1 00:00:01,933 --> 00:00:04,266 >> FRONTLINE is made possible by contributions to 2 00:00:04,266 --> 00:00:06,733 your PBS station from viewers like you. 3 00:00:06,733 --> 00:00:07,933 Thank you. 4 00:00:07,933 --> 00:00:10,933 And by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. 5 00:00:10,933 --> 00:00:13,933 Additional support is provided by The Abrams Foundation, 6 00:00:13,933 --> 00:00:15,866 committed to excellence in journalism. 7 00:00:15,866 --> 00:00:18,666 Park Foundation, dedicated to heightening public awareness 8 00:00:18,666 --> 00:00:20,466 of critical issues. 9 00:00:20,466 --> 00:00:23,433 The John D. and Catherine T. MacA 10 00:00:23,433 --> 00:00:25,933 >> (woman speaking Yup'ik) 11 00:00:28,900 --> 00:00:33,533 Everything about our world is changing. 12 00:00:33,533 --> 00:00:35,500 >> We have to wake up before 13 00:00:35,500 --> 00:00:38,600 it becomes too late for us to adapt. 14 00:00:38,600 --> 00:00:42,100 >> Our ancestors said one day we will come upon this day. 15 00:00:42,100 --> 00:00:45,100 I didn't think it would happen in my lifetime. 16 00:00:53,333 --> 00:00:56,566 >> In Alaska, the governor has declared a state of disaster 17 00:00:56,566 --> 00:00:59,266 after the remnants of Typhoon Merbok caused 18 00:00:59,266 --> 00:01:00,800 unprecedented flooding. 19 00:01:00,800 --> 00:01:04,066 >> 1,000 miles of coastline was impacted by Typhoon Merbok. 20 00:01:04,066 --> 00:01:07,333 >> Hurricane-force winds and over 50-foot waves... 21 00:01:07,333 --> 00:01:10,366 >> One of the most destructive storms to ever hit that region. 22 00:01:10,366 --> 00:01:12,900 >> Entire towns were completely submerged. 23 00:01:12,900 --> 00:01:15,100 (thunder crackling) 24 00:01:15,100 --> 00:01:21,633 ♪ ♪ 25 00:01:24,900 --> 00:01:26,000 >> TALAHONGVA: A little over a year 26 00:01:26,000 --> 00:01:28,633 after that catastrophic storm hit Alaska, 27 00:01:28,633 --> 00:01:31,366 I flew up the western coast. 28 00:01:36,966 --> 00:01:38,333 I was headed for an area 29 00:01:38,333 --> 00:01:40,433 called the YK Delta, 30 00:01:40,433 --> 00:01:43,200 about 500 miles west of Anchorage, 31 00:01:43,200 --> 00:01:45,266 home to dozens of small Native villages 32 00:01:45,266 --> 00:01:47,866 for the Cup'ik and Yup'ik people. 33 00:01:51,833 --> 00:01:53,833 They're some of the most vulnerable communities 34 00:01:53,833 --> 00:01:55,533 in the country to climate change. 35 00:01:56,366 --> 00:02:00,200 And the storm was the latest sign of the imminent dangers. 36 00:02:09,033 --> 00:02:10,666 We landed in Chevak, 37 00:02:10,666 --> 00:02:13,500 one of nearly 150 Native villages 38 00:02:13,500 --> 00:02:17,400 that have been experiencing increasing flooding, erosion, 39 00:02:17,400 --> 00:02:18,866 and warming temperatures. 40 00:02:21,100 --> 00:02:24,133 It was the dead of winter, and everything was covered 41 00:02:24,133 --> 00:02:26,433 in thick layers of snow, making it hard 42 00:02:26,433 --> 00:02:29,133 to see what was water and what was land. 43 00:02:29,133 --> 00:02:33,200 But I could still make out the erosion caused by the storm. 44 00:02:33,200 --> 00:02:35,400 What you're looking at right now is 45 00:02:35,400 --> 00:02:38,233 actually a river that's frozen over, 46 00:02:38,233 --> 00:02:42,866 covered with snow and the debris left by Merbok. 47 00:02:42,866 --> 00:02:45,900 Then here you can see a little bit of a hill. 48 00:02:45,900 --> 00:02:48,633 And on the top of the hill, are some homes. 49 00:02:48,633 --> 00:02:52,033 And that's where the village of Chevak actually starts. 50 00:02:52,033 --> 00:02:55,100 These are homes that are in the direct path of destruction. 51 00:02:57,066 --> 00:03:01,133 Around 60 houses, nearly a quarter of the village, 52 00:03:01,133 --> 00:03:02,900 were badly damaged. 53 00:03:02,900 --> 00:03:06,133 And the situation was similar in other communities. 54 00:03:07,733 --> 00:03:10,400 We went an hour away by snow machine, 55 00:03:10,400 --> 00:03:12,033 heading to Hooper Bay, 56 00:03:12,033 --> 00:03:16,766 home to around 1,400 people on the edge of the Bering Sea. 57 00:03:18,966 --> 00:03:20,166 When I got there, 58 00:03:20,166 --> 00:03:22,966 residents were arriving for a meeting to discuss 59 00:03:22,966 --> 00:03:24,733 the fate of the community. 60 00:03:39,033 --> 00:03:41,433 >> TALAHONGVA: Estelle Thomson is a tribal president 61 00:03:41,433 --> 00:03:43,600 and was leading the discussion. 62 00:03:43,600 --> 00:03:45,766 >> Typhoon Merbok hit our community 63 00:03:45,766 --> 00:03:50,133 so hard it did an entire lifetime's worth of erosion 64 00:03:50,133 --> 00:03:51,066 in one storm. 65 00:03:52,800 --> 00:03:57,066 The inundation from the sea came in through our town. 66 00:03:57,066 --> 00:03:59,800 It damaged infrastructure. 67 00:03:59,800 --> 00:04:04,033 37 people were permanently displaced from the village. 