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7515241 
Journal Article 
PEOPLE OF THE WHALES: CLIMATE CHANGE AND CULTURAL RESILIENCE AMONG INUPIAT OF ARCTIC ALASKA 
Sakakibara, C 
2017 
Yes 
Geographical Review
ISSN: 0016-7428
EISSN: 1916-2002 
107 
1 
159-184 
English 
CCC:000396408100010 
Research on the human dimensions of global climate change should consider the way at-risk populations confront uncertainty through cultural practices. This is a vital point for indigenous peoples around the world, but particularly for those in the Arctic region where the effects of climate change are most dramatic. The Inupiat of Arctic Alaska are especially susceptible to climatic and associated environmental changes, because they rely on sea ice to hunt the bowhead whale. Employing a humanistic approach, this paper reveals Inupiaq cultural resilience by exploring how collective uncertainty tied to the effects of climate change is manifested in Inupiaq lives. These experiences show how the human dimensions of climate change, cultural resilience, and identity politics are integrated in the Arctic. By reinforcing their cultural relationship with the bowhead whale, these Inupiat better cope with an unpredictable future. 
Environmental Sciences & Ecology; Geography; Alaska, climate change, humanistic geography, Inupiat, resilience