AVIKTUAQATIGIIGÑIQ: Sharing Iñupiat Snow TEKnology

Author: Leanna Mack, ARCTIC SOLNS

Video Presentation

Abstract

The increasing uncertainty in hydrology is the shifting from interconnectedness to splicing the last drop of water into the three individual atoms eliminating the very molecule being studied. Precipitation is a component of the greater water cycle ("What Is Precipitation," 2026). Relatively, Iñupiat are an integral element to the Arctic cryosphere and who hold terminology for all states of water. In fact, coastal Iñupiat are called Taġiuġmuit, people of the ocean. Excluding the Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) of the Iñupiat references for snow is the implication in poor water management flowing from western research methodologies ("Iñupiaq Online," 2026). Imagine using a word only 36 years older than the State of Alaska, the scientific word "cryosphere" to describe the Arctic ecology instead of the terminologies that have existed for millennia (Oxford English Dictionary, 2025). The TEK for snow correlates to past, present, and future inflections. Using the complex and comprehensive traditional Iñupiat survival tactics is the only solution to manage conservation and development. These proven methods in adapting to any circumstances as they account for aspects in every decision because in the Arctic, one mistake can be fatal. Static practices, like creating permanent settlements, accumulating excess energy shocking the Earth.

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