The Temporality of Haa Shuká: A Scalar Perspective on Climate Change, Lingít Knowledge, and Alaskan Identity

Lingít (Tlingit) people often say that we have lived on our homelands in Southeast Alaska since time immemorial. Over the course of this long history, environmental changes have been a constant companion, including tsunamis, floods, glacial advance, and volcanic eruptions. As a result, Lingít people have a deep cultural system of adaptation that is informed by ancestral knowledge. More recently, Lingít people have been forced to contend with changes brought about by settler colonialism. This includes environmental degradation due to industrialization, globalization, and colonialism, often referred to as climate change. Lingít people have found ways to continue adaptation in the face of these ongoing changes. This dissertation interrogates the way that this deep ancestral knowledge manifests in climate change mitigation and adaptation work in professional spaces like tribal governments and Native-run non-profits. I first establish a basis for what I call "Lingít worlding," which includes the oldest Lingít stories – the Raven Cycle – as well as everyday manifestations of cultural practice. Next, I consider how Alaska is viewed as both an untouched wilderness and a fragile ecosystem. From this basis, I continue to three case studies: tourism, external research, and Transformative Scenario Planning. In the first case study, I consider discussions of environmental degradation caused by cruise ship tourism. Whereas non-Native residents cite concerns over quality of life, Lingít attention to generational impacts illustrates the different temporal stakes of these issues. The second case study probes the limits of scientific research frameworks like co-production. I critique the limitations of research created by grant frameworks like that of the National Science Foundation, looking specifically at a regional research project focused on geohazards. Ultimately, I argue for a place-based approach to research led by tribes and other local organizations. My final case study considers different constructions of Southeast Alaska's future in a Transformative Scenario Planning process and the way that Alaska Native identity is taken up in those conversations. I argue that, for Lingít people involved in this process, an orientation towards ancestral knowledge facilitates innovation for current generations and for future descendants. This uniquely Lingít understanding of temporality (haa shuká) resists linear time imposed by climate change discourse.