As the the rising concern over the decline of salmon populations in Alaska’s river systems becomes a priority for Tanana Chiefs Conference (TCC), the Tribal Resource Stewardship Program (TRSP) recently hired an Outreach Coordinator. Janessa Newman, from Rampart, brings a lifetime of experience working her family’s fish camp, and witnessing the decline of Yukon River salmon over the years.
Janessa says that her decision to advocate (for food sovereignty) came after discovering that Indigenous leaders on the Canadian side of the Yukon River had been sounding the alarm of concern for salmon numbers long before the problem became persistent in Alaska. “I thought to myself, ‘What would it mean for our people to not fish for the next 25 years?’” she recalls, “What it would it have meant for me if I had not been raised living this lifestyle?” It was shortly after this revelation that Janessa heard about the Outreach Coordinator position with TCC. “It just made the best sense considering my upbringing, passions, and interests,” she says.
Although the mission and vision of TCC’s Tribal Resource Stewardship program is to empower Tribal advocates to engage multiple levels of government in the call for respect for and adoption of Indigenous methods for subsistence living, Janessa points out that salmon is a priority issue for the program. “For a lot of our communities, salmon and other fish account for 25-50% of our diet; they are some of the best nutrition we can get in the villages,” she points out. “When you consider how difficult it is to get fresh produce in Alaska, subsistence fish and game are essentially our Agriculture up here.”
As a Masters student and a Tamamta Fellow at University of Alaska Fairbanks in the Interdisciplinary Studies program, Janessa is in the unique position of building a degree around Fisheries while simultaneously incorporating Tribal Governance classes on how policies impact resource management, and Rural Development classes such as Traditional Ecological Knowledge. Her trajectory within her role at TCC is tied closely to her personal values. “This work is very personal to me,” she says, “I want to encourage people to truly engage in land an animal process and decisions, inspire our tribal members to get out and do traditional practices, help us outgrow the limiting belief systems placed upon us by assimilation, and continue to empower our people through stories and narrative.”
In her spare time, Janessa and her partner, Joe Bifelt from Huslia, run a small team of sled dogs that keep them busy and entertained. She also enjoys beading, spending time with her family, and being at fish camp. She learned to count by pulling salmon out of her family’s nets, and says she’s most at peace on the riverbank.
Janessa’s work in reaching out to Tribes and discussing issues of impact to their communities begins soon. “It’s a big commitment to come to these spaces, but our voices are desperately needed.”
TCC is proud to welcome Janessa to the TCC family, and excited to stay true to our commitment to “grow our own.”. If you are interested in how you can become involved in the collective voice for Tribal Resource Stewardship, get in touch with the TRSP at (907) 452-8251, ext. 3109, or by email at TRSP@tananachiefs.org