Globalization and development in a post-nomadic hunter-gatherer village: the case of Arctic Village, Alaska.(Contributions to Understanding the North)

Introduction

The evolving development of a global economy and society is increasingly affecting the Indigenous communities of the North, as Alaskan and Canadian First Nations, among others, settle in permanent villages, enter the wage labor economy, and take on many of the social and cultural interests and values of their neighbors of European heritage. Among such communities now in rapid transition is the Gwich'in Nation, one of the northernmost Aboriginal populations in North America, which resides in a vast area north of the Arctic Circle straddling the Alaska-Yukon border.

Once a nomadic group of hunters and gatherers, the Gwich'in today have settled in small villages. One of these, Arctic Village, Alaska, is home to the Nets'aii Gwich'in sub-tribe. While similar to many such villages throughout the state, Arctic Village is unique when compared to others of its size (pop. 125), in that, over the past decade, it has sought to introduce community planning in an effort to transform the settlement into a more "developed," western-style town.

In the following study, I will discuss a number of interrelated questions about the role of planning in Arctic Village over the past decade. First, to what degree has planning been adopted by the communal governing structure? Second, how has western-style planning been received by the community as a whole? And last, what role does planning have in the present development of the community, and what role might it play in the future?

To address these issues, one must recognize that throughout their history, the Gwich'in were largely independent of others. Thus, an additional question that the paper will raise is the issue of dependency, and the fact that the community now relies increasingly upon external providers for its various basic needs. The potential for resentment that this development entails, combined with the difficult nature of village service provision in rural communities, only further complicates effective service provision.

As will be seen below, the process of incorporating planning into an existing Indigenous governing system has produced mixed results. That said, the Arctic Village experience provides an important case study in how one Indigenous northern community has sought to face the challenges encountered by post-nomadic hunters and gatherers in an era of globalization.

Alaskan Gwich'in Historical Background, 1850-1990