WEBVTT

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heightening public awareness

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of critical issues.

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The John D. and Catherine T.
MacA

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>> (woman speaking Yup'ik)

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Everything about
our world is changing.

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>> We have to wake up before

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it becomes too late
for us to adapt.

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>> Our ancestors said one day
we will come upon this day.

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I didn't think it would happen
in my lifetime.

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>> In Alaska, the governor has
declared a state of disaster

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after the remnants of
Typhoon Merbok caused

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unprecedented flooding.

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>> 1,000 miles of coastline
was impacted by Typhoon Merbok.

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>> Hurricane-force winds
and over 50-foot waves...

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>> One of the most destructive
storms to ever hit that region.

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>> Entire towns
were completely submerged.

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(thunder crackling)

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♪ ♪

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>> TALAHONGVA:
A little over a year

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after that catastrophic
storm hit Alaska,

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I flew up the western coast.

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I was headed for an area

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called the YK Delta,

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about 500 miles west
of Anchorage,

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home to dozens
of small Native villages

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for the Cup'ik and Yup'ik
people.

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They're some of the most
vulnerable communities

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in the country
to climate change.

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And the storm was the latest
sign of the imminent dangers.

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We landed in Chevak,

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one of
nearly 150 Native villages

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that have been experiencing
increasing flooding, erosion,

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and warming temperatures.

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It was the dead of winter,
and everything was covered

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in thick layers of snow,
making it hard

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to see what was water
and what was land.

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But I could still make out
the erosion caused by the storm.

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What you're looking at
right now is

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actually a river
that's frozen over,

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covered with snow
and the debris left by Merbok.

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Then here you can see
a little bit of a hill.

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And on the top of the hill,
are some homes.

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And that's where the village of
Chevak actually starts.

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These are homes that are in
the direct path of destruction.

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Around 60 houses, nearly a
quarter of the village,

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were badly damaged.

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And the situation was similar
in other communities.

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We went an hour away
by snow machine,

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heading to Hooper Bay,

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home to around 1,400 people
on the edge of the Bering Sea.

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When I got there,

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residents were arriving
for a meeting to discuss

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the fate of the community.

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>> TALAHONGVA: Estelle Thomson
is a tribal president

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and was leading the discussion.

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>> Typhoon Merbok hit
our community

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so hard it did an entire
lifetime's worth of erosion

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in one storm.

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The inundation from the sea
came in through our town.

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It damaged infrastructure.

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37 people were permanently
displaced from the village.

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So we had a huge disaster.

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>> TALAHONGVA:
Agatha Napoleon

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is the
climate change coordinator

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for one of the tribes
that lives in Hooper Bay.

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>> I'm a Hooper Bay-er.

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This is where I grew up.

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My children grew up here.

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This is our land.

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We are its people.

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We've lived here for eons.

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We've learned to
live with the storms,

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the blizzards and everything
that the ocean has to bring.

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Good or bad, we have learned
to adapt and live with it.

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Our way of life revolves
around the cold

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and whatever little spring
and summer that we have.

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This climate change thing
is wreaking havoc.

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>> TALAHONGVA:
Experts who've been studying

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what's happening here
say the threat is so severe

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because of changes
to both the surrounding sea

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and the frozen ground
known as permafrost.

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>> This big hunk of ice up here,
which is most of Alaska,

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is slowly melting due
to the very rapid warming,

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up to four times faster
than what we see globally.

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>> TALAHONGVA:
Tom Ravens is a civil engineer

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and an expert
on the Arctic coast.

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>> Environmental warming

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is really doing a number
on the permafrost.

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And, you know, permafrost

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is a natural way to protect
against coastal erosion.

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Permafrost
is absolutely the glue

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that's holding all the sediment
along the coast in place.

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And of course,
as that permafrost thaws,

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the glue is
essentially disappearing,

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and it's just draining
into the sea.

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And all that's left
is a sort of muddy mush.

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Now that the permafrost
is thawing,

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coastal erosion rates
are higher.

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>> TALAHONGVA:
What's worse,

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Arctic waters aren't freezing
the way they have in the past.

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And as the sea ice disappears,

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so does an important line
of defense.

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>> The ice is
almost like a seawall.

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And so, when you've got five,

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ten, 20 miles of ice
that is anchored to the coast,

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those big waves,
those big surges

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that are offshore,
they stay offshore.

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But now, when you've got no ice
armoring the shoreline,

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those waves, there's nothing
to stop it from just coming in

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and battering the coastline.

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>> TALAHONGVA: That's what's
happening in Hooper Bay.

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And efforts to strengthen
the village's defenses

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haven't been able to keep up.

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The state has spent millions

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in federal grants trying
to protect the airport road.

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>> The Department of
Transportation in Hooper Bay

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elevated
the airport access road.

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And we thought
it was gonna be good

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until 2050,
according to our projections

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of sea level rise and flooding.

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But it turns out Merbok came in
and flooded this road.

