Presenters: Lisa Fraser, Chris Anderson, Terry Crawler, Brian Townsend
The presenters described their personal and professional pathways to the energy industry as well as opportunities at AltaLink, the largest electricity transmission utility in Alberta. AltaLink is the backbone of Alberta’s electricity grid serving 75 percent of Albertans with a transmission system that links homes, farms, businesses, and industries.
This panel of Altalink employees also discussed career opportunities and internships at the company and described how AltaLink creates an inclusive environment for its more than 750 employees by focusing on diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Townsend said he came across a scholarship around telecommunications infrastructure that has grown into a fulfilling career. Saying the best part of his job is the people he works with, Townsend added he takes pride in protecting power equipment that serves millions of people across Alberta.
With its extensive operations, AltaLink relies on recruiting Indigenous employees and sustaining partnerships with Indigenous businesses. Recognizing the deep connections Indigenous people have to the land, AltaLink strives to consult and collaborate with tribal elders and tribal communities on projects. The company’s values and policies speak to this collaboration and communication and manifest their intent to limit impact to the land and respect treaty rights.
The guiding principles at AltaLink include honest, open, transparent, and “plain language” concerning their interactions with Indigenous peoples. AltaLink has seen an “explosion” in Indigenous community investment efforts. The company believes in social responsibility and encourages employees to be involved in community activities, which have included a tepee raising, Indigenous Peoples Day events, flag raising, and Orange Shirt Day.
AltaLink is developing an in-house cultural awareness training session for employees with fact sheets and will be incorporating training on unconscious bias. Learn more at altalink.ca
Presenter: Dr. Mark Bellcourt (White Earth Ojibwe)
Former chair of the AISES Board of Directors Dr. Mark Bellcourt started his session by sharing his Ojibwe name, “Walking Man.” As a scholar he has authentically shared his knowledge with others, retiring after a 25-year career at the University of Minnesota. Dr. Bellcourt said he “loves being a storyteller because knowledge is something that is given to us.”
In his session Dr. Bellcourt distinguished the Western science worldview from traditional ecological knowledge (TEK). According to Dr. Bellcourt, “Deriving from Latin, ‘science’ means ‘seeking knowledge.’” The mainstream approach is based on Sir Francis Bacon — the father of modern science methodology — who formulated the empirical method, later renamed the “scientific method.” Dr. Bellcourt pointed out that the scientific method uses inductive reasoning and relies on objective observation and experimentation. Indigenous people also practice this methodology based on “holistic thinking.” Using aspirin as an example, Dr. Bellcourt pointed out that while aspirin can be hard on the gut, willow bark has the same medicinal qualities with less harmful effect on the GI tract. The whole is a sum of its parts.
In characterizing traditional ecological knowledge, Dr. Bellcourt pointed out that the term has various definitions. According to the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, TEK refers to the knowledge, innovations, and practices of Indigenous people.
Dr. Bellcourt believes that many science scholars lack a true understanding of TEK and dismiss it as “chance” or “mystical.” He points out that TEK relies on the same scientific processes and procedures as Western science, which is based on trial and error. “All our ancestors were true scientists and mathematicians,” said Dr. Bellcourt. “We’ve always used things around us. We have the right to hunt, gather, and fish on these lands, but don’t we also have a responsibility of taking care of it?”
Dr. Bellcourt provided an example of the hazards of excluding Indigenous worldviews in a topic important to him: ethical research on manoomin (wild rice). He described how one researcher aimed to exclude Indigenous input in the name of academic freedom. They intended to buy the rice online instead of learning about the origin, background, harvesting, and significance of manoomin as a food sacred to the Ojibwe people.
Dr. Bellcourt credited the session “Unfathomable Mysteries” to Indigenous scholar Dr. Greg Cajete (Santa Clara Pueblo). An author and leader in Indigenous knowledge education and Indigenous science, Dr. Cajete travels the world speaking on the parallels and differences between Indigenous science and Western science paradigms. He believes science will always have “unfathomable mysteries” and we should “accept that nature holds secrets that are not ours to know.”
