Project Grant 2330922

This National Science Foundation (NSF) Project Grant award under the Polar Programs (CFDA 47.078) provides $424,332 to Syracuse University to conduct a collaborative research project titled "Indigenous Northern Landscapes, Visual Repatriation, and Collaborative Knowledge Exchange." The project aims to repatriate and facilitate community-centered management of historical landscape photographs from museum and archival collections by the Iñupiat people of Arctic Alaska and the Ainu people of northern Japan. The research employs methods such as story mapping, repeat photography, oral histories, and photovoice to advance understanding of environmental changes and their impacts on these indigenous communities. Key activities include workshops, cultural exchanges, co-curation of photograph catalogs, and co-publication of peer-reviewed articles. This 3-year project, starting December 1, 2023, fosters collaboration and knowledge exchange between researchers and the indigenous communities in Alaska and Japan to enhance resilience and address social and environmental challenges.