68 00:04:04,033 --> 00:04:07,766 So we had a huge disaster. 69 00:04:12,933 --> 00:04:14,066 >> TALAHONGVA: Agatha Napoleon 70 00:04:14,066 --> 00:04:15,666 is the climate change coordinator 71 00:04:15,666 --> 00:04:18,400 for one of the tribes that lives in Hooper Bay. 72 00:04:18,400 --> 00:04:20,700 >> I'm a Hooper Bay-er. 73 00:04:22,566 --> 00:04:24,266 This is where I grew up. 74 00:04:25,833 --> 00:04:27,933 My children grew up here. 75 00:04:29,866 --> 00:04:31,466 This is our land. 76 00:04:31,466 --> 00:04:33,200 We are its people. 77 00:04:33,200 --> 00:04:35,433 We've lived here for eons. 78 00:04:36,700 --> 00:04:40,000 We've learned to live with the storms, 79 00:04:40,000 --> 00:04:43,266 the blizzards and everything that the ocean has to bring. 80 00:04:43,266 --> 00:04:47,666 Good or bad, we have learned to adapt and live with it. 81 00:04:47,666 --> 00:04:51,300 Our way of life revolves around the cold 82 00:04:51,300 --> 00:04:54,100 and whatever little spring and summer that we have. 83 00:04:54,100 --> 00:04:56,700 This climate change thing is wreaking havoc. 84 00:04:58,200 --> 00:04:59,633 >> TALAHONGVA: Experts who've been studying 85 00:04:59,633 --> 00:05:03,033 what's happening here say the threat is so severe 86 00:05:03,033 --> 00:05:05,266 because of changes to both the surrounding sea 87 00:05:05,266 --> 00:05:08,266 and the frozen ground known as permafrost. 88 00:05:09,566 --> 00:05:13,033 >> This big hunk of ice up here, which is most of Alaska, 89 00:05:13,033 --> 00:05:16,400 is slowly melting due to the very rapid warming, 90 00:05:16,400 --> 00:05:19,633 up to four times faster than what we see globally. 91 00:05:19,633 --> 00:05:21,933 >> TALAHONGVA: Tom Ravens is a civil engineer 92 00:05:21,933 --> 00:05:24,633 and an expert on the Arctic coast. 93 00:05:24,633 --> 00:05:26,100 >> Environmental warming 94 00:05:26,100 --> 00:05:28,500 is really doing a number on the permafrost. 95 00:05:28,500 --> 00:05:32,100 And, you know, permafrost 96 00:05:32,100 --> 00:05:35,700 is a natural way to protect against coastal erosion. 97 00:05:36,466 --> 00:05:38,600 Permafrost is absolutely the glue 98 00:05:38,600 --> 00:05:42,100 that's holding all the sediment along the coast in place. 99 00:05:42,100 --> 00:05:44,533 And of course, as that permafrost thaws, 100 00:05:44,533 --> 00:05:45,900 the glue is essentially disappearing, 101 00:05:45,900 --> 00:05:48,533 and it's just draining into the sea. 102 00:05:48,533 --> 00:05:51,166 And all that's left is a sort of muddy mush. 103 00:05:53,333 --> 00:05:55,433 Now that the permafrost is thawing, 104 00:05:55,433 --> 00:05:57,466 coastal erosion rates are higher. 105 00:05:57,466 --> 00:05:58,900 >> TALAHONGVA: What's worse, 106 00:05:58,900 --> 00:06:02,233 Arctic waters aren't freezing the way they have in the past. 107 00:06:02,233 --> 00:06:04,200 And as the sea ice disappears, 108 00:06:04,200 --> 00:06:07,566 so does an important line of defense. 109 00:06:07,566 --> 00:06:09,466 >> The ice is almost like a seawall. 110 00:06:09,466 --> 00:06:10,966 And so, when you've got five, 111 00:06:10,966 --> 00:06:15,200 ten, 20 miles of ice that is anchored to the coast, 112 00:06:15,200 --> 00:06:17,200 those big waves, those big surges 113 00:06:17,200 --> 00:06:19,033 that are offshore, they stay offshore. 114 00:06:19,033 --> 00:06:22,833 But now, when you've got no ice armoring the shoreline, 115 00:06:22,833 --> 00:06:25,266 those waves, there's nothing to stop it from just coming in 116 00:06:25,266 --> 00:06:26,700 and battering the coastline. 117 00:06:26,700 --> 00:06:28,533 >> TALAHONGVA: That's what's happening in Hooper Bay. 118 00:06:28,533 --> 00:06:31,000 And efforts to strengthen the village's defenses 119 00:06:31,000 --> 00:06:33,100 haven't been able to keep up. 120 00:06:33,100 --> 00:06:34,666 The state has spent millions 121 00:06:34,666 --> 00:06:38,633 in federal grants trying to protect the airport road. 122 00:06:38,633 --> 00:06:41,800 >> The Department of Transportation in Hooper Bay 123 00:06:41,800 --> 00:06:44,566 elevated the airport access road. 124 00:06:44,566 --> 00:06:46,300 And we thought it was gonna be good 125 00:06:46,300 --> 00:06:48,666 until 2050, according to our projections 126 00:06:48,666 --> 00:06:50,233 of sea level rise and flooding. 127 00:06:50,233 --> 00:06:53,133 But it turns out Merbok came in and flooded this road. 128 00:06:55,566 --> 00:06:59,033 >> TALAHONGVA: So for some here, the conversation is changing-- 129 00:06:59,033 --> 00:07:03,233 from protecting Hooper Bay, to leaving it behind. 130 00:07:03,233 --> 00:07:07,300 >> We've learned that, within 15 years, 131 00:07:07,300 --> 00:07:10,133 the permafrost in the YK Delta around Hooper Bay, 132 00:07:10,133 --> 00:07:12,566 Scammon Bay and Chevak is gonna be melted. 