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>> TALAHONGVA: So for some here,
the conversation is changing--

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from protecting Hooper Bay,
to leaving it behind.

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>> We've learned that,
within 15 years,

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the permafrost in the YK Delta
around Hooper Bay,

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Scammon Bay and Chevak
is gonna be melted.

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And at the end of the century,

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the Bering Sea is going to be
subsuming that entire area.

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So it's become a priority for us
to resettle our village

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in order for us to
have a place to escape to.

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>> TALAHONGVA:
She and her tribal council

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have been working on a plan
to move to higher ground

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around 15 miles away,
to a tribal area called Paimiut.

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>> It's a lone mountain.

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It's part of the Asqinaq range.

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Its Yup'ik name is "Qikertakuq,"
meaning "island."

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It's safer.

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And definitely water
will not reach us.

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While everything is changing,
we're just making sure that

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we take care of ourselves,
our grandkids

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and that we adapt

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as easily as we possibly can,
even though it is difficult.

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>> TALAHONGVA:
This plan to move to the

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native village of Paimiut.

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Is everybody
100% ready to do that?

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>> No.

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As with any other relocation,

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there are gonna be people
that want to stay in Hooper Bay

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as long as they possibly can.

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And we can respect that.

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I mean, it's been our home
for quite a long time.

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>> TALAHONGVA: In fact,
several Hooper Bay families

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are originally from Paimiut.

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But they were relocated here
decades ago,

08:31.200 --> 08:33.166 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60%
as part of
a U.S. government effort

08:33.166 --> 08:36.533 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60%
to assimilate
Alaska's Native people.

08:36.533 --> 08:39.400 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70%
>> I think it was
in the 1940s when

08:39.400 --> 08:42.066 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60%
people from
the Bureau of Indian Affairs

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came to my village
of Paimiut, my settlement,

08:45.566 --> 08:47.766 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80%
and told the people there

08:47.766 --> 08:51.600 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80%
that you need to move to another
community that has a school

08:51.600 --> 08:53.600 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80%
because our, our settlement
was pretty small.

08:53.600 --> 08:55.566 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70%
And one of the things
that happened

08:55.566 --> 08:59.700 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80%
was that it split up our people
between three villages:

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Hooper Bay,

09:01.133 --> 09:02.800 align:left position:20% line:5% size:70%
Scammon Bay and Chevak,

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with the majority of
our tribal membership

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living in Hooper Bay
or from Hooper Bay.

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>> TALAHONGVA: In the schools,
the Yup'ik children

09:11.733 --> 09:16.766 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80%
were taught English and western
culture, instead of their own.

09:16.766 --> 09:18.200 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60%
>> Going from

09:18.200 --> 09:21.700 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80%
fluently speaking our language
every day, all day long,

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entering school and not knowing

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very many words in English.

09:28.233 --> 09:31.000 align:left position:20% line:5% size:70%
Maybe "yes," "no,"
"please" and "thank you."

09:31.000 --> 09:33.000 align:left position:30% line:5% size:60%
>> TALAHONGVA:
In 1953,

09:33.000 --> 09:35.500 align:left position:20% line:5% size:70%
Walt Disney Productions
released a film about

09:35.500 --> 09:37.966 align:left position:20% line:5% size:70%
the Alaskan Natives
in Hooper Bay.

09:37.966 --> 09:40.233 align:left position:20% line:5% size:70%
That's Agatha's mother
as a young girl,

09:40.233 --> 09:41.933 align:left position:20% line:5% size:70%
reaching for a tool.

09:41.933 --> 09:45.266 align:left position:10% line:5% size:80%
She was helping sew skins
for the outside of a boat.

09:46.566 --> 09:47.766 align:left position:10% line:5% size:80%
(people in recording singing
and drumming)

09:47.766 --> 09:49.000 align:left position:30% line:5% size:60%
>> TALAHONGVA:
Members of the tribe

09:49.000 --> 09:51.000 align:left position:20% line:5% size:70%
were still holding
their ceremonies

09:51.000 --> 09:53.533 align:left position:10% line:5% size:80%
in a traditional setting.

09:53.533 --> 09:55.866 align:left position:20% line:5% size:70%
>> The Qaygiq was
a place of learning.

09:55.866 --> 09:57.533 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60%
My father
always let us know

09:57.533 --> 10:00.133 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60%
to go down to
the Qaygiq, sew and listen,

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because this is our first

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and foremost
way of life, our teachings.

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And then
the Catholic Church came in,

10:08.500 --> 10:10.166 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80%
the Covenant Church came in,

10:10.166 --> 10:12.200 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80%
and then we learned about God.

10:13.833 --> 10:16.266 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60%
>> TALAHONGVA:
The story resonated with me.

10:16.266 --> 10:19.733 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70%
My family moved from
our Hopi reservation in Arizona

10:19.733 --> 10:22.966 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80%
to Denver, where I was born.

