Paper Short Abstract:

Stories of the way Gwich'in and climate scientists share ideas about events and causation will be presented from the late 1990's when climate change science was beginning to shape research in the Canadian North. Moments of confusion and convergence will be discussed.

Paper Abstract:

In the late 1990's the effects of global climate change were becoming apparent to Gwich'in in the Mackenzie Delta, NWT but also to the teams of climate scientists who were excited to setup their fieldwork sites and begin their sampling of fish, trees, insects, permafrost, water, etc. As a social scientist I was often privy to both sets of descriptions and observations about the way that things had changed. There were times when there were miscommunications and mistrust between them, there were also times when there was convergence between the Gwich'in understanding of causation and that of the scientists. This paper will tell some stories of these times and will attempt to discuss how a change in field practice in this area is perhaps leading to more positive relationships but also to an amplification of academic bureaucracy within the delta.