133 00:07:12,566 --> 00:07:15,300 And at the end of the century, 134 00:07:15,300 --> 00:07:20,333 the Bering Sea is going to be subsuming that entire area. 135 00:07:20,333 --> 00:07:24,533 So it's become a priority for us to resettle our village 136 00:07:24,533 --> 00:07:27,800 in order for us to have a place to escape to. 137 00:07:27,800 --> 00:07:30,000 >> TALAHONGVA: She and her tribal council 138 00:07:30,000 --> 00:07:32,933 have been working on a plan to move to higher ground 139 00:07:32,933 --> 00:07:38,100 around 15 miles away, to a tribal area called Paimiut. 140 00:07:38,100 --> 00:07:39,300 >> It's a lone mountain. 141 00:07:39,300 --> 00:07:41,333 It's part of the Asqinaq range. 142 00:07:41,333 --> 00:07:45,300 Its Yup'ik name is "Qikertakuq," meaning "island." 143 00:07:45,300 --> 00:07:46,466 It's safer. 144 00:07:46,466 --> 00:07:49,533 And definitely water will not reach us. 145 00:07:49,533 --> 00:07:52,033 While everything is changing, we're just making sure that 146 00:07:52,033 --> 00:07:54,166 we take care of ourselves, our grandkids 147 00:07:54,166 --> 00:07:56,333 and that we adapt 148 00:07:56,333 --> 00:08:01,166 as easily as we possibly can, even though it is difficult. 149 00:08:01,166 --> 00:08:02,733 >> TALAHONGVA: This plan to move to the 150 00:08:02,733 --> 00:08:04,033 native village of Paimiut. 151 00:08:04,033 --> 00:08:06,733 Is everybody 100% ready to do that? 152 00:08:06,733 --> 00:08:07,966 >> No. 153 00:08:07,966 --> 00:08:11,900 As with any other relocation, 154 00:08:11,900 --> 00:08:15,366 there are gonna be people that want to stay in Hooper Bay 155 00:08:15,366 --> 00:08:17,600 as long as they possibly can. 156 00:08:17,600 --> 00:08:20,333 And we can respect that. 157 00:08:20,333 --> 00:08:23,566 I mean, it's been our home for quite a long time. 158 00:08:23,566 --> 00:08:26,266 >> TALAHONGVA: In fact, several Hooper Bay families 159 00:08:26,266 --> 00:08:27,933 are originally from Paimiut. 160 00:08:27,933 --> 00:08:31,200 But they were relocated here decades ago, 161 00:08:31,200 --> 00:08:33,166 as part of a U.S. government effort 162 00:08:33,166 --> 00:08:36,533 to assimilate Alaska's Native people. 163 00:08:36,533 --> 00:08:39,400 >> I think it was in the 1940s when 164 00:08:39,400 --> 00:08:42,066 people from the Bureau of Indian Affairs 165 00:08:42,066 --> 00:08:45,566 came to my village of Paimiut, my settlement, 166 00:08:45,566 --> 00:08:47,766 and told the people there 167 00:08:47,766 --> 00:08:51,600 that you need to move to another community that has a school 168 00:08:51,600 --> 00:08:53,600 because our, our settlement was pretty small. 169 00:08:53,600 --> 00:08:55,566 And one of the things that happened 170 00:08:55,566 --> 00:08:59,700 was that it split up our people between three villages: 171 00:08:59,700 --> 00:09:01,133 Hooper Bay, 172 00:09:01,133 --> 00:09:02,800 Scammon Bay and Chevak, 173 00:09:02,800 --> 00:09:05,333 with the majority of our tribal membership 174 00:09:05,333 --> 00:09:08,900 living in Hooper Bay or from Hooper Bay. 175 00:09:09,700 --> 00:09:11,733 >> TALAHONGVA: In the schools, the Yup'ik children 176 00:09:11,733 --> 00:09:16,766 were taught English and western culture, instead of their own. 177 00:09:16,766 --> 00:09:18,200 >> Going from 178 00:09:18,200 --> 00:09:21,700 fluently speaking our language every day, all day long, 179 00:09:21,700 --> 00:09:24,833 entering school and not knowing 180 00:09:24,833 --> 00:09:28,233 very many words in English. 181 00:09:28,233 --> 00:09:31,000 Maybe "yes," "no," "please" and "thank you." 182 00:09:31,000 --> 00:09:33,000 >> TALAHONGVA: In 1953, 183 00:09:33,000 --> 00:09:35,500 Walt Disney Productions released a film about 184 00:09:35,500 --> 00:09:37,966 the Alaskan Natives in Hooper Bay. 185 00:09:37,966 --> 00:09:40,233 That's Agatha's mother as a young girl, 186 00:09:40,233 --> 00:09:41,933 reaching for a tool. 187 00:09:41,933 --> 00:09:45,266 She was helping sew skins for the outside of a boat. 188 00:09:46,566 --> 00:09:47,766 (people in recording singing and drumming) 189 00:09:47,766 --> 00:09:49,000 >> TALAHONGVA: Members of the tribe 190 00:09:49,000 --> 00:09:51,000 were still holding their ceremonies 191 00:09:51,000 --> 00:09:53,533 in a traditional setting. 192 00:09:53,533 --> 00:09:55,866 >> The Qaygiq was a place of learning. 193 00:09:55,866 --> 00:09:57,533 My father always let us know 194 00:09:57,533 --> 00:10:00,133 to go down to the Qaygiq, sew and listen, 195 00:10:00,133 --> 00:10:02,600 because this is our first 196 00:10:02,600 --> 00:10:06,200 and foremost way of life, our teachings. 