10:22.966 --> 10:24.366 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70%
Growing up in the city,

10:24.366 --> 10:26.933 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70%
it was hard to hold on
to our traditions,

10:26.933 --> 10:31.233 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70%
as it's been for
the Alaskan Native people, too.

10:31.233 --> 10:35.433 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80%
>> I think that it's important
to keep what you can.

10:35.433 --> 10:38.366 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70%
Just like any society,
any culture.

10:39.466 --> 10:41.933 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70%
One of the things that
I've noticed with most cultures

10:41.933 --> 10:44.166 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80%
around the world, regardless of
how much they've assimilated

10:44.166 --> 10:46.200 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70%
or changed over time,

10:46.200 --> 10:48.500 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80%
is the fact that they've
been able to keep their food.

10:49.066 --> 10:51.933 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80%
It's extremely important to us.

10:53.066 --> 10:56.666 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60%
>> I've got two
blackfish traps here.

10:57.766 --> 11:02.533 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70%
There's elders' favorite
delicacy out there.

11:02.533 --> 11:04.533 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70%
They love blackfish.

11:04.533 --> 11:06.700 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60%
(tapping)
>> Oh you hear that?

11:06.700 --> 11:08.800 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80%
It's not even that thick.

11:10.333 --> 11:12.300 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60%
>> TALAHONGVA:
Many of the Native people here

11:12.300 --> 11:15.966 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80%
still practice subsistence
living, living off the land.

11:15.966 --> 11:17.433 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60%
In the winter,

11:17.433 --> 11:20.566 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70%
they get fish from
the ice-covered rivers and sea.

11:21.800 --> 11:22.900 align:left position:10% line:5% size:80%
>> Just a small, little one.

11:30.233 --> 11:32.000 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60%
>> TALAHONGVA:
In the school at Hooper Bay,

11:32.000 --> 11:34.100 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60%
I met a group of
students who told me

11:34.100 --> 11:36.166 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80%
how important it is to them

11:36.166 --> 11:38.600 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70%
to practice their
traditional way of harvesting.

11:38.600 --> 11:40.866 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60%
We talk about
subsistence living.

11:40.866 --> 11:42.433 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60%
What do you eat?

11:42.433 --> 11:48.000 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60%
>> Birds, seal,
moose, whale, fish.

11:48.000 --> 11:49.000 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60%
>> Clams.
>> TALAHONGVA: Clams?

11:49.000 --> 11:52.166 align:left position:40% line:83% size:50%
You guys
hunt walrus out here, too?

11:52.166 --> 11:53.400 align:left position:40% line:83% size:50%
>> Yeah.
We go up to them slowly...

11:53.400 --> 11:54.600 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60%
>> TALAHONGVA:
Mm-hmm.

11:54.600 --> 11:55.833 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80%
>> ...so we don't scare them.

11:55.833 --> 11:58.133 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80%
And they'll get pissed off
and come after us.

11:58.133 --> 11:59.633 align:left position:40% line:89% size:50%
(laughs)

11:59.633 --> 12:03.533 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80%
>> And we produce a seal oil
from seals when we catch them.

12:03.533 --> 12:06.000 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60%
And they have
a nice layer of fat.

12:06.000 --> 12:07.633 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60%
>> TALAHONGVA:
So, your food

12:07.633 --> 12:09.466 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80%
is not something you can buy
in the grocery stores.

12:09.466 --> 12:11.133 align:left position:40% line:83% size:50%
>> No.
>> We get them from the land.

12:12.366 --> 12:14.533 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70%
The land provides.

12:14.533 --> 12:16.100 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80%
>> Stores here are full of junk.

12:16.100 --> 12:19.933 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70%
So we'd rather go out
and go get our own food,

12:19.933 --> 12:22.566 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80%
and which is more healthier.

12:22.566 --> 12:25.766 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70%
>> I can't imagine
not living with

12:25.766 --> 12:29.400 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80%
and eating the foods that we
have lived with all our lives.

12:29.400 --> 12:30.466 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60%
It would be...

12:31.933 --> 12:34.600 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70%
...it would be like
a fish out of the water.

12:36.533 --> 12:38.066 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70%
(giggling, shrieking)

12:38.066 --> 12:41.033 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70%
I know eventually
my grandchildren,

12:41.033 --> 12:43.700 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80%
they're gonna have to find
other ways.

12:45.733 --> 12:49.200 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60%
But right now,
it's... it-it hurts.

12:49.200 --> 12:51.066 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70%
We have no other choice.

12:51.066 --> 12:52.566 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70%
We have to make changes.

12:52.566 --> 12:54.800 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70%
We have to do something.

12:54.800 --> 12:58.500 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70%
Otherwise, we'll just
be part of the ocean, too.

13:00.833 --> 13:03.833 align:left position:10% line:5% size:80%
>> TALAHONGVA: The challenges
facing Alaska Native villages

13:03.833 --> 13:06.666 align:left position:10% line:5% size:80%
have been growing for decades.

