Jessica LeClair

“What will you write of us?” This is a simple question, a difficult question, an interesting question; it is a question posed many times by people that I encountered during the summer of 2007. It was during this time period that I had the opportunity to live and work among the people of Northern Norway . And to these people I owe many thanks. It was through their kindness and generosity that I was able to witness and participate in a total Arctic summer. The purpose of this experience was to complete an internship funded by the Goodwin-Niering Center for Conservation Biology and Environmental Studies - to observe first-hand climate change and their effects, if any, on traditional lifestyles, but by the end of the summer it had become that and much more.

Initially this summer employment was to be sponsored by the Snowchange Cooperative (Snowchange). Snowchange is an organization located in Finland which documents traditional knowledge in many regions of the Arctic in different capacities, one of which being the changing climate. The group was to investigate beginning activities in Nesseby Kommune, a small village of fewer than 800 inhabitants. Nesseby lies on the Varanger Peninsula and is situated on the north side of the Varangerfjord. 80-90% of the population is of Sámi origin and the principle occupations are state employment, reindeer herding, and fishing. The Sámi are the indigenous people of Northern Norway, Sweden , Finland , and parts of Western Russia .

Following discussions between community members and Snowchange personnel it was decided that it was in the best interest of all involved parties to forgo beginning work at this time. As a result my anticipated work duties for Snowchange were altered. The responsibilities that were cut in response to the decision were documentation of traditional knowledge of the Nesseby/Unjárga Sámi community, and assessment of traditional land use and ecosystem changes of the Varanger Peninsula . However, I was still to assist with the preparation and event undertakings of an international seminar about the polar fox, an endangered species in Scandinavia . I also provided Snowchange with daily weather observations, a compellation of personal experiences within the community and the environment, and a community profile. The goal of this work was to facilitate any future work that Snowchange might have with the community.

After the discussions the new aim of the internship became assisting Bergeby Handel, a “district” of Nesseby Kommune, by acting as a local community volunteer under the guidance of Vigdis Siri. Throughout the summer a wide variety of tasks were completed for many different people and organizations. Therefore internship responsibilities were diverse and numerous. A few of such responsibilities were to: assist in the creation and finalization of a salmon fishing exhibition at the Varanger Samiske Museum; help in a local tannery to prepare fish, moose and reindeer skins; paint a future duodji (Sámi handicraft) workshop; guard the stage at a local music festival; collect plants to be eaten and to be used to tan leather; assist a dog musher gathering and packaging materials for the dogs; aid farmers in sheep herding and the collection of hay; assist local fishermen; help with the setup for an International Indigenous Persons' Day celebration; and digitally map a trail and points of interest for a sport organization.

Completion of these tasks and others not mentioned, alone would have provided a wealth of information to bring back to Connecticut College . However, as noted earlier this internship offered much more than expected. Nesseby lies at approximately 70°N latitude and at this location summer is 24 hours of sunlight. Some say that day becomes night and night becomes day – and some days last forever. With this light there is time for much. So beyond my internship responsibilities there was time to explore, to talk, and most importantly to listen and to watch. The people I met shared their world; they shared observations, stories, and even jokes. They worked and they relaxed. They answered questions. And all the time they were teaching, whether they intended to or not.

The original force driving this internship was a desire to witness the effects of climate change on indigenous tribes in the Arctic . But as life in the Arctic and elsewhere is being forced to adapt to a changing natural world, so too was the scope of this internship. However, the changes made were not negative. Through this internship I was able to come away with some understanding of a way of life that is much different from a typical life here in the northeast part of the United States , and in some ways very similar. While it would take many years, decades even, of year-round living in the Arctic to truly understand, what I saw will undeniably aid in the writing process of my Senior Integrated Project (SIP). Additionally, by having these different work experiences and learning to rely on the natural environment daily for many necessities, I believe I now have a better understanding of what I would like to do and not do in a post-college career. Until that time comes, my SIP will be conducted as an individual study consisting of a comparison of environmental impacts/concerns from 1988 until 2008 in the Arctic, specifically in Norway . Since 1988 there has been a rapid accumulation of information on climate change and its predicted effects on the Arctic , along with further information regarding other environmental issues. I would like to investigate how 20 years of research and findings have affected the environmental actions in Norway .