197 00:10:06,200 --> 00:10:08,500 And then the Catholic Church came in, 198 00:10:08,500 --> 00:10:10,166 the Covenant Church came in, 199 00:10:10,166 --> 00:10:12,200 and then we learned about God. 200 00:10:13,833 --> 00:10:16,266 >> TALAHONGVA: The story resonated with me. 201 00:10:16,266 --> 00:10:19,733 My family moved from our Hopi reservation in Arizona 202 00:10:19,733 --> 00:10:22,966 to Denver, where I was born. 203 00:10:22,966 --> 00:10:24,366 Growing up in the city, 204 00:10:24,366 --> 00:10:26,933 it was hard to hold on to our traditions, 205 00:10:26,933 --> 00:10:31,233 as it's been for the Alaskan Native people, too. 206 00:10:31,233 --> 00:10:35,433 >> I think that it's important to keep what you can. 207 00:10:35,433 --> 00:10:38,366 Just like any society, any culture. 208 00:10:39,466 --> 00:10:41,933 One of the things that I've noticed with most cultures 209 00:10:41,933 --> 00:10:44,166 around the world, regardless of how much they've assimilated 210 00:10:44,166 --> 00:10:46,200 or changed over time, 211 00:10:46,200 --> 00:10:48,500 is the fact that they've been able to keep their food. 212 00:10:49,066 --> 00:10:51,933 It's extremely important to us. 213 00:10:53,066 --> 00:10:56,666 >> I've got two blackfish traps here. 214 00:10:57,766 --> 00:11:02,533 There's elders' favorite delicacy out there. 215 00:11:02,533 --> 00:11:04,533 They love blackfish. 216 00:11:04,533 --> 00:11:06,700 (tapping) >> Oh you hear that? 217 00:11:06,700 --> 00:11:08,800 It's not even that thick. 218 00:11:10,333 --> 00:11:12,300 >> TALAHONGVA: Many of the Native people here 219 00:11:12,300 --> 00:11:15,966 still practice subsistence living, living off the land. 220 00:11:15,966 --> 00:11:17,433 In the winter, 221 00:11:17,433 --> 00:11:20,566 they get fish from the ice-covered rivers and sea. 222 00:11:21,800 --> 00:11:22,900 >> Just a small, little one. 223 00:11:30,233 --> 00:11:32,000 >> TALAHONGVA: In the school at Hooper Bay, 224 00:11:32,000 --> 00:11:34,100 I met a group of students who told me 225 00:11:34,100 --> 00:11:36,166 how important it is to them 226 00:11:36,166 --> 00:11:38,600 to practice their traditional way of harvesting. 227 00:11:38,600 --> 00:11:40,866 We talk about subsistence living. 228 00:11:40,866 --> 00:11:42,433 What do you eat? 229 00:11:42,433 --> 00:11:48,000 >> Birds, seal, moose, whale, fish. 230 00:11:48,000 --> 00:11:49,000 >> Clams. >> TALAHONGVA: Clams? 231 00:11:49,000 --> 00:11:52,166 You guys hunt walrus out here, too? 232 00:11:52,166 --> 00:11:53,400 >> Yeah. We go up to them slowly... 233 00:11:53,400 --> 00:11:54,600 >> TALAHONGVA: Mm-hmm. 234 00:11:54,600 --> 00:11:55,833 >> ...so we don't scare them. 235 00:11:55,833 --> 00:11:58,133 And they'll get pissed off and come after us. 236 00:11:58,133 --> 00:11:59,633 (laughs) 237 00:11:59,633 --> 00:12:03,533 >> And we produce a seal oil from seals when we catch them. 238 00:12:03,533 --> 00:12:06,000 And they have a nice layer of fat. 239 00:12:06,000 --> 00:12:07,633 >> TALAHONGVA: So, your food 240 00:12:07,633 --> 00:12:09,466 is not something you can buy in the grocery stores. 241 00:12:09,466 --> 00:12:11,133 >> No. >> We get them from the land. 242 00:12:12,366 --> 00:12:14,533 The land provides. 243 00:12:14,533 --> 00:12:16,100 >> Stores here are full of junk. 244 00:12:16,100 --> 00:12:19,933 So we'd rather go out and go get our own food, 245 00:12:19,933 --> 00:12:22,566 and which is more healthier. 246 00:12:22,566 --> 00:12:25,766 >> I can't imagine not living with 247 00:12:25,766 --> 00:12:29,400 and eating the foods that we have lived with all our lives. 248 00:12:29,400 --> 00:12:30,466 It would be... 249 00:12:31,933 --> 00:12:34,600 ...it would be like a fish out of the water. 250 00:12:36,533 --> 00:12:38,066 (giggling, shrieking) 251 00:12:38,066 --> 00:12:41,033 I know eventually my grandchildren, 252 00:12:41,033 --> 00:12:43,700 they're gonna have to find other ways. 253 00:12:45,733 --> 00:12:49,200 But right now, it's... it-it hurts. 254 00:12:49,200 --> 00:12:51,066 We have no other choice. 255 00:12:51,066 --> 00:12:52,566 We have to make changes. 256 00:12:52,566 --> 00:12:54,800 We have to do something. 257 00:12:54,800 --> 00:12:58,500 Otherwise, we'll just be part of the ocean, too. 258 00:13:00,833 --> 00:13:03,833 >> TALAHONGVA: The challenges facing Alaska Native villages 259 00:13:03,833 --> 00:13:06,666 have been growing for decades. 260 00:13:07,833 --> 00:13:10,166 As far back as the 1980s, 261 00:13:10,166 --> 00:13:14,000 there were warnings that dozens of communities were in danger 262 00:13:14,000 --> 00:13:15,766 from erosion and flooding. 263 00:13:18,133 --> 00:13:21,033 A federal agency called the Denali Commission 264 00:13:21,033 --> 00:13:24,533 was created to work with rural Alaskan communities. 265 00:13:24,533 --> 00:13:26,833 And one of its missions has been 266 00:13:26,833 --> 00:13:28,300 to help protect Native villages 267 00:13:28,300 --> 00:13:31,266 from the impacts of climate change. 