13:07.833 --> 13:10.166 align:left position:10% line:5% size:80%
As far back as the 1980s,

13:10.166 --> 13:14.000 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80%
there were warnings that dozens
of communities were in danger

13:14.000 --> 13:15.766 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80%
from erosion and flooding.

13:18.133 --> 13:21.033 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70%
A federal agency called
the Denali Commission

13:21.033 --> 13:24.533 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70%
was created to work with
rural Alaskan communities.

13:24.533 --> 13:26.833 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80%
And one of its missions has been

13:26.833 --> 13:28.300 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80%
to help protect Native villages

13:28.300 --> 13:31.266 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60%
from the impacts
of climate change.

13:32.066 --> 13:33.666 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80%
But only one village so far

13:33.666 --> 13:37.466 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80%
has actually gone through the
dramatic process of relocating:

13:37.466 --> 13:41.233 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70%
Newtok, a community
of around 300 people,

13:41.233 --> 13:44.800 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60%
that built
a new town nine miles away.

13:44.800 --> 13:48.433 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70%
The move has cost
about $160 million,

13:48.433 --> 13:50.666 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70%
taken around 30 years,

13:50.666 --> 13:53.833 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80%
and it's still not complete.

13:53.833 --> 13:56.100 align:left position:30% line:5% size:60%
>> Relocation is
a extremely complex,

13:56.100 --> 14:00.333 align:left position:10% line:5% size:80%
difficult process that takes
a huge team to work through

14:00.333 --> 14:01.366 align:left position:30% line:5% size:60%
over many years.

14:01.366 --> 14:04.000 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70%
Many, many dozens
of organizations

14:04.000 --> 14:05.566 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80%
are involved in the process.

14:05.566 --> 14:07.400 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80%
It's a very messy problem,

14:07.400 --> 14:11.466 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80%
and we need some strategic
kind of top-down guidance

14:11.466 --> 14:14.933 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80%
to agencies and organizations
to kind of streamline it,

14:14.933 --> 14:17.133 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80%
to transform it, to make it
a more efficient system.

14:17.133 --> 14:19.333 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70%
Right now there's no one
to support a community

14:19.333 --> 14:22.400 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80%
with relocation, officially,
there's no lead agency.

14:22.400 --> 14:24.866 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60%
There's no lead
technical assistance provider

14:24.866 --> 14:26.333 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80%
at the federal or state level

14:26.333 --> 14:29.200 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80%
to help communities address
the impacts of climate change.

14:29.200 --> 14:32.233 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80%
(line ringing on speakerphone)

14:32.233 --> 14:33.300 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70%
>> AUTOMATED MESSAGE:
Sorry.

14:33.300 --> 14:35.966 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70%
Senator Murkowski
Anchorage main line

14:35.966 --> 14:37.433 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70%
is not available.
Record your message...

14:37.433 --> 14:38.966 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60%
>> TALAHONGVA:
Over the past several months,

14:38.966 --> 14:42.766 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80%
I have tried to interview many
state and federal officials.

14:42.766 --> 14:44.800 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70%
I wanted to understand
their roles

14:44.800 --> 14:46.833 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60%
in relocating
the Native villages.

14:46.833 --> 14:50.033 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70%
But no one would agree
to go on camera.

14:51.900 --> 14:54.300 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80%
And since President Trump
took office,

14:54.300 --> 14:57.433 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80%
the outlook has grown more
uncertain for the villages,

14:57.433 --> 15:01.000 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80%
with the focus being shifted
away from climate change

15:01.000 --> 15:03.700 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60%
and funding cuts
to federal agencies.

15:11.033 --> 15:13.533 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70%
As the situation
has been worsening,

15:13.533 --> 15:15.566 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70%
people from various
Alaska Native villages

15:15.566 --> 15:20.100 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80%
have been searching for help,
even far from home.

15:24.233 --> 15:27.800 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80%
>> Can I get a show of hands
of all the people from Alaska?

15:27.800 --> 15:30.800 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70%
(greets in Yup'ik)

15:30.800 --> 15:34.700 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70%
We are experiencing
climate change at a rate

15:34.700 --> 15:38.133 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80%
that's four times faster
than the rest of the world.

15:38.133 --> 15:40.966 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80%
>> TALAHONGVA: In the spring
of 2024, Agatha Napoleon

15:40.966 --> 15:42.866 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80%
and Estelle Thomson traveled

15:42.866 --> 15:46.633 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80%
to a Climate Change Preparedness
Conference in Las Vegas.

15:46.633 --> 15:50.866 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80%
Among the attendees were members
of tribes from the Lower 48.

15:50.866 --> 15:52.533 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80%
>> For villages and stuff,

15:52.533 --> 15:55.333 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80%
for those of us that are faced
with relocation,

15:55.333 --> 15:57.800 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60%
um, you know,
we've had a lot of...

15:57.800 --> 16:02.133 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80%
we've had a lot of difficulty
with relocation.

16:02.133 --> 16:04.733 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70%
It can be really easy
to get discouraged.

