie Adaptation Research Collaborative and the Indigenous Peoples' Health Research Centre, and was organized in conjunction with the Prince Albert Grand Council Department of Health and Social Development.

2005-04-06