268 00:13:32,066 --> 00:13:33,666 But only one village so far 269 00:13:33,666 --> 00:13:37,466 has actually gone through the dramatic process of relocating: 270 00:13:37,466 --> 00:13:41,233 Newtok, a community of around 300 people, 271 00:13:41,233 --> 00:13:44,800 that built a new town nine miles away. 272 00:13:44,800 --> 00:13:48,433 The move has cost about $160 million, 273 00:13:48,433 --> 00:13:50,666 taken around 30 years, 274 00:13:50,666 --> 00:13:53,833 and it's still not complete. 275 00:13:53,833 --> 00:13:56,100 >> Relocation is a extremely complex, 276 00:13:56,100 --> 00:14:00,333 difficult process that takes a huge team to work through 277 00:14:00,333 --> 00:14:01,366 over many years. 278 00:14:01,366 --> 00:14:04,000 Many, many dozens of organizations 279 00:14:04,000 --> 00:14:05,566 are involved in the process. 280 00:14:05,566 --> 00:14:07,400 It's a very messy problem, 281 00:14:07,400 --> 00:14:11,466 and we need some strategic kind of top-down guidance 282 00:14:11,466 --> 00:14:14,933 to agencies and organizations to kind of streamline it, 283 00:14:14,933 --> 00:14:17,133 to transform it, to make it a more efficient system. 284 00:14:17,133 --> 00:14:19,333 Right now there's no one to support a community 285 00:14:19,333 --> 00:14:22,400 with relocation, officially, there's no lead agency. 286 00:14:22,400 --> 00:14:24,866 There's no lead technical assistance provider 287 00:14:24,866 --> 00:14:26,333 at the federal or state level 288 00:14:26,333 --> 00:14:29,200 to help communities address the impacts of climate change. 289 00:14:29,200 --> 00:14:32,233 (line ringing on speakerphone) 290 00:14:32,233 --> 00:14:33,300 >> AUTOMATED MESSAGE: Sorry. 291 00:14:33,300 --> 00:14:35,966 Senator Murkowski Anchorage main line 292 00:14:35,966 --> 00:14:37,433 is not available. Record your message... 293 00:14:37,433 --> 00:14:38,966 >> TALAHONGVA: Over the past several months, 294 00:14:38,966 --> 00:14:42,766 I have tried to interview many state and federal officials. 295 00:14:42,766 --> 00:14:44,800 I wanted to understand their roles 296 00:14:44,800 --> 00:14:46,833 in relocating the Native villages. 297 00:14:46,833 --> 00:14:50,033 But no one would agree to go on camera. 298 00:14:51,900 --> 00:14:54,300 And since President Trump took office, 299 00:14:54,300 --> 00:14:57,433 the outlook has grown more uncertain for the villages, 300 00:14:57,433 --> 00:15:01,000 with the focus being shifted away from climate change 301 00:15:01,000 --> 00:15:03,700 and funding cuts to federal agencies. 302 00:15:11,033 --> 00:15:13,533 As the situation has been worsening, 303 00:15:13,533 --> 00:15:15,566 people from various Alaska Native villages 304 00:15:15,566 --> 00:15:20,100 have been searching for help, even far from home. 305 00:15:24,233 --> 00:15:27,800 >> Can I get a show of hands of all the people from Alaska? 306 00:15:27,800 --> 00:15:30,800 (greets in Yup'ik) 307 00:15:30,800 --> 00:15:34,700 We are experiencing climate change at a rate 308 00:15:34,700 --> 00:15:38,133 that's four times faster than the rest of the world. 309 00:15:38,133 --> 00:15:40,966 >> TALAHONGVA: In the spring of 2024, Agatha Napoleon 310 00:15:40,966 --> 00:15:42,866 and Estelle Thomson traveled 311 00:15:42,866 --> 00:15:46,633 to a Climate Change Preparedness Conference in Las Vegas. 312 00:15:46,633 --> 00:15:50,866 Among the attendees were members of tribes from the Lower 48. 313 00:15:50,866 --> 00:15:52,533 >> For villages and stuff, 314 00:15:52,533 --> 00:15:55,333 for those of us that are faced with relocation, 315 00:15:55,333 --> 00:15:57,800 um, you know, we've had a lot of... 316 00:15:57,800 --> 00:16:02,133 we've had a lot of difficulty with relocation. 317 00:16:02,133 --> 00:16:04,733 It can be really easy to get discouraged. 318 00:16:04,733 --> 00:16:06,166 And I'm sure that those of you 319 00:16:06,166 --> 00:16:08,366 that are working for your tribes or for your people, 320 00:16:08,366 --> 00:16:12,566 it is discouraging to think about our, our way of life, 321 00:16:12,566 --> 00:16:15,066 our life way, changing. 322 00:16:15,800 --> 00:16:18,433 Many of us that are going through relocation 323 00:16:18,433 --> 00:16:19,533 don't know the ins and outs. 324 00:16:19,533 --> 00:16:21,266 And so, for us to be able to work with 325 00:16:21,266 --> 00:16:24,300 other Indigenous communities that are facing the same things, 326 00:16:24,300 --> 00:16:26,233 it's extremely helpful. 327 00:16:26,233 --> 00:16:27,666 We can learn from each other. 328 00:16:27,666 --> 00:16:31,066 >> The shared struggle underscores the broader impacts 329 00:16:31,066 --> 00:16:32,200 of climate change 330 00:16:32,200 --> 00:16:34,433 for Indigenous coastal communities. 331 00:16:34,433 --> 00:16:37,500 Capacity and funding are two of the biggest challenges. 332 00:16:37,500 --> 00:16:39,500 You have to cut through all this red tape. 333 00:16:39,500 --> 00:16:40,966 You have all of these strict regulations 334 00:16:40,966 --> 00:16:42,266 and rules to follow that 335 00:16:42,266 --> 00:16:44,833 really aren't in the best interest of anyone. 