16:04.733 --> 16:06.166 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80%
And I'm sure that those of you

16:06.166 --> 16:08.366 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80%
that are working for your tribes
or for your people,

16:08.366 --> 16:12.566 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80%
it is discouraging to think
about our, our way of life,

16:12.566 --> 16:15.066 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70%
our life way, changing.

16:15.800 --> 16:18.433 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70%
Many of us that are
going through relocation

16:18.433 --> 16:19.533 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80%
don't know the ins and outs.

16:19.533 --> 16:21.266 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80%
And so, for us to be able
to work with

16:21.266 --> 16:24.300 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80%
other Indigenous communities
that are facing the same things,

16:24.300 --> 16:26.233 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70%
it's extremely helpful.

16:26.233 --> 16:27.666 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80%
We can learn from each other.

16:27.666 --> 16:31.066 align:left position:20% line:5% size:70%
>> The shared struggle
underscores the broader impacts

16:31.066 --> 16:32.200 align:left position:20% line:5% size:70%
of climate change

16:32.200 --> 16:34.433 align:left position:30% line:5% size:60%
for Indigenous
coastal communities.

16:34.433 --> 16:37.500 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70%
Capacity and funding are
two of the biggest challenges.

16:37.500 --> 16:39.500 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70%
You have to cut through
all this red tape.

16:39.500 --> 16:40.966 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60%
You have all of
these strict regulations

16:40.966 --> 16:42.266 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70%
and rules to follow that

16:42.266 --> 16:44.833 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60%
really aren't in
the best interest of anyone.

16:44.833 --> 16:46.733 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60%
>> TALAHONGVA:
Their plan to move to Paimiut

16:46.733 --> 16:50.000 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70%
has run up against
these bureaucratic challenges.

16:50.000 --> 16:53.400 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80%
For example, some federal
grant money can't be used

16:53.400 --> 16:55.300 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80%
until families inhabit Paimiut.

16:55.300 --> 16:57.700 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80%
But to make Paimiut habitable,

16:57.700 --> 17:00.566 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70%
they say they need
financial assistance.

17:00.566 --> 17:03.766 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70%
>> Until we have
a family living up there,

17:03.766 --> 17:07.366 align:left position:20% line:5% size:70%
we won't be able
to get certain things--

17:07.366 --> 17:11.900 align:left position:10% line:5% size:80%
a school, power, water, a sewer;

17:11.900 --> 17:14.900 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60%
all the stuff
that human beings need.

17:17.400 --> 17:20.400 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60%
Good afternoon.
My name is Agatha Napoleon.

17:20.400 --> 17:23.400 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80%
I am with the Native Village
of Paimiut Traditional Council.

17:23.400 --> 17:27.133 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80%
We live literally on the coast
of the Bering Sea.

17:27.133 --> 17:30.300 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60%
And we have seen
so much destruction.

17:31.500 --> 17:33.633 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70%
But, um, hopefully...

17:33.633 --> 17:36.833 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70%
we'll be able to do
a little remediating

17:36.833 --> 17:40.066 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80%
so that we can live in Hooper
Bay for a little bit longer.

17:40.066 --> 17:42.600 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70%
We need to make a move.

17:46.766 --> 17:49.166 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80%
>> TALAHONGVA: The accounts
of Hooper Bay's situation

17:49.166 --> 17:51.666 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70%
struck a chord with
people at the conference.

17:51.666 --> 17:54.266 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60%
After hearing
Agatha Napoleon speak,

17:54.266 --> 17:56.533 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80%
another Native woman gifted her

17:56.533 --> 17:59.966 align:left position:10% line:5% size:80%
a pair of beaded earrings
and a necklace.

18:10.000 --> 18:12.066 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80%
>> We do have to acknowledge
the fact

18:12.066 --> 18:13.633 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60%
that there is
a lot of historical

18:13.633 --> 18:16.500 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80%
and intergenerational trauma
around relocation

18:16.500 --> 18:18.433 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60%
for all sorts
of Indigenous peoples.

18:22.733 --> 18:25.866 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80%
Relocation does come with harm.

18:25.866 --> 18:27.300 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70%
But it also comes
with an opportunity

18:27.300 --> 18:30.400 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80%
for healing, for rebuilding,

18:30.400 --> 18:33.433 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80%
for creating a community that

18:33.433 --> 18:37.000 align:left position:20% line:5% size:70%
is going to serve us in
the ways that we want it to.

18:45.000 --> 18:47.500 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80%
>> TALAHONGVA: After Vegas,
we travelled to the far north

18:47.500 --> 18:49.266 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70%
of the Alaskan coast,

18:49.266 --> 18:52.666 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70%
to see how other
Native communities were faring.

18:52.666 --> 18:54.466 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70%
We arrived in Kotzebue,

18:54.466 --> 18:57.366 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60%
an Iñupiat town
above the Arctic Circle.

19:01.233 --> 19:02.766 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70%
Rather than relocating,

19:02.766 --> 19:06.166 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80%
they have been focused on
fortifying their defenses.

