With regard to the recent commentary, “Indigenous Alaskans ask President Biden to establish an Arctic Ocean marine national monument,” by Nauri Simmonds and Delbert Pungowiyi (Oct. 23): The proposal for a Marine National Monument in the Arctic Ocean fails to consider views from the majority of elected leaders representing the affected areas. If enacted, this roughly 419,000 square-mile monument would severely restrict the self-determination and “autonomy” of local Indigenous communities on the North Slope, contrary to claims made by the monument’s proponents.
A monument would undermine the North Slope Iñupiat right to self-determination from Kaktovik to Goodnews Bay by prohibiting us from stewarding our region as we have done for millennia. This proposed designation is another attempt to unilaterally wrest control from the North Slope Iñupiat over our homelands without meaningful consultation, or a deliberative, democratic process with the elected leaders that represent the areas in question.
If these two organizations — who do not speak for the majority of North Slope Iñupiat — would like to propose a monument, they must first engage with these communities and their democratically elected leaders. Meaningful conservation requires listening to all stakeholders in our region, regardless of position, and not locking us out of policy discussions that shape our future. Protecting the environment and supporting our economic livelihood must go hand in hand — not at the expense of our communities’ future.
— Nagruk Harcharek
President, Voice of the Arctic Iñupiat
Anchorage
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