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Gallo, M. V., Ravenscroft, J., Carpenter, D. O., Frye, C., Akwesasne Task Force On The, E., Cook, B., & Schell, L. M. (2016). Endocrine disrupting chemicals and ovulation: Is there a relationship?. Environmental Research, 151410-418. Gallo et al. studies endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDC’s) impact on menstruation and ovulation through an analysis of organochlorines (PCB, DDT, HCB, etc.) in Akwesasne women aged 21 to 38. This study follows up Lawrence et al. (2003) studies on the presence of such chemicals in Akwesasne youth. The next step, an examination on the population group responsible for reproducing the community, reveals findings which contribute to Western scientists understanding of the urgency of issues of ecosystem contamination for the Akwesasne community as a whole. Through analyses of 140 women’s ovulation and menstruation, results indicated that the possibility for these women to ovulate drastically decreases as their exposure to PCBs and similar chemicals increases. Additionally, the amount of such chemicals found in women’s bodies increased with age, revealing the time sensitivity for clean up of harmful chemicals which store in bodily tissue.This study, the only of it’s kind to compare PCB’s to ovulation, reveal the impact EDC exposure can have on healthy reproduction of communities which live off of contaminated resources. Akwesasne health is often viewed from non-Native perspectives. This research contributes to the ATFE’s emphasis on supporting science related to measuring toxins in Mohawk people to illustrate the connection between environmental, cultural and personal health issues.

Linda Robyn, a. (2002). Indigenous Knowledge and Technology: Creating Environmental Justice in the Twenty-First Century. American Indian Quarterly, (2), 198. This piece expanded on the need for incorporating traditional knowledge in effective environmental activism relating to American indians. Robyn recapped the historical colonization of american indian groups through the subordination and marginalization of traditional knowledge as a legitimate, complex system of environmental interactions, as well as a means of social, political and economic organization. By romanticizing indigenous groups as purely focused on the environment, colonizer’s rhetoric has stigmatized an extremely complex system of knowledge which organizes all aspects of American Indian life. By recognizing, empowering, recording and letting exist such alternative ways of understanding and interacting with one another and the environment, scholars could work toward research which promote more appropriate ideas of sovereignty and American indians diverse cultures. By implementing policy and research which works to legitimize TK and rewrite the history of colonization, both Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities could implement practices which are aligned with scientific notions of sustainability and environmental health, which are reflected and reproduced in cultural and social autonomy for American indians. There is something to be gained from the colonizing culture as well through the empowerment and legitimization of traditional knowledge. The ATFE advocates for increased education and empowerment of Akwesasne culture, environment, knowledge and health. Understanding these processes in a historical context allows for the opportunity to introduce progressive changes to policies which empower traditional knowledge.

Lawrence M. Schell, a., Lech A. Hubicki, a., Anthony P. DeCaprio, a., Mia V. Gallo, a., Julia Ravenscroft, a., Alice Tarbell, a., & ... The Akwesasne Task Force on the Environment, a. (2003). Organochlorines, Lead, and Mercury in Akwesasne Mohawk Youth. Environmental Health Perspectives, (7), 954. The researchers intended to study the blood samples of Akwesasne youth for the presence of persistent organic pollutants (POP’s) related to the Mohawk increased exposure to contaminated natural resources. Although all people have traces of chemicals such as PCB’s, DDT, and DDE in their blood, Native Americans such as the Akwesasne create their livelihoods around subsistence farming and fishing, which carry high levels of such chemicals due to upstream industrial pollution of all sorts. Results indicated that Akwesasne from the ages of 10 to 17, averaging around 13 years old, were more likely to carry unhealthy or high levels of POP’s based on their activities, but also the lifestyle and exposure level of the mother, and the closeness of her bodily chemicals to her child. For instance, mature adolescents who were breastfed as babies had 1.3 times more POP traces than youth who were not breastfed. These studies were comparing the blood context chemical levels to the EPA’s standard for healthy or safe human exposure. These values are not reflective of the impact such adverse health conditions, and the resulting pressure to change cultural practices, for the Akwesasne people. As these chemicals are stored in bodily tissue, they are likely to accumulate in Akwesasne bodies over generations if the chemical exposure is not addressed or cultural values do not drastically change to reduce exposure. The issues of upstream industrial dumping of POP’s becomes an issue of health and reproductive justice, impacting all levels of Akwesasne health, vitality and human rights. The cultural practices which contribute to the spread of harmful chemicals are invaluable to the Akwesasne and cannot be changed without drastic changes to Akwesasne communal and individual identity. These findings, despite the EPA’s standard of health, reflect a crisis among this indigenous community should the upstream polluters not address their destruction immediately in order to reduce exposure for future generations.This research can be used in promoting the interrelated nature of all issues for justice in Mohawk culture, a major platform for ATFE mission.