19:09.066 --> 19:12.566 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80%
Alex Whiting, the tribe's
Environmental Program Director,

19:12.566 --> 19:16.633 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70%
took me for a walk on
the frozen Kotzebue Sound.

19:16.633 --> 19:19.566 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60%
(laughing):
Whoa.

19:19.566 --> 19:21.900 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70%
>> Yeah, that looks
a little watery.

19:21.900 --> 19:23.066 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70%
>> But I'm trusting that

19:23.066 --> 19:24.766 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70%
I'm not gonna sink
into the water, right?

19:24.766 --> 19:28.533 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80%
>> Another month, for sure,
you'll be swimming right here.

19:28.533 --> 19:32.700 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80%
>> TALAHONGVA: In 2012, they
built a $34 million seawall,

19:32.700 --> 19:35.100 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60%
funded mostly
by federal dollars,

19:35.100 --> 19:37.533 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70%
to protect against
the rising waters.

19:37.533 --> 19:39.900 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70%
Honestly, I had imagined

19:39.900 --> 19:42.133 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70%
this huge wall...
>> Yeah.

19:42.133 --> 19:44.500 align:left position:10% line:5% size:80%
>> TALAHONGVA: ...like 20 feet
tall, but it's not that big.

19:44.500 --> 19:45.566 align:left position:10% line:5% size:80%
>> No, it's not that big. >>
TALAHONGVA: It's not that tall.

19:45.566 --> 19:47.666 align:left position:30% line:5% size:60%
>> More than
the height of it all

19:47.666 --> 19:49.400 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70%
is just having a buffer

19:49.400 --> 19:51.566 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70%
because we'll get
west wind this way,

19:51.566 --> 19:53.466 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70%
we'll get high water
from the west wind,

19:53.466 --> 19:54.866 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80%
and then we'll get waves, too.

19:54.866 --> 19:58.000 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70%
And if you didn't have
something like the seawall,

19:58.000 --> 20:00.700 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80%
and we have more massive storms
that are becoming more common

20:00.700 --> 20:02.200 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80%
because of climate change,

20:02.200 --> 20:03.866 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60%
then there would
sort of be no hope

20:03.866 --> 20:05.200 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80%
for a lot of these structures

20:05.200 --> 20:06.666 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60%
that are facing
the ocean right here.

20:08.033 --> 20:10.766 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80%
>> TALAHONGVA: But the seawall
took something critical away

20:10.766 --> 20:12.000 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60%
from Kotzebue--

20:12.866 --> 20:14.966 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60%
its beachfront.

20:19.866 --> 20:22.933 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70%
>> From time immemorial,
people in Kotzebue

20:22.933 --> 20:24.300 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70%
that lived in this area

20:24.300 --> 20:28.533 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80%
utilized the beach for, you
know, all their many activities.

20:34.433 --> 20:36.900 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60%
It's necessary
that we have the seawall,

20:36.900 --> 20:39.233 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70%
but it's really bad that
that relationship

20:39.233 --> 20:43.466 align:left position:10% line:5% size:80%
has been sort of torn asunder by
this cement and steel structure.

20:43.466 --> 20:46.966 align:left position:10% line:5% size:80%
And that future generations
will never have the opportunity

20:46.966 --> 20:48.866 align:left position:20% line:5% size:70%
to have that same kind
of relationship

20:48.866 --> 20:50.433 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70%
with that beachfront.

20:50.433 --> 20:53.000 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60%
>> TALAHONGVA:
Kotzebue is surrounded by water

20:53.000 --> 20:54.500 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60%
on three sides.

20:54.500 --> 20:57.033 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70%
And while the seawall
has so far protected

20:57.033 --> 20:58.633 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80%
the west side of Kotzebue,

20:58.633 --> 21:01.833 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60%
the east side
remains unprotected.

21:01.833 --> 21:05.900 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80%
Three rivers drain into the
Kotzebue Sound near here,

21:05.900 --> 21:09.800 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80%
making this area especially
vulnerable to flooding.

21:09.800 --> 21:12.366 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70%
>> It's definitely
a battle fighting

21:12.366 --> 21:13.966 align:left position:20% line:5% size:70%
the coastal flooding
on the front

21:13.966 --> 21:17.200 align:left position:20% line:5% size:70%
and then the, the lagoon
flooding on the back.

21:17.200 --> 21:19.600 align:left position:10% line:5% size:80%
>> This is the flood zone
in Kotzebue.

21:19.600 --> 21:22.166 align:left position:20% line:5% size:70%
My home is actually in
the flood zone, as well.

21:22.166 --> 21:25.266 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80%
The flooding happens because,
when all the snow melts,

21:25.266 --> 21:26.766 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70%
the water levels rise
a little bit,

21:26.766 --> 21:28.066 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80%
and then it'll go into town,

21:28.066 --> 21:31.166 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80%
and all these homes right here
are impacted from that.

