Polar Voices

Norma Kassi is co-founder and Director of Indigenous Collaboration at the Arctic Institute of Community-Based Research. Over the last 30 years, she has worked on issues related to contaminants, food security, climate change, wildlife protection, youth engagement and building community capacity. Kassi is Vuntut Gwitchin, which means People of the Lakes. Her understanding of traditional, scientific and ecological knowledge, passed on from Elders, has fostered a deep connection to the land and made her an advocate for the Gwitchin people. From 1985-1992, she served as a Member for Vuntut Gwitchin in Yukon's Legislative Assembly and was selected by the Elders to be a spokesperson for the preservation of the Porcupine Caribou Herd. She has received many awards including the National Wildlife Federation's Conservation and Achievement Award in 1991 and the Goldman Prize for conservation in 2002.