Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
For years, Iizhik Gwats'an Gwandaii Goodlit, the sacred place where life begins, has been at the center of the debate on energy policy and oil supplies. The coastal plain, though, is home to both the Gwich'in and the Porcupine Caribou Herd, who for thousands of years have shared this sacred land. The Gwich'in rely on the caribou to meet their essential physical, cultural, social, economic and spiritual needs and established their villages along the migratory path of the caribou. Every year, the Porcupine Caribou Herd migrates to the coastal plain, where 40-50,000 calves are born. Gwich'in reliance on traditional use of the caribou is a matter of survival – the caribou have provided clothing, tools, weapons, shelter, medicine, nutrition, and are central to the songs and dances of the Gwich'in. Estimates and studies expect that oil drilling in ANWR would provide a mere six months worth of oil to the United States but it would devastate the ecosystem, disrupt the caribou migration, and would violate the rights of the Gwich'in to continue their traditional way of life.

For more information

Gwich'in Steering Committee

Caribou Commons Project