On good terms: pathways to decolonizing science-appropriated Indigenous terminologies in Arctic research

Many western scientific disciplines adopted Indigenous Knowledge and terminology without deference to or understanding of the original meanings and values attached to Indigenous terms and concepts. This form of scientific appropriation has become a serious barrier to efforts of decolonizing Arctic research. The notion of Alaas is an example of such appropriation by the western science-based system of Indigenous knowledge about human–nature relations. This paper aims to discuss the term Alaas as it is conceptualized in both western science and Indigenous knowledge. The paper will explore the development of “alas” as an international permafrost science term and Alaas as an economic, traditional, cultural, and spiritual space of the Sakha People in Northeastern Siberia. Through an analysis of these histories and meanings, the authors suggest pathways to decolonizing western science-appropriated Indigenous terminology.