Panganga Pungowiyi, an activist with the Indigenous Environmental Network, represented Indigenous communities at the recent global treaty talks on plastic pollution held in Geneva. Pungowiyi’s commanding presence, along with other speakers and performers, helped underscore the urgent intersectional ethics of environmental work and Indigenous sovereignty. As an advocate from Alaska, near the Bering Strait, she brought attention to the severe impacts of plastic pollution on traditional food sources and community health.
During the talks, Pungowiyi participated in a purification ritual with six women and a young man from various North American Indigenous communities. This impromptu performance served as an international expression of solidarity and strength to combat ecological destruction. Pungowiyi emphasized the urgent need for collective action, stating, “We carry knowledge; it’s our responsibility — our duty — to share the information given to us by the ecosystems.”
The Impact of Plastic Pollution on Food Security
Pungowiyi stated that plastic pollution is eroding the sovereignty and traditional lifestyle that forms the basis of food security for many Indigenous peoples. She shared her grave alarm about the vanishing fish and seal populations that once sustained their diets and way of life. “No more fish — no more seals: no more food,” she lamented, underscoring the dire consequences of unchecked pollution.
The impacts of plastic pollution go beyond our iconic wildlife. Community leader Aakaluk Adrienne Blatchford participated in the conversations and resoundingly seconded Pungowiyi’s concerns. She said, “It’s getting more and more challenging to protect our food security. This disturbing trend presents serious obstacles to Native communities that have depended on subsistence hunting and fishing for generations.
Indigenous communities have always had a symbiotic relationship with their environment. Pungowiyi articulated this connection, noting, “We are exposed through food, water and forages, because we forage for our food.” The economic reliance on natural resources means that their communities are especially susceptible to the impacts of pollution and climate change.
A Call for Collective Action
The need to take action against plastic pollution is urgent and more than words can describe. The participants at the Geneva talks emphasized that immediate and collective action is necessary to safeguard their future and that of their ecosystems. One participant highlighted the necessity for a unified approach, stating, “We need a collective decision on how to handle this crisis.”
These conversations expanded to include traditional ecological knowledge passed through generations. As one person stated, “When animals are dying, we’re dying,” echoing this connection between human life and the health of wildlife. This deep-rooted sense of responsibility extends well beyond our own backyards. It embodies a deep-seated dedication to future generations, much like the traditional Indigenous chant of “until the seventh generation.”
Pungowiyi’s work is not an isolated example, but part of a larger effort by Indigenous activists fighting for environmental justice. Plastic pollution is a challenge of our time that transcends any one country’s borders and governance. Yet, marginalized communities continue to bear the brunt of this crisis.
Rituals of Resilience
Pungowiyi performed the purification rite reverently. He presented each of the six women with a bowl of plumes burning seal fat and aromatic plant powders. This act symbolized their common ancestry. Yet it demonstrated their determination to defend their culture while facing mounting threats from environmental predators. It was a harrowing yet inspiring glimpse into their resilience and their insistence that we all must honor traditional practices in fighting new threats.
Pungowiyi’s leadership at the climate talks serves as a call to action for policymakers and stakeholders around the world. Indigenous representatives are transmitting an important message. As such, they shine a spotlight on the urgent need for immediate actions to reduce plastic pollution and protect vulnerable ecosystems.