Gwich'in Caribou, Source of Food and Sacred Way of Life, Threatened by Oil and Gas Development

 

Photo courtesy Gwich'in Steering Committee

Gwich'in Caribou, Source of Food and Sacred Way of Life, Threatened by Oil and Gas Development

By Gwich'in Steering Committee, Censored News, Nov. 7, 2025

Photo courtesy Gwich'in Steering Committee

The way of life is threatened for Gwich'in, in the Sacred Place Where Life Begins.
"We've had times when the caribou didn't come, and those were very hard times."
"It's a daily source of food for us."
Watch video:
https://www.facebook.com/ourarcticrefuge

There is so much at stake – our culture, the caribou, this land.

The Gwich’in have lived in relationship with the Porcupine Caribou herd for thousands of years. We rely on the caribou not only as our primary food source, they are also the very foundation of our culture, our way of life, and who we are as Gwich’in.

All of that is under threat by the Trump administration. The administration announced that they are opening the entire Coastal Plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge –the caribou’s sacred calving grounds – to oil and gas development.

We, the Gwich’in, call upon all people to join us in our fight to protect the Porcupine Caribou Herd, their birthplace, nursery, and calving grounds in the Coastal Plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

For thousands of years, our people have lived in a balanced relationship with our lands, waters, and animals. We pass on our traditional knowledge from generation to generation to ensure the ongoing stewardship of our homelands and the resources upon which our people depend.

Over 200,000 vadzaih (caribou) still migrate freely across their ancestral lands and traditional use areas unobstructed by industrial development, returning every fall to our northern Gwich’in communities. They provide the foundation of our cultural, spiritual, and physical survival.

If you want to stop the destruction of this irreplaceable landscape, take action by:

→ Sharing this video far and wide.
→ Heading to gwichinsteering.org/takeaction
to add your name to stand with us in this fight.

→ Call your representatives to tell them you want to #ProtectTheArctic and you OPPOSE any drilling in the Arctic Refuge.

As Gwich’in, we are not giving up. We will continue to fight to protect this landscape and be a voice for the caribou. Mahsi to all of our allies who are fighting with us!