336 00:16:44,833 --> 00:16:46,733 >> TALAHONGVA: Their plan to move to Paimiut 337 00:16:46,733 --> 00:16:50,000 has run up against these bureaucratic challenges. 338 00:16:50,000 --> 00:16:53,400 For example, some federal grant money can't be used 339 00:16:53,400 --> 00:16:55,300 until families inhabit Paimiut. 340 00:16:55,300 --> 00:16:57,700 But to make Paimiut habitable, 341 00:16:57,700 --> 00:17:00,566 they say they need financial assistance. 342 00:17:00,566 --> 00:17:03,766 >> Until we have a family living up there, 343 00:17:03,766 --> 00:17:07,366 we won't be able to get certain things-- 344 00:17:07,366 --> 00:17:11,900 a school, power, water, a sewer; 345 00:17:11,900 --> 00:17:14,900 all the stuff that human beings need. 346 00:17:17,400 --> 00:17:20,400 Good afternoon. My name is Agatha Napoleon. 347 00:17:20,400 --> 00:17:23,400 I am with the Native Village of Paimiut Traditional Council. 348 00:17:23,400 --> 00:17:27,133 We live literally on the coast of the Bering Sea. 349 00:17:27,133 --> 00:17:30,300 And we have seen so much destruction. 350 00:17:31,500 --> 00:17:33,633 But, um, hopefully... 351 00:17:33,633 --> 00:17:36,833 we'll be able to do a little remediating 352 00:17:36,833 --> 00:17:40,066 so that we can live in Hooper Bay for a little bit longer. 353 00:17:40,066 --> 00:17:42,600 We need to make a move. 354 00:17:46,766 --> 00:17:49,166 >> TALAHONGVA: The accounts of Hooper Bay's situation 355 00:17:49,166 --> 00:17:51,666 struck a chord with people at the conference. 356 00:17:51,666 --> 00:17:54,266 After hearing Agatha Napoleon speak, 357 00:17:54,266 --> 00:17:56,533 another Native woman gifted her 358 00:17:56,533 --> 00:17:59,966 a pair of beaded earrings and a necklace. 359 00:18:10,000 --> 00:18:12,066 >> We do have to acknowledge the fact 360 00:18:12,066 --> 00:18:13,633 that there is a lot of historical 361 00:18:13,633 --> 00:18:16,500 and intergenerational trauma around relocation 362 00:18:16,500 --> 00:18:18,433 for all sorts of Indigenous peoples. 363 00:18:22,733 --> 00:18:25,866 Relocation does come with harm. 364 00:18:25,866 --> 00:18:27,300 But it also comes with an opportunity 365 00:18:27,300 --> 00:18:30,400 for healing, for rebuilding, 366 00:18:30,400 --> 00:18:33,433 for creating a community that 367 00:18:33,433 --> 00:18:37,000 is going to serve us in the ways that we want it to. 368 00:18:45,000 --> 00:18:47,500 >> TALAHONGVA: After Vegas, we travelled to the far north 369 00:18:47,500 --> 00:18:49,266 of the Alaskan coast, 370 00:18:49,266 --> 00:18:52,666 to see how other Native communities were faring. 371 00:18:52,666 --> 00:18:54,466 We arrived in Kotzebue, 372 00:18:54,466 --> 00:18:57,366 an Iñupiat town above the Arctic Circle. 373 00:19:01,233 --> 00:19:02,766 Rather than relocating, 374 00:19:02,766 --> 00:19:06,166 they have been focused on fortifying their defenses. 375 00:19:09,066 --> 00:19:12,566 Alex Whiting, the tribe's Environmental Program Director, 376 00:19:12,566 --> 00:19:16,633 took me for a walk on the frozen Kotzebue Sound. 377 00:19:16,633 --> 00:19:19,566 (laughing): Whoa. 378 00:19:19,566 --> 00:19:21,900 >> Yeah, that looks a little watery. 379 00:19:21,900 --> 00:19:23,066 >> But I'm trusting that 380 00:19:23,066 --> 00:19:24,766 I'm not gonna sink into the water, right? 381 00:19:24,766 --> 00:19:28,533 >> Another month, for sure, you'll be swimming right here. 382 00:19:28,533 --> 00:19:32,700 >> TALAHONGVA: In 2012, they built a $34 million seawall, 383 00:19:32,700 --> 00:19:35,100 funded mostly by federal dollars, 384 00:19:35,100 --> 00:19:37,533 to protect against the rising waters. 385 00:19:37,533 --> 00:19:39,900 Honestly, I had imagined 386 00:19:39,900 --> 00:19:42,133 this huge wall... >> Yeah. 387 00:19:42,133 --> 00:19:44,500 >> TALAHONGVA: ...like 20 feet tall, but it's not that big. 388 00:19:44,500 --> 00:19:45,566 >> No, it's not that big. >> TALAHONGVA: It's not that tall. 389 00:19:45,566 --> 00:19:47,666 >> More than the height of it all 390 00:19:47,666 --> 00:19:49,400 is just having a buffer 391 00:19:49,400 --> 00:19:51,566 because we'll get west wind this way, 392 00:19:51,566 --> 00:19:53,466 we'll get high water from the west wind, 393 00:19:53,466 --> 00:19:54,866 and then we'll get waves, too. 394 00:19:54,866 --> 00:19:58,000 And if you didn't have something like the seawall, 395 00:19:58,000 --> 00:20:00,700 and we have more massive storms that are becoming more common 396 00:20:00,700 --> 00:20:02,200 because of climate change, 397 00:20:02,200 --> 00:20:03,866 then there would sort of be no hope 398 00:20:03,866 --> 00:20:05,200 for a lot of these structures 399 00:20:05,200 --> 00:20:06,666 that are facing the ocean right here. 400 00:20:08,033 --> 00:20:10,766 >> TALAHONGVA: But the seawall took something critical away 401 00:20:10,766 --> 00:20:12,000 from Kotzebue-- 402 00:20:12,866 --> 00:20:14,966 its beachfront. 