Page 376 - Cultural Studies of Science Education

30 Considering the Consequences of Hybridity 351

A Question of “How to Get Back”

Stacey: This discussion of borders and indigenous knowledge reminds me of one
of the many outings I had while living and teaching in a rural community in Alaska.
It was the Saturday of Easter weekend, clear blue skies with the sun shining
brightly for 10 h or so a day, the wind blowing the bits of snow around that had
been compacted because of the extreme cold. My good friend and co-teacher, a
hunter and native to the North Slope, had offered to take me out and show me the
tundra. I won’t bore you with the great details of layering myself, making sure I had
my camera batteries charged, and waiting for my friend to show up on the snow
machine. What I will share is the joy of bouncing over solid packed snow, moving
at speeds I had not experienced in such a cold climate. I have vivid memories of
stopping frequently so my friend could point out significant features of the land-
scape, waving at a neighbor who was heading into the mountains for a day of
hunting, and my curiosity at the rifle strapped across the front of my friend. In this
part of the world, during this time of the year especially, being able to protect
oneself from predators is important; polar bears come in early and hungry. As we
flew across the flat land, miles out of town, the wind getting colder and stronger
the further we traveled, we hit a bump. My friend stopped and I thought he was
pointing out the “igloo” type wooden structure to our left. In actuality, he had
stopped because the under-carriage of the snow machine had broken. It could not
be fixed on the spot, there was no tow truck, and there was no ride back into
town. We had a tense period of waiting, contemplating actions we could take, and
discussing how to get “back.”
I wonder if part of this notion of hybridity in relation to borders could be
connected to the idea of how we get back. The connectedness that is often seen in
native populations that utilize modern technologies alongside traditional methods
is what would be referred to as hybridity; that ease in combining modern with old.
While I know my friend was completely prepared for any event, I have to wonder
if our reliance on modern tools and ideas has made us complacent. The example
I have shared is clearly skewed heavily toward a perceived reliance on modern
conveniences that are relatively new to this culture and community; a community
that is supported by the land and survives because of knowledge and appreciation
for the power of their surroundings. If we make border crossings and the notion of
mixing cultural ideas so common that we become immune to the innate knowledge
of survival and awareness – how do we get “back?”

Protecting Ourselves from Predators

Deb: Stacey, your account of the Alaskan tundra experience highlights the ways
in which hybridized space becomes vulnerable. Carter and Walker assume that
knowledge is not vulnerable because it will be carried forward by elders. They
address this point in their description of the elder who was asked whether Aboriginal