Project Description
Our proposed workshop will explore northern Indigenous terminology and experiences pertaining tofrozen precipitation. Northern Indigenous communities have generations of place-based knowledge about weather events and climatic changes, which is reflected in their significantly rich, specific lexicons related to environmental conditions. Further, Ainu knowledge in particular is underrepresented within atmospheric sciences despite Ainu Mosir (the traditional homeland of the Ainu) being one of the snowiest regions in the world. One characteristic feature of this workshop is that it will take place during the 2027 Arctic Science Summit Week (ASSW) in Hakodate, Hokkaido, thus engaging with members from multiple northern communities, including Ainu. During the workshop, SD and MK will introduce contemporary scholarship and participants will be invited to share oral histories, terminology and climate knowledge, allowing for a panarctic cross-pollination oflanguage- and experience-based knowledge with Western science.
Date and Location
11 – 20 April 2027, Hakodate, Japan (ASSW 2027)
IASC Working Groups funding the project
- Atmosphere WG
- Cryosphere WG
Project Lead
Seira Duncan (Hokkaido University, Japan / Harvard University, USA)
Mariel Kieval (Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Norway / The Arctic Institute)
Year funded by IASC
2026