Qualla: Arctic Village and the Gwich'in People https://qualla.com/arctic-village-gwich-in en-us © 2026 Bendyline Mon, 20 Jul 2026 10:21:06 GMT Qualla serial false Qualla support@bendyline.com yes https://qualla.com/_m/b/u/0/e/arctic-village-gwich-in-wk/hero-small.webp Qualla: Arctic Village and the Gwich'in People https://qualla.com/arctic-village-gwich-in Arctic Village and the Gwich'in People: Introduction https://qualla.com/arctic-village-gwich-in/ Photo credit Wentworth, Cynthia - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Public domain. One hundred miles above the Arctic Circle, in a roadless valley that sees 67 days of winter darkness, the Gwich'in people of Arctic Village continue a way of life older than civilization. They hunt caribou - the Porcupine Caribou Herd, 200,000 animals that migrate between Canada and Alaska in one of Earth's last great wildlife spectacles. The Gwich'in call themselves 'Caribou People'; their culture, language, and survival are intertwined with the herd. For decades, they've fought to protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge's coastal plain - the herd's calving ground, which they call 'the sacred place where life begins' - from oil drilling that could disrupt the migration. It's a fight between ancient subsistence and modern energy, between 20,000 years of adaptation and quarterly profit reports.

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Image: Wentworth, Cynthia - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | Public domain

]]> Mon, 12 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/b/u/0/e/arctic-village-gwich-in-wk/bu0e-arctic-village-and-the-gwichin-people-intro.mp3 0:06 1 full Arctic Village and the Gwich'in People: The People https://qualla.com/arctic-village-gwich-in/ Photo credit Troyer William A, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Public domain. The Gwich'in have lived in the Arctic for at least 20,000 years - among the oldest continuous cultures in North America. Their villages stretch from northeastern Alaska into Canada's Yukon and Northwest Territories, following the caribou's range. Arctic Village, one of the most r...

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Image: Troyer William A, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | Public domain

]]> Mon, 12 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/b/u/0/e/arctic-village-gwich-in-wk/bu0e-arctic-village-and-the-gwichin-people-the-people.mp3 0:06 2 full Arctic Village and the Gwich'in People: The Herd https://qualla.com/arctic-village-gwich-in/ Photo credit Troyer William A, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Public domain. The Porcupine Caribou Herd - named for the Porcupine River, not the animal - numbers around 200,000 animals. Each spring, they migrate from winter range in Alaska and Canada to calving grounds on the Arctic coastal plain. Calves are born in June on the flat tundra near the Beaufo...

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Image: Troyer William A, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | Public domain

]]> Mon, 12 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/b/u/0/e/arctic-village-gwich-in-wk/bu0e-arctic-village-and-the-gwichin-people-the-herd.mp3 0:06 3 full Arctic Village and the Gwich'in People: The Fight https://qualla.com/arctic-village-gwich-in/ Photo credit Troyer William A, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Public domain. The coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge sits atop estimated billions of barrels of oil. Since the 1980s, energy companies have sought permission to drill; environmentalists and the Gwich'in have fought to stop them. The Gwich'in Steering Committee, formed in 1988...

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Image: Troyer William A, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | Public domain

]]> Mon, 12 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/b/u/0/e/arctic-village-gwich-in-wk/bu0e-arctic-village-and-the-gwichin-people-the-fight.mp3 0:06 4 full Arctic Village and the Gwich'in People: The Life https://qualla.com/arctic-village-gwich-in/ Photo credit Troyer William A, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Public domain. Living in Arctic Village means living differently. There are no roads - access is by small aircraft. Supplies arrive by plane; fuel is expensive; heating costs dominate budgets. The village has electricity (diesel generator), a school, a clinic, and satellite internet. Temperatur...

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Image: Troyer William A, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | Public domain

]]> Mon, 12 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/b/u/0/e/arctic-village-gwich-in-wk/bu0e-arctic-village-and-the-gwichin-people-the-life.mp3 0:06 5 full Arctic Village and the Gwich'in People: Visiting Arctic Village https://qualla.com/arctic-village-gwich-in/ Photo credit Troyer William A, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Public domain. Arctic Village is not a tourist destination; it's a community that has resisted becoming one. There are no hotels, no restaurants, and no public facilities for visitors. Access is by charter aircraft from Fairbanks (about 290 air miles). The Gwich'in Niintsyaa (Gwich'in Gathering...

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Image: Troyer William A, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | Public domain

]]> Mon, 12 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/b/u/0/e/arctic-village-gwich-in-wk/bu0e-arctic-village-and-the-gwichin-people-visiting-arctic-village.mp3 0:06 6 full