"Our Story is Your Story" : A Growing Guardians Movement from Canada to Alaska and Beyond

Guardians conduct ice monitoring on Nanvarpak/Nila Vena in partnership with Fresh Eyes on Ice.  

Courtesy: Igiugig Tribal Stewardship Office  

October 28, 2024

On a cold, crisp October evening in Anchorage, the room of over 100 people fell still as Mary Hostetter, Yup’ik, shared why she believed in the power of Guardians – and why she had invited everyone to join us in learning about that power. “This is why I moved back to my community. I believe with my whole heart that Guardians are what will help pull us out of this chaos we are all experiencing.” 

Hostetter is one of the founders of the Bristol Bay Guardians program in southwest Alaska. She is inspired by the model of Guardians that is flourishing across Canada and hopes to see a similar movement expand across Alaska, for very good reason: Guardians programs transform people’s lives and communities. Guardians are the ‘eyes and boots’ on the ground for their communities. They steward lands and waters, restore animals and plants, test water quality, and monitor development projects. Young people grow up knowing they can choose jobs at home, on the land, and connected to culture. Women and men gain professional skills and support their families with good wages. Reconnecting with culture, healing from trauma, retaining language and feeling pride in identity—all of it is rooted in relationship with the land and inherent responsibilities to look after it.  

Event participants gather to learn more about Guardians programs operating and emerging across Alaska. 

Hosted by the Indigenous Leadership Initiative and other partners, the special event ‘Indigenous Guardianship in Alaska’ took place during the Alaska Federation of Natives (AFN) conference. AFN is the largest gathering of Alaska Natives in the state and serves as the principal forum and voice for the Alaska Native community in addressing critical issues of policy and government. The convention convenes thousands of official delegates and participants from organizations across the state.  

This year, Hostetter attended to share about the Guardians program unfolding in her own community, but also as an ambassador for the growing Guardians movement in Alaska. 

Bristol Bay Guardians conduct monitoring on the land.

Courtesy: Igiugig Tribal Stewardship office

Indigenous Guardians programs are emerging across the U.S., but there is a particular interest and concentration of programs that are either established or taking root in the state of Alaska. Leaders in the region have been inspired by movements in Canada and Australia to establish Guardians and Indigenous Rangers programs, and are excited to see similar momentum unfolding across the state in many communities. 

Heiltsuk Hereditary Chief and ILI Sr. Advisor Frank Brown attended AFN and the event to share about his experience in establishing one of the first-ever Guardians programs in Canada, and how Guardians are a critical part of Tribal Nations’ pathway from colonization back to sovereignty through taking care of traditional territories. Guardians help us build and redefine stewardship capacity by integrating Indigenous knowledge, language, law, and culture alongside the best of western science.  “Our story is your story,” he shared. “Our stories are the same just in different places. I see this work as undoing colonial harms and reconnecting to our responsibilities with land, water, and natural resources in a reciprocal relationship.”    

Frank Brown shares about the Coastal First Nations Guardian Watchmen. 

The evening was full of inspiration as others described the successes of Indigenous-led stewardship initiatives and Guardians programs, including how it sustains the land, connects people to culture, helps people heal, and offers hope in the face of mounting threats to their homes and subsistence rights.  

Alaska Native communities rely heavily on the land for traditionally harvested foods, clothing, and cultural and spiritual connection. Salmon runs are at a historic low, and many other animals are under threat – including many of Alaska’s caribou herds which are on the decline after being negatively impacted by climate change and industry development. Warren Jones, who is Gwich’in and Yup’ik and grew up in Nome, touched on those challenges for Alaska Native communities but also how Guardians serve as part of the solution. “When you look at what’s happening in our state, and particularly with our salmon returns, the plants and the animals are trying to tell us something. It’s up to us as the stewards of the land to figure out what that is, to be their voice and to be the eyes and ears on the land.” 

Hannah-Marie Garcia-Ladd, Spanish and Sicangu Lakota, Program Director for the Indigenous Sentinels Network (ISN) at the Aleut community of St. Paul Island Tribal Government reiterated the role of Alaska Native peoples in stewarding their land. The ISN is a tribally-led, community-driven Network focused on supporting Indigenous stewardship and environmental data collection across Alaska. ISN is aligned with the broader Indigenous Guardians movement and supports Tribes in gathering critical ecological data to inform decision-making, both locally and globally. Their work includes monitoring harvest and wildlife population shifts, tracking ecological changes, and ensuring that traditional subsistence practices remain resilient in the face of ongoing environmental challenges. 

Leanna Heffner from the Alaska Conservation Fund with Mike Williams at the event. 

Garcia-Ladd shared that the work of Sentinels, and the work of Guardians across the state, is unique in a broader political environment that has long dictated to Alaska Natives about what, when, and how their lands should be managed. “Guardianship means seeing ourselves in the process of caring for our homes, not just "managing" resources, but truly caring for them,” she shared. “It’s about owning that responsibility, and recognizing our power as people to be on the land and listen to our lands and waters.” 

Before the evening ended with time for connecting and fellowship, Mary Hostetter inspired participants and encouraged everyone once again to join in the Guardians movement. “For too long our people have been told that we don’t have enough knowledge. That we aren’t smart enough. That our languages have no meaning. I’m here to tell you that’s not true. Indigenous Guardians programs are a way for our communities to lead with our knowledge and to authentically engage with federal, state, and research institutions to inform the ways that we can better care for our relatives of the land, water and skies.” 

Event partners from Alaska, Canada, and beyond.