“I'm not an activist, I’m not an environmentalist. I’m just trying to protect my children’s birthright."—Bernadette Demientieff of Gwich'in Steering Committee. The Gwich'in call the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge “Iizhik Gwats'an Gwandaii Goodlit” (The Sacred Place Where Life Begins). Demientieff and other Gwich'in citizens are working to protect this land from development and oil drilling. Drilling will destroy intact wilderness and violate the human rights of the Gwich’in, who rely on this sacred place to sustain their culture and way of life. The Gwich’in are fighting to protect their future, but they can’t win this battle alone. #ProtectTheArctic #StandWithTheGwichin #IndigenousPeoplesDay
