Homer Alaska - News -

"We absolutely come here with respect for your life experience and your vast knowledge," said Holly Cusack-McVeigh, Pratt exhibits coordinator.

Moderated by Karen Stickman, former director of the Native Fish and Wildlife Society, the talking circle grew larger when visitors of all ages and even a few tourists were invited to share their thoughts.

Alaska's odd 2008 summer featured in some comments. While most elders spoke of climate changes they've noticed in the past 10 years, this year's cooler and wetter summer didn't escape discussion.

"It's global warming? This kind of confused me. This cold summer? How come it's cold?" asked Alice Green of Nanwalek. "Blueberries aren't quite ready. Usually, they're ready by July."

"I don't call it global warming. It's global cooling. It's very unusual weather wise," said John Moonin, also of Nanwalek.

Another Nanwalek elder, Nick Tanape, also noted the changes caused by a cool summer.

"Our salmon has been very late, three weeks late this year," he said. "July came, next day we got up, and there was our fish. We were very happy."

Elders noted other, longer-term changes they've been seeing: new animals or animals missing, shifting ice or more storms.

"We're seeing different kinds of bugs, different kinds of birds. What kind of bird is that? I don't know," said Juanita Kignak of Barrow.

"You notice different animals around. Now you have geese, now you have herons. You have mallards over wintering. July used to be foggy, raining. September would be sunny," said Michael Opheim, the Seldovia Village Tribe's environmental coordinator. While not a gray-haired elder, he entered the discussion after elders had spoken. "It's getting harder to predict."

At Neptune Bay where she has had a cabin for 30 years, Anne Wieland of Homer spoke of changes she'd seen.

"I was struck this summer when I found dead and dying bidarkis (chitons). No more sea urchins. You used to see scoters. You used to see shearwaters all around," she said.

"I can tell you there's been a lot of changes," said Luther Nagaruk, now of Homer and formerly of Point Hope and Barrow. "In Point Hope three years ago, there were so many salmonberries, they didn't know what to do with them That's climate change going on. We don't know what's happening. That's climate change."

In the Arctic, elders also spoke of changing ice.

"Our whaling is getting later and later. Spring time, we used to have good ice," said Henry Kignak Sr., a whaling captain from Barrow. "We would be whaling right now. Now that the climate is changing, we'll be whaling next month."

Some younger speakers talked about not just looking to elders for their experience about climate change, but for their wisdom in adapting to it.

"A lot of elders said, 'We've gone through this before,'" said Lilly Elvsaas, formerly of Port Graham and now living in Seldovia. "Elders say, 'You know, we've had this type of weather before.' (My husband) told me there are a lot of changes going on. This is something we don't know how to deal with. We don't know. We have to learn to adapt."

"What we have to do is learn to adapt," said Jerri Nagaruk of Homer. "The best people who know how to do that are the Native people."

Lisa Whip, a librarian at West Homer Elementary School who lived in Point Lay 20 years ago, passed on the wisdom of a North Slope elder she knew, Dorcas Neakok. "(She said) 'You have to be careful. Things are changing.' She knew. She could tell way back when."

One of several tourists who spoke said she was struck by the wisdom she heard.

"To hear the elders talk, elders are elders everywhere. They have the tradition. They know what's coming and how to prepare," said Marcia Ashwalt of Potomac, Md.

That's wisdom people should pay more attention to and use, Opheim said.

"It's great to listen to the elders. Listening to them helps us create a better future," he said.

Michael Armstrong can be reached at michael.armstrong@homernews.com.