21:31.166 --> 21:35.100 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80%
Even in the past five years,
we've seen significant changes,

21:35.100 --> 21:37.100 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60%
especially with
the amount of snow.

21:37.100 --> 21:39.400 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70%
Last year we had
a very large snowstorm.

21:39.400 --> 21:42.333 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80%
And in some parts of town,
we had 20 feet of snow,

21:42.333 --> 21:45.033 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60%
which is
an incredible amount of snow.

21:45.033 --> 21:47.266 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70%
And then afterwards,
that brings in flooding.

21:49.666 --> 21:53.933 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70%
Every single year we're
impacted by the ice breakup.

21:53.933 --> 21:56.166 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70%
It tends to come further
and further into town,

21:56.166 --> 21:58.600 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80%
which is pretty impactful
for a lot of families.

22:07.000 --> 22:09.066 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70%
Because Kotzebue's
on a spit of land,

22:09.066 --> 22:11.900 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70%
and we're surrounded
on all sides by water,

22:11.900 --> 22:14.200 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80%
if we were to start building up,

22:14.200 --> 22:15.800 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70%
we would be building up
in these hills up here.

22:17.433 --> 22:18.866 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60%
A lot of elders
and a lot of people

22:18.866 --> 22:21.333 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80%
are starting to talk about
what that might look like.

22:21.333 --> 22:23.266 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60%
But right now,
we're just trying to make sure

22:23.266 --> 22:24.733 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80%
that our current community

22:24.733 --> 22:27.400 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60%
could withstand
any type of storm or flood

22:27.400 --> 22:30.100 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80%
or another typhoon, possibly.

22:37.000 --> 22:40.000 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80%
>> TALAHONGVA: It's August
when we return to Hooper Bay.

22:40.000 --> 22:42.566 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80%
Now that ice and snow aren't
covering everything,

22:42.566 --> 22:44.766 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60%
you can see
ponds of water everywhere.

22:44.766 --> 22:49.366 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80%
It's almost like the village is
floating on the spongy tundra.

22:49.366 --> 22:50.700 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80%
The waves of the Bering Sea

22:50.700 --> 22:54.566 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70%
are breaking close
to people's homes.

22:56.066 --> 22:59.233 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70%
>> Springtime, we mostly
come here after the ice is gone.

22:59.233 --> 23:03.733 align:left position:10% line:5% size:80%
We go hunt our seals way out
here, around this whole area.

23:04.833 --> 23:06.366 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60%
>> TALAHONGVA:
Edgar Tall is the chief

23:06.366 --> 23:09.533 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70%
of the Native Village
of Hooper Bay.

23:09.533 --> 23:12.433 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70%
Do you ever get tired of
hearing the ocean?

23:12.433 --> 23:14.100 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70%
>> No. I like to stay.

23:14.100 --> 23:16.100 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70%
It's the only place
where I like to be.

23:17.800 --> 23:19.800 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60%
>> TALAHONGVA:
Chief Tall takes me out to

23:19.800 --> 23:24.166 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80%
the only set of dunes left
that protect Hooper Bay.

23:24.166 --> 23:26.666 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70%
>> You see here,
you see the cloudberries.

23:26.666 --> 23:29.533 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60%
This is what
we're picking right now.

23:29.533 --> 23:31.033 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60%
>> TALAHONGVA:
Oh, wow.

23:31.033 --> 23:32.500 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70%
And can you eat these?
>> Yes.

23:32.500 --> 23:34.033 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70%
Right now they're soft.

23:35.600 --> 23:37.533 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80%
>> TALAHONGVA: Oh, my gosh,
that's so good.

23:39.833 --> 23:43.100 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60%
With relocation
still years away,

23:43.100 --> 23:46.866 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80%
Chief Tall tells me he's
focused on short-term planning.

23:46.866 --> 23:49.666 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80%
>> Right now our plan is to,
uh, protection in place

23:49.666 --> 23:52.600 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70%
before we move because
we can't move any faster.

23:52.600 --> 23:55.000 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80%
There is still process to do.

23:55.000 --> 23:57.133 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60%
And paperwork,
lot of paperwork and stuff.

23:57.133 --> 24:00.766 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80%
>> And the protection in place,

24:00.766 --> 24:03.033 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60%
we are helping
each others do that.

24:03.033 --> 24:04.966 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80%
>> We do have some grants that

24:04.966 --> 24:07.200 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80%
were approved, but those are
little grants, and, you know...

24:07.200 --> 24:08.266 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60%
>> TALAHONGVA:
When you say little grants,

24:08.266 --> 24:09.733 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80%
what kind of amount are we

24:09.733 --> 24:11.466 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60%
talking about?
>> Like $4 to $5 million.

24:11.466 --> 24:15.800 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70%
We've got $1.5 to,
uh, fix up the landfill.

24:17.633 --> 24:19.833 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60%
That's not even
gonna make a dent.

24:19.833 --> 24:22.500 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60%
And, you know,
hard to get grants,

24:22.500 --> 24:26.566 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80%
but those were earmarked to us
from, uh, Senator Murkowski.

