Abstracts
Abstract
This paper draws on Alutiiq oral legends and histories to craft a gendered environmental history of the Kodiak Archipelago from the perspective of Alutiiq women, examining their relationships with the island environment and their roles within it. Alutiiq women were stripped of their autonomy over their reproductive and environmental roles under Russian and American colonization. However, Alutiiq values, including Nunapet, Nunapet Carliarluki, and Unguwacirpet, endured, linking women's physical health to land stewardship. Alutiiq women historically led hunting festivals, prepared fish and skins, and controlled their reproductive lives through breastfeeding and midwifery. Today, Alutiiq women reclaim environmental values through crafts and birthing practices, embodying what Cutcha Risling Baldy calls "(re)righting and (re)riteing Indigenous epistemologies." Their survival and revival demonstrate how Alutiiq women resisted colonialism and sustained reciprocal relationships with the environment.
Keywords:
- reciprocity,
- Alutiiq women,
- subsistence practices,
- reproductive health / practices,
- environment
Résumé
Cet article s'appuie sur les légendes orales et les histoires des Alutiiq pour élaborer une histoire environnementale genrée de l'archipel Kodiak du point de vue des femmes Alutiiq, en examinant leurs relations avec l'environnement insulaire et leurs rôles en son sein. Sous la colonisation russe et américaine, les femmes Alutiiq ont été privées de leur autonomie sur leurs rôles reproducteurs et environnementaux. Cependant, les valeurs d'Alutiiq, dont Nunapet, Nunapet Carliarluki et Unguwacirpet, ont perduré, continuant à lier la santé physique des femmes à l'intendance des terres. Historiquement, les femmes Alutiiq dirigeaient les festivals de chasse, préparaient poissons et peaux, et contrôlaient leur vie reproductive par l'allaitement et la maternité. Aujourd'hui, les femmes d'Alutiiq reprennent possession des valeurs environnementales à travers l'artisanat et les pratiques d'accouchement, incarnant ce que Cutcha Risling Baldy appelle « (re)righting and (re)riteing Indigenous epistemologies » (rétablir les droits et les rites des épistémologies autochtones). La survie et la renaissance de ces épistémologies démontrent comment les femmes d'Alutiiq ont résisté au colonialisme et maintenu des relations réciproques avec l'environnement.
Mots-clés :
- réciprocité,
- femmes Alutiiq,
- pratiques de subsistance,
- santé / pratiques reproductives,
- environnement
Appendices
Bibliography
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