Alaska Inupiat Subsistence and Wage Employment Patterns: Understanding Individual Choice

Following a decade of intense wage employment activity, North Slope Inupiat continue to engage in subsistence activities. Two surveys conducted a decade apart are used to examine the role of individual choice in the persistence of subsistence activities. Survey results document an increase in labor force participation, an increase in household income, and a decrease in household size. At the same time, the percentage of households on the North Slope obtaining over half their food from subsistence activities has increased. These and other findings suggest that continued subsistence activity is not simply a matter of necessity; it is also a matter of individual choice. Subsistence harvest and distribution activities may offer benefits well beyond nutrition that are less commonly available in wage jobs. Further research in this area may not only help explain the persistence of subsistence activities, but also provide a link with research on the mental wellbeing of Inupiat.