The group discussion centered on topics of tribal sovereignty and the need for reciprocity, respect for ways of knowing, and responsibility in scientific research and developing protocols.
Presenter: Melanie Mackay (Sepwepemc heritage)
Presenter Melanie Mackay, a mining PhD student the University of British Columbia, described a study being conducted through the Norman B. Keevil Institute of Mining at UBC. Mackay reviewed the objectives of the study as well as summarized the work to date.
This multiyear study will include a history of mining and resource management by First Nations, including the beginning of mining in British Columbia, culminating in a book, map, and database.
From an archeological perspective, First Nations people have been mining rocks and minerals for 10,000 years. Most people are aware of the use of chert and flint to make arrowheads or spears. However, the uses of rocks and minerals go far beyond weaponry and tools to include uses that fulfill cultural, spiritual, medicinal, artistic, and monetary purposes.
Mackay described the knowledge, resource management, and science behind First Nations mining and the multiple uses of rocks and minerals, which were selected based on quality (grade), accessibility, and ease of extraction. She said much of what is taught about mining is colonial in origin and colonial in terms of definition and theory.
Tahltan First Nation obsidian from Ice Mountain has been mined for at least 10,000 years. Obsidian was used to make tools and was traded widely. Tahltan First Nation people also mined copper, gold, jade, and agate.
Sto:lo First Nation used mica, ochre, graphite, garnet schist, obsidian, chert, coal, and more. Schist is an abrasive for stone tooling. Ochre, mica, and graphite are used in paint. Quartz crystals are used in microblades and curios.
A pale green clay found near Kisameet Bay, British Columbia, is an important cultural resource and traded commodity for the Hailzaqv (Heiltsuk) First Nation. Deposited during the last ice age, this healing clay is used to treat stomach disease, diabetes, burns, cuts, sores, and other ailments. Over 2,000 types of bacteria can be found in a single sample.
Presenters: Damaris Lent, Paisley Pike
This session summarized a solar energy project on the Mescalero Apache Reservation focused on energy efficiency at a local high school.
Emerging Indigenous scientists Damaris Lent and Paisley Pike are Mescalero Apache High School students from Mescalero, N.M. Lent, a senior, and Pike, a junior, have participated in local, state, and national science fairs as well as attended AISES National Conferences and Leadership Summits. They traveled to Vancouver with Nate Raynor, a Mescalero Apache High School teacher, coach, and mentor.
The project goals are to educate the community about solar energy and its benefits. The students are currently in step four of a five-step solar research project. They estimate the return on investment using solar at $114,000, while the electric bill at the school is $18,000 per month. They discussed the energy savings of solar, provided examples of places in the United States where solar is beneficial, and described the use of Aladdin software.
Pike and Lent summarized the project they are leading, pointing out that data will be shared with community stakeholders to determine if installing solar technology at the high school is practical. Stakeholders in the project include the Mescalero Apache School Board, Mescalero Tribal Council, Otero County Electric Cooperative, administrators, and the community.
Presenter: Caydence Palmer
Caydence Palmer, a junior attending Mescalero Apache High School in south central New Mexico, is researching food insecurity on the Mescalero Apache Reservation because poor diet is a primary factor in conditions like obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and cancer that are prevalent among American Indian and Alaska Native people.
To learn more about food insecurity, Palmer created a community survey to identify and address upstream causes, generate awareness about the health implications, and alert others to the impact of food insecurity in her geographic area.
Palmer admitted that while she cannot fix the problem of food insecurity, taking steps toward engaging the community is a start. This summer she will be compiling her survey data as well as researching and connecting with other tribes also experiencing food insecurity and food desert conditions. Palmer plans to share her survey report with the tribal council in July 2023.