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Editorial

Outi Snellman Editorial.jpg
Photo: Minna Pakkanen / Valokuvaamo Kipinä

By Outi Snellman, Vice-President Organization, UArctic

In Finnish mythology a waterfowl - the goldeneye - is the creator of the world. There are many variations of the story, but the principle is the same.

In the beginning the bird was flying above the dark ocean of origin. The Mother, or Goddess, of Air raised her knee from the ocean, and the bird landed and lay its golden eggs on the mother’s knee. As she moved, one of the eggs fell and cracked. The eggshell pieces became the world, the earth, and the sky, as well as the sun, the moon, and the stars.

We all share the sky, the stars, the moon, the sun. We also share the origin story. It is told in many formulations around the world, but at its core it is basically the same.

UArctic’s Strategic Plan 2030 is built around the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which help us in mapping the steps we need to take for a sustainable future. But where the SDGs are perhaps lacking is the role of cultural understanding and the necessity of various expressions of this understanding through different means and modalities. Many of the stories in this edition of the Shared Voices Magazine stress the importance of mutual understanding. We are not the same, but we need to work together to understand and respect each other as a part of the same globe and the Milky Way. 

The goldeneye is a special bird, because it has the ability to fetch things from the bottom of a lake. It is able to fetch tears that have been shed to mourn loved ones; tears that have fallen into a lake and transformed into pearls.

This year the goldeneye is busy.

Table of Contents

  1. Letter from the President

    By Lars Kullerud

  2. The New England Arctic Network – New England’s deep history and bright future for Arctic collaboration

    By Holly Parker and Katharine Duderstadt

  3. SmartICE is for the North, by the North

    By Emma Dalton and Emily Best

  4. Student Voices: Floor to the UArctic Board Student Representatives

    By Francesca Stoppani

  5. Representing the Arctic Internationally: Interview with Anne Husebekk, Kirsi Latola and Melody Brown Burkins

    By Francesca Stoppani

  6. Calotte Academy from a Participant’s Perspective

    By Luiza Brodt

  7. Joint Collaboration Exercises on Arctic Safety and Security

    By Natalia Andreassen

  8. Tourism Industry as Security Provider - Resource to Local and Regional Preparedness and Emergency Planning

    By Pekka Iivari

  9. Seeking Solutions to Arctic Energy Security Locally Through Renewable Energy Transitions

    By Vikas Menghwani, Chad Walker and Jackie Martin

  10. Worldwide Recognition for Arctic Indigenous Films: Interview with Liisa Holmberg and Anne Lajla Utsi

    By Francesca Stoppani

  11. From the Arctic to Hollywood and Back: Conversation with Baltasar Kormákur

    By Francesca Stoppani

  12. Verdde – a Mutually Beneficial Exchange

    By Elisabeth Utsi Gaup, Marikaisa Laiti, Jennifer Godfrey Anderson and Sylvia Moore

  13. Student story: Hannah Zimmerman

  14. Featuring New UArctic Thematic Networks in 2021

  15. Follow-up story: Mikhail Uksusov

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