2021 Fellow Charlene Stern, Ph.D., is publishing stories and life experiences of elders and fluent language speakers in her home communities of Vashrąįį K’ǫǫ (Arctic Village) and Vįįhtąįį (Venetie). She believes these elders are a valuable resource for sharing knowledge on Tribal self-determination in Alaska.
As vice chancellor for Rural, Community and Native Education at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, Dr. Stern has seen the historic lack of scholarship done by and for the Alaska Native people. “We are at a critical point where we still have elders today who were born and raised on the land in a very different way than current generations.”
First Nation Development Institute (First Nations) is excited to continue to partner with the Henry Luce Foundation (Luce) for the Luce Indigenous Knowledge Fellowship, a program to advance and support the work of Indigenous knowledge holders and knowledge makers dedicated to creating positive community change.
In 2021, the fellowship was expanded to award $75,000 and 13 new fellows committed to preserving and sharing Indigenous knowledge with future generations.
Luce Indigenous Knowledge Fellow:
CHARLENE STERN
Charlene Stern, vice chancellor for Rural, Community and Native Education at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.
Charlene Stern, Ph.D., is in a race against time to help document the stories and life experiences of elders and fluent language speakers in her home communities of Vashrąįį K’ǫǫ (Arctic Village) and Vįįhtąįį (Venetie).
Dr. Stern (Gwich’in Athabascan) believes the elders of her village have much to share about the tribal self-determination movement in Alaska. With her Luce Indigenous Knowledge Fellowship, Dr. Stern will interview key Gwich’in elders in person to hear and document their stories and amplify them throughout the Alaska Native community.
“Zoom and phone calls cannot take the place of spending time with elders who are more than 70 years old,” she explains.
Dr. Stern has always been deeply committed to education and helping to advocate for Alaska Native people. Currently, she is vice chancellor for Rural, Community and Native Education at the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF). Prior to this position, she taught in UAF’s Department of Alaska Native Studies and Rural Development starting in 2014.
Dr. Stern has seen the historic lack of scholarship done by and for Alaska Native people. “We are at a critical point where we still have elders today who were born and raised on the land in a very different way than current generations. These elders are a valuable resource for current and future generations.”
It Takes a Village
Alaska Native communities face immense challenges. Yet Dr. Stern believes that Tribes continue to exist today because of the accumulated knowledge and experience of governing their people and stewarding the land and resources over thousands of years.
“There are still a handful of elders who were raised in the traditional way of life that is still important to the community’s survival today,” she says. “They were immersed in the Gwich’in language and lived a subsistence lifestyle that depended entirely on the land and resources.”
Dr. Stern points out that this same generation was also the first to attend boarding school, participate in the federal Relocation Program, enter military service, and then return to their communities to help grow their villages. These elders were able to maintain their traditional values despite harsh assimilationist policies meant to eradicate their language and culture.
“Many of these elders were instrumental in mobilizing legal challenges to attacks on tribal sovereignty in Alaska,” Dr. Stern says in reference to the strength and resilience of Alaska Native people.
The legal battles include attacks on tribal land and jurisdiction and Indian child welfare.
Important stories rarely told. But not for long.
After transcribing elder interviews, Dr. Stern says her long-term goal is to use this information to create a curriculum for tribal youth whose relationship with the land is already quite different than previous generations.
She firmly states: “My life’s work is dedicated to helping train, prepare, and mentor the next generation of tribal development practitioners.”
Dr. Stern recently placed first in a Venetie caribou head skinning competition.
A World of Gratitude and Collaboration
“The Luce Indigenous Knowledge Fellowship is one of a kind,” says Dr. Stern. “The investment is so impactful to our Native nations.”
The fellowship will not only allow Dr. Stern to achieve personal goals for her communities, but also it will create a greater impact globally. “Our knowledge systems as Indigenous people can be of service to the world.”
One of the highlights of the Luce Fellowship is that awardees meet with other Indigenous knowledge holders and knowledge makers across the country. Dr. Stern says she is extremely grateful to First Nations and Luce for creating “this space of healing and collaboration.”
Dr. Stern says this new network of like-minded Indigenous leaders has taught her how to prioritize “community, relationships, ceremony, and self-care”― An agenda not always possible in today’s fast-paced world.
“There are very few spaces where Indigenous people can come together and work on such a broad range of independent projects ―from weaving to language work to scholarship,” says Dr. Stern. “And yet, we share these common threads that center on community, culture, and a driving desire for positive change.”