403 00:20:19,866 --> 00:20:22,933 >> From time immemorial, people in Kotzebue 404 00:20:22,933 --> 00:20:24,300 that lived in this area 405 00:20:24,300 --> 00:20:28,533 utilized the beach for, you know, all their many activities. 406 00:20:34,433 --> 00:20:36,900 It's necessary that we have the seawall, 407 00:20:36,900 --> 00:20:39,233 but it's really bad that that relationship 408 00:20:39,233 --> 00:20:43,466 has been sort of torn asunder by this cement and steel structure. 409 00:20:43,466 --> 00:20:46,966 And that future generations will never have the opportunity 410 00:20:46,966 --> 00:20:48,866 to have that same kind of relationship 411 00:20:48,866 --> 00:20:50,433 with that beachfront. 412 00:20:50,433 --> 00:20:53,000 >> TALAHONGVA: Kotzebue is surrounded by water 413 00:20:53,000 --> 00:20:54,500 on three sides. 414 00:20:54,500 --> 00:20:57,033 And while the seawall has so far protected 415 00:20:57,033 --> 00:20:58,633 the west side of Kotzebue, 416 00:20:58,633 --> 00:21:01,833 the east side remains unprotected. 417 00:21:01,833 --> 00:21:05,900 Three rivers drain into the Kotzebue Sound near here, 418 00:21:05,900 --> 00:21:09,800 making this area especially vulnerable to flooding. 419 00:21:09,800 --> 00:21:12,366 >> It's definitely a battle fighting 420 00:21:12,366 --> 00:21:13,966 the coastal flooding on the front 421 00:21:13,966 --> 00:21:17,200 and then the, the lagoon flooding on the back. 422 00:21:17,200 --> 00:21:19,600 >> This is the flood zone in Kotzebue. 423 00:21:19,600 --> 00:21:22,166 My home is actually in the flood zone, as well. 424 00:21:22,166 --> 00:21:25,266 The flooding happens because, when all the snow melts, 425 00:21:25,266 --> 00:21:26,766 the water levels rise a little bit, 426 00:21:26,766 --> 00:21:28,066 and then it'll go into town, 427 00:21:28,066 --> 00:21:31,166 and all these homes right here are impacted from that. 428 00:21:31,166 --> 00:21:35,100 Even in the past five years, we've seen significant changes, 429 00:21:35,100 --> 00:21:37,100 especially with the amount of snow. 430 00:21:37,100 --> 00:21:39,400 Last year we had a very large snowstorm. 431 00:21:39,400 --> 00:21:42,333 And in some parts of town, we had 20 feet of snow, 432 00:21:42,333 --> 00:21:45,033 which is an incredible amount of snow. 433 00:21:45,033 --> 00:21:47,266 And then afterwards, that brings in flooding. 434 00:21:49,666 --> 00:21:53,933 Every single year we're impacted by the ice breakup. 435 00:21:53,933 --> 00:21:56,166 It tends to come further and further into town, 436 00:21:56,166 --> 00:21:58,600 which is pretty impactful for a lot of families. 437 00:22:07,000 --> 00:22:09,066 Because Kotzebue's on a spit of land, 438 00:22:09,066 --> 00:22:11,900 and we're surrounded on all sides by water, 439 00:22:11,900 --> 00:22:14,200 if we were to start building up, 440 00:22:14,200 --> 00:22:15,800 we would be building up in these hills up here. 441 00:22:17,433 --> 00:22:18,866 A lot of elders and a lot of people 442 00:22:18,866 --> 00:22:21,333 are starting to talk about what that might look like. 443 00:22:21,333 --> 00:22:23,266 But right now, we're just trying to make sure 444 00:22:23,266 --> 00:22:24,733 that our current community 445 00:22:24,733 --> 00:22:27,400 could withstand any type of storm or flood 446 00:22:27,400 --> 00:22:30,100 or another typhoon, possibly. 447 00:22:37,000 --> 00:22:40,000 >> TALAHONGVA: It's August when we return to Hooper Bay. 448 00:22:40,000 --> 00:22:42,566 Now that ice and snow aren't covering everything, 449 00:22:42,566 --> 00:22:44,766 you can see ponds of water everywhere. 450 00:22:44,766 --> 00:22:49,366 It's almost like the village is floating on the spongy tundra. 451 00:22:49,366 --> 00:22:50,700 The waves of the Bering Sea 452 00:22:50,700 --> 00:22:54,566 are breaking close to people's homes. 453 00:22:56,066 --> 00:22:59,233 >> Springtime, we mostly come here after the ice is gone. 454 00:22:59,233 --> 00:23:03,733 We go hunt our seals way out here, around this whole area. 455 00:23:04,833 --> 00:23:06,366 >> TALAHONGVA: Edgar Tall is the chief 456 00:23:06,366 --> 00:23:09,533 of the Native Village of Hooper Bay. 457 00:23:09,533 --> 00:23:12,433 Do you ever get tired of hearing the ocean? 458 00:23:12,433 --> 00:23:14,100 >> No. I like to stay. 459 00:23:14,100 --> 00:23:16,100 It's the only place where I like to be. 460 00:23:17,800 --> 00:23:19,800 >> TALAHONGVA: Chief Tall takes me out to 461 00:23:19,800 --> 00:23:24,166 the only set of dunes left that protect Hooper Bay. 462 00:23:24,166 --> 00:23:26,666 >> You see here, you see the cloudberries. 463 00:23:26,666 --> 00:23:29,533 This is what we're picking right now. 464 00:23:29,533 --> 00:23:31,033 >> TALAHONGVA: Oh, wow. 465 00:23:31,033 --> 00:23:32,500 And can you eat these? >> Yes. 466 00:23:32,500 --> 00:23:34,033 Right now they're soft. 467 00:23:35,600 --> 00:23:37,533 >> TALAHONGVA: Oh, my gosh, that's so good. 468 00:23:39,833 --> 00:23:43,100 With relocation still years away, 469 00:23:43,100 --> 00:23:46,866 Chief Tall tells me he's focused on short-term planning. 