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This paper presents methodological research approaches utilised with Indigenous communities in the Kuskokwim Region of southwestern Alaska. The project is situated in the communities of Kongiganak, Quinhagak, Bethel, Aniak, and McGrath, spanning the Kuskokwim Bay and Kuskokwim River, and with Alaska Native Peoples who have been Salmon Peoples and stewards of their ancestral homelands since time immemorial. We specifically expand upon methodologies that have made this project successful, highlighting Indigenous and qualitative methodological approaches and Tribal youth engagement in Indigenousled, Tribal and community-engaged research, given the importance of research process with and in Indigenous communities. Circle dialogues served as a core methodology for building initial relationships and partnerships between Tribes and the University, and as a mechanism to shape the research in a way that is aligned with Tribal priorities and respecting Tribal sovereignty. We uplift the voices of Tribal citizens who participated in these dialogues regarding their concerns and hopes for salmon and Salmon Peoples, while bringing youth along this research journey. Lastly, we emphasise the importance of spending time in community and building relationships, because it is these relationships that serve as a core foundation for carrying out research ‘in a good way’. 

ABSTRACT In this research, we bridge knowledge systems and perspectives from Indigenous and rural fishers alongside state and federal managers and biologists regarding the state of salmon management and research processes in the Kuskokwim Region of southwestern Alaska. The key objectives were to identify strategies to improve salmon management, document perspectives on Alaska Native inclusion in current management and research processes, and illustrate ways to develop more inclusive management processes and organizations. We also identify key opportunities and barriers to relationship building between Tribes and management agencies. Lastly, we explore perceptions of equity and equality and how research and management account for these dimensions. This was a two‐component research project, with one component being primarily Indigenous‐led and community‐engaged, and the second component involving agency management and research staff. We carried out 28 semi‐directed interviews with 45 Indigenous and community knowledge holders across five different communities from June 2019 to May 2022, in addition to 12 interviews with state and federal managers and researchers in 2023. Our study revealed both key differences and shared understandings between state, federal, and community perspectives regarding salmon management and research and around agency inclusion of Indigenous Knowledge systems and Tribal governments. Shared visions and solutions for improving salmon management in southwestern Alaska and elsewhere reflect a greater need for community and Indigenous empowerment and inclusion in fisheries management and research, in addition to increased relationship building and agency time spent in communities. A key recommendation arising from this study is that trust and respect are precursors to meaningfully bridging knowledge systems. Our team encourages further investigation of current power and resource disparities that prohibit equitable knowledge sharing in fisheries management and research, while identifying broad solutions for improving the current salmon management system given diverse sharing across Indigenous, federal, and state experts. 

This Indigenous-led project aims to better understand historical and contemporary ways in which Alaska Native Peoples steward salmon and the values connected to salmon stewardship. Indigenous Peoples have stewarded Alaska lands and waters for thousands of years yet have been largely excluded from western science and management systems. In this project, we utilize a participatory approach that allows for the equitable valuing of ideas and knowledges to document the breadth and depth of Yup'ik and Athabascan knowledge and governance systems in southwestern Alaska. We reshape research methodologies by centering Indigenous frameworks and methodologies, including circle dialogues and multi-generational interviews led by Indigenous scholars and students in their home communities and regions. In this paper, we share the Yup'ik and Athabascan values, knowledge, management, and governance mechanisms that can improve the long-term sustainability and equity of Alaska salmon systems. This research elevates the voices of Alaska Native salmon stewards and experts from the Kuskokwim Bay and the Kuskokwim River. We elaborate on five key themes that emerged from this research, including traditional Indigenous ways of life, Indigenous stewardship, self-determination, food and livelihood sovereignty, and ecosystem changes, and identify a more equitable and sustainable path forward for salmon and people in Alaska.