"Building relationships and research-based knowledge to improve Alaska Native health."
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People Awakening Project
The People Awakening Project (PA) began in 2001 as a three-year research study of Alaska Native (AN) pathways to sobriety, today it continues in its fourth phase of programmatic investigation as the Elluam Tungiinun (ET) project. Prior to PA, most past research on alcohol and ANs had focused on problems and abuse. As a result, little research attention had been given to the many AN people who are sober, who are not problem drinkers, and who have succeeded in recovery from alcoholism. It was this negative orientation that not only existed in the research literature but also in written and spoken popular media as well, that led AN leaders to join forces with University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) researchers to study and document the positive aspects of AN individuals and their culture that allowed them to avoid the dangers of alcohol abuse.
From the start PA chose to focus on strengths and the potential for all AN people to live healthy lives. We reasoned that by understanding more about the pathways to sobriety, future treatment and prevention programs could be developed that are based on knowledge of what works for healthy ANs. This innovative research approach and strong involvement of AN collaborators led to funding from the National Institute of Health’s National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism as well as its National Center for Minority Health Disparities. The project was directed through a collaboration between the PA Alaska Native Coordinating Council and the UAF researchers. In addition, many locally hired people contributed to the project and did much of the interviewing.
Final Report (in pdf format)People Awakening Sections
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