Lawrence M. Schell, a., Julia Ravenscroft, a., Maxine Cole, a., Agnes Jacobs, a., Joan Newman, a., & Akwesasne Task Force on the Environment, a. (2005). Health Disparities and Toxicant Exposure of Akwesasne Mohawk Young Adults: A Partnership Approach to Research. Environmental Health Perspectives, (12), 1826. The Akwesasne Mohawk Nation and the University at Albany, SUNY performed collaborative research to understand how behavioral expressions of cultural identity among Akwesasne youth relate to exposure to Endocrine Disruptive Chemicals (EDC). EDC’s, such as PCB’s, are known to cause issues for thyroid function and neurological development among exposed people. These researchers make a point to connect the high exposure levels of the Akwesasne community to the development of the St. Lawrence Seaway in the 1950’s, and the wider political economic agenda in the U.S. Significant cultural practices related to merely surviving, such as eating fish and aquatic animals and breastfeeding children, puts Akwesasne communities at disproportionately high exposure level to chemicals which threaten the survival of the community as a whole. The community, and other American Indian groups alike, are under attack from the political economy of the U.S. government, military and academic world. Scholarship which includes indigenous knowledge and research models, such as the Akwesasne protocol on research, could help reinvent risk assessment models used by our nation to quantify such apparent adverse health disparities within the community. Through research partnership and the inclusion of Indigenous Knowledge, efforts at promoting environmental justice efforts in the country could more adequately and appropriately impact policies and economic activities which contribute to the deterioration of marginalized groups within the landscape of the U.S. This research demonstrates the success of ATFE efforts to mesh traditional knowledge with scientific scholarship. The reinvention of risk assessments uses the same structures but adjusted to the context of ATFE’s mission.

Robin Wall Kimmerer, a. (2002). Weaving Traditional Ecological Knowledge into Biological Education: A Call to Action. Bioscience, (5), 432. Kimmerer argues for the benefits of incorporating Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) into the mainstream biology curriculum in American education. There is already a growing interest in TEK among biodiversity scholars due to the authority of indigenous groups which depend on the natural resources for their livelihoods. Intellectual traditions are very different from learning scientific notions of the world. One of the key differences between science and TEK have to do with the TEK’s specific study of one locale over a long period of time, focus on change in that particular area and adaptations which work to preserve the health and continuing function of an ecosystem. This long-term perspective introduces time to the understanding of environmental interactions, which is necessary for understanding how research today could impact our future. The special attention to the benefits of TEK in mainstream biology curriculum's in the country touch on the value of this way of understanding for the youth in the country. Kimmerer noted the benefits TEK’s incorporation could produce among students due to the emphasis on the holistic approach which incorporates the environment and relationships of humans with their environment through culture. As well as creating a relatable platform for Native American students to become involved in formal education, non-native american students would benefit from the differing perspective and attention to cultural significance at an early age. The author ends by noting the significance of intellectual property rights so that TEK does not become absorbed by the mainstream scientific academic world, as usually occurs with successful innovations or expanded perspectives. Education as a mission of the ATFE actualizes the need for reinvention of the education system in our country, reproducing the same colonial rhetoric which has suppressed indigenous ways of knowing and living for centuries now.