24:31.733 --> 24:35.500 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80%
These guys here, they're
getting ready to go berry camp,

24:35.500 --> 24:37.533 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80%
go get some cloudberries.

24:37.533 --> 24:39.000 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60%
>> TALAHONGVA:
How long do they go for?

24:39.000 --> 24:40.933 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80%
>> Till they fill their barrels.

24:40.933 --> 24:43.700 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80%
If not, they don't get lucky.

24:43.700 --> 24:45.400 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80%
>> TALAHONGVA: So this is what
it's like all summer long,

24:45.400 --> 24:46.666 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80%
people are headed out to...

24:46.666 --> 24:50.033 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80%
>> Yeah, first you've got
your egg hunting.

24:50.033 --> 24:52.133 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80%
Then you've got your fishing.

24:52.133 --> 24:56.333 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80%
And then you're gonna go berry
camping and get some berries.

24:56.333 --> 25:00.433 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80%
In a few weeks, they're gonna go
moose hunt or bird hunt.

25:00.433 --> 25:01.933 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70%
Subsistence is a must.

25:01.933 --> 25:03.866 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60%
Always. Always.

25:06.300 --> 25:08.233 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70%
>> As long as we're able
to continue

25:08.233 --> 25:09.966 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80%
to practice our traditions,

25:09.966 --> 25:14.200 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80%
tell our stories, we will always
have the basic building blocks

25:14.200 --> 25:17.300 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70%
to maintain the culture
and to continue to grow it.

25:18.500 --> 25:19.900 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70%
>> I love the people.

25:19.900 --> 25:22.533 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70%
I love what the land
has to provide.

25:22.533 --> 25:24.966 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70%
I love what the water
has to provide.

25:24.966 --> 25:26.466 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70%
I love this land.

25:27.933 --> 25:29.900 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60%
>> TALAHONGVA:
Before we leave Hooper Bay,

25:29.900 --> 25:32.633 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70%
we watch Agatha Napoleon
making care packages

25:32.633 --> 25:37.466 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80%
to send to her daughters,
who moved away years ago.

25:37.466 --> 25:41.333 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70%
>> My children grew up
on these, like me, so

25:41.333 --> 25:43.866 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60%
they crave it.

25:43.866 --> 25:45.900 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80%
All the foods that I pack them,

25:45.900 --> 25:50.433 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70%
their little souls,
their little hearts need it.

25:50.433 --> 25:53.500 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70%
Even if they have moved,
they have to eat it.

25:56.033 --> 25:59.433 align:left position:20% line:5% size:70%
There have been families
that have moved away

25:59.433 --> 26:02.800 align:left position:10% line:5% size:80%
because they're afraid that
the next big storm,

26:02.800 --> 26:04.166 align:left position:10% line:5% size:80%
we could be all underwater.

26:04.166 --> 26:05.633 align:left position:30% line:5% size:60%
And it's scary.

26:07.900 --> 26:12.133 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80%
And, yeah, we are talking
about relocating.

26:12.133 --> 26:14.333 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80%
But there is no place like home.

26:14.333 --> 26:16.233 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70%
I am a Hooper Bay-er.

26:16.233 --> 26:20.633 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70%
I am from-- in Yup'ik:
"Naparyarmiut."

26:20.633 --> 26:23.533 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70%
I am from Hooper Bay.

26:27.100 --> 26:28.100 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60%
(waves crashing)

26:30.833 --> 26:32.333 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80%
>> Wow, this is the highest

26:32.333 --> 26:35.800 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70%
I've ever seen the water
in Kotzebue ever.

27:00.100 --> 27:05.033 align:left position:40% line:89% size:50%
♪ ♪

27:11.900 --> 27:16.700 align:left position:40% line:89% size:50%
♪ ♪

27:41.300 --> 27:42.300 align:left position:30% line:5% size:60%
Captioned by

27:42.300 --> 27:43.300 align:left position:10% line:5% size:80%
Media Access Group at WGBH

27:43.300 --> 27:45.733 align:left position:30% line:5% size:60%
access.wgbh.org

27:49.466 --> 27:51.800 align:left position:10% line:5% size:80%
>> For more on this and other
"FRONTLINE" programs,

27:51.800 --> 27:55.966 align:left position:20% line:5% size:70%
visit our website at
pbs.org/frontline.

27:55.966 --> 28:06.000 align:left position:40% line:5% size:50%
♪ ♪

28:06.000 --> 28:11.466 align:left position:40% line:5% size:50%
♪ ♪

28:11.466 --> 28:14.066 align:left position:10% line:5% size:80%
"Alaska's Vanishing Native
Villages" and

28:14.066 --> 28:18.100 align:left position:20% line:5% size:70%
"Crime Scene: Bucha" are
available on Amazon Prime Video.

28:18.100 --> 28:22.366 align:left position:10% line:5% size:80%
"Alaska's Vanishing Native
Villages" and