Gath & K'iyh: Listen to Heal

All of Mother Earth is interconnected; Gath (King Salmon) and K'iyh (Birch) have a sacred right to life, to migration without borders, and to relation with their Indigenous caretakers.

The King Salmon of the Yukon River have suffered an alarming decline, and their persistence in the watershed is now imperiled. Holding in prayer the profound grief of Indigenous communities along the Yukon River—who have been unable to practice traditional ways of fishing for King Salmon, passing Indigenous Knowledge to younger generations, and feeding their families traditional food for four years—We demand support for Indigenous Peoples' right to continue practicing their traditional livelihoods.

From May to September 2023, a cohort of climate justice advocates, university students, and concerned Alaskans gathered together on the lands of Lower Tanana Dene in Fairbanks, Alaska to learn about the climate crisis from our King Salmon and Birch relatives in three place-based workshops. The goal was “Listen to Heal”: slow down and navigate their grief for the climate crisis through the arts.