470 00:23:46,866 --> 00:23:49,666 >> Right now our plan is to, uh, protection in place 471 00:23:49,666 --> 00:23:52,600 before we move because we can't move any faster. 472 00:23:52,600 --> 00:23:55,000 There is still process to do. 473 00:23:55,000 --> 00:23:57,133 And paperwork, lot of paperwork and stuff. 474 00:23:57,133 --> 00:24:00,766 >> And the protection in place, 475 00:24:00,766 --> 00:24:03,033 we are helping each others do that. 476 00:24:03,033 --> 00:24:04,966 >> We do have some grants that 477 00:24:04,966 --> 00:24:07,200 were approved, but those are little grants, and, you know... 478 00:24:07,200 --> 00:24:08,266 >> TALAHONGVA: When you say little grants, 479 00:24:08,266 --> 00:24:09,733 what kind of amount are we 480 00:24:09,733 --> 00:24:11,466 talking about? >> Like $4 to $5 million. 481 00:24:11,466 --> 00:24:15,800 We've got $1.5 to, uh, fix up the landfill. 482 00:24:17,633 --> 00:24:19,833 That's not even gonna make a dent. 483 00:24:19,833 --> 00:24:22,500 And, you know, hard to get grants, 484 00:24:22,500 --> 00:24:26,566 but those were earmarked to us from, uh, Senator Murkowski. 485 00:24:31,733 --> 00:24:35,500 These guys here, they're getting ready to go berry camp, 486 00:24:35,500 --> 00:24:37,533 go get some cloudberries. 487 00:24:37,533 --> 00:24:39,000 >> TALAHONGVA: How long do they go for? 488 00:24:39,000 --> 00:24:40,933 >> Till they fill their barrels. 489 00:24:40,933 --> 00:24:43,700 If not, they don't get lucky. 490 00:24:43,700 --> 00:24:45,400 >> TALAHONGVA: So this is what it's like all summer long, 491 00:24:45,400 --> 00:24:46,666 people are headed out to... 492 00:24:46,666 --> 00:24:50,033 >> Yeah, first you've got your egg hunting. 493 00:24:50,033 --> 00:24:52,133 Then you've got your fishing. 494 00:24:52,133 --> 00:24:56,333 And then you're gonna go berry camping and get some berries. 495 00:24:56,333 --> 00:25:00,433 In a few weeks, they're gonna go moose hunt or bird hunt. 496 00:25:00,433 --> 00:25:01,933 Subsistence is a must. 497 00:25:01,933 --> 00:25:03,866 Always. Always. 498 00:25:06,300 --> 00:25:08,233 >> As long as we're able to continue 499 00:25:08,233 --> 00:25:09,966 to practice our traditions, 500 00:25:09,966 --> 00:25:14,200 tell our stories, we will always have the basic building blocks 501 00:25:14,200 --> 00:25:17,300 to maintain the culture and to continue to grow it. 502 00:25:18,500 --> 00:25:19,900 >> I love the people. 503 00:25:19,900 --> 00:25:22,533 I love what the land has to provide. 504 00:25:22,533 --> 00:25:24,966 I love what the water has to provide. 505 00:25:24,966 --> 00:25:26,466 I love this land. 506 00:25:27,933 --> 00:25:29,900 >> TALAHONGVA: Before we leave Hooper Bay, 507 00:25:29,900 --> 00:25:32,633 we watch Agatha Napoleon making care packages 508 00:25:32,633 --> 00:25:37,466 to send to her daughters, who moved away years ago. 509 00:25:37,466 --> 00:25:41,333 >> My children grew up on these, like me, so 510 00:25:41,333 --> 00:25:43,866 they crave it. 511 00:25:43,866 --> 00:25:45,900 All the foods that I pack them, 512 00:25:45,900 --> 00:25:50,433 their little souls, their little hearts need it. 513 00:25:50,433 --> 00:25:53,500 Even if they have moved, they have to eat it. 514 00:25:56,033 --> 00:25:59,433 There have been families that have moved away 515 00:25:59,433 --> 00:26:02,800 because they're afraid that the next big storm, 516 00:26:02,800 --> 00:26:04,166 we could be all underwater. 517 00:26:04,166 --> 00:26:05,633 And it's scary. 518 00:26:07,900 --> 00:26:12,133 And, yeah, we are talking about relocating. 519 00:26:12,133 --> 00:26:14,333 But there is no place like home. 520 00:26:14,333 --> 00:26:16,233 I am a Hooper Bay-er. 521 00:26:16,233 --> 00:26:20,633 I am from-- in Yup'ik: "Naparyarmiut." 522 00:26:20,633 --> 00:26:23,533 I am from Hooper Bay. 523 00:26:27,100 --> 00:26:28,100 (waves crashing) 524 00:26:30,833 --> 00:26:32,333 >> Wow, this is the highest 525 00:26:32,333 --> 00:26:35,800 I've ever seen the water in Kotzebue ever. 526 00:27:00,100 --> 00:27:05,033 ♪ ♪ 527 00:27:11,900 --> 00:27:16,700 ♪ ♪ 528 00:27:41,300 --> 00:27:42,300 Captioned by 529 00:27:42,300 --> 00:27:43,300 Media Access Group at WGBH 530 00:27:43,300 --> 00:27:45,733 access.wgbh.org 531 00:27:49,466 --> 00:27:51,800 >> For more on this and other "FRONTLINE" programs, 532 00:27:51,800 --> 00:27:55,966 visit our website at pbs.org/frontline. 533 00:27:55,966 --> 00:28:06,000 ♪ ♪ 534 00:28:06,000 --> 00:28:11,466 ♪ ♪ 535 00:28:11,466 --> 00:28:14,066 "Alaska's Vanishing Native Villages" and 536 00:28:14,066 --> 00:28:18,100 "Crime Scene: Bucha" are available on Amazon Prime Video. 537 00:28:18,100 --> 00:28:22,366 "Alaska's Vanishing Native Villages" and