Fellowship Reports

Qu Feng

Professor, Liaocheng University , China

Visiting at: UiT, Norway
Period: 1 month
Research Theme: The relationships between climate change and traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) among Evenki reindeer herders in Aoluguya, China

From March 22 to April 20, 2025, I conducted an academic visit to the Department of Social Science at the Arctic University of Norway (UiT). This visit was funded by the "China-Nordic Arctic Research Cooperation" project under the Chinese Arctic and Antarctic Administration (CAA).

During the visit, I represented the Arctic Studies Center of Liaocheng University, co-organized a Workshop on China's Sub-Arctic Cultural Studies in collaboration with the Department of Social Science of UiT. I also participated in various academic activities at the university, including attending lectures, delivering presentations, and engaging in classroom discussions. Additionally, visit to Arctic Council and Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research were also conducted.

In preparation for this year’s application for a National Social Science Foundation project on "Traditional Knowledge of Arctic Indigenous Peoples," I conducted fieldwork in a Sámi reindeer herding community within the Arctic Circle. There, I collected essential data to lay the groundwork for the project proposal.

This visit strengthened academic cooperation between Chinese and Nordic Arctic research institutions while contributing valuable insights for future research on Arctic Indigenous cultures.

International Workshop on China's Sub-Arctic Cultural Studies

On March 25, the workshop "From Archaeology to Ethnology: Research on China's Sub-Arctic Cultures" was successfully held at the Arctic University of Norway in Tromsø, co-organized by the Arctic Research Center of Liaocheng University and the Department of Social Sciences of UiT, with participation from over 20 faculty members and students. The event featured presentations by scholars including myself, Dr. Yilina (Evenki scholar from Inner Mongolia Agricultural University), Professor Yang Lin from the National Museum of China, Professor Xing Haiyan (Tu ethnic scholar from Shanghai Normal University), and Professor Richard Fraser from the Arctic University of Norway, generating lively discussions on China's Sub-Arctic ethnic cultures and ancient cultural heritage. 

The workshop deeply explored Arctic cultural elements within China's northern ethnic traditions, representing a valuable attempt to the field of Arctic humanities. The highly professional and forward-looking presentations by participating experts, including Professor Charlotte Dam (archaeologist), Professor Jan Magnus Gjerde (rock art specialist), and Professor Trond Waage (visual anthropologist) from the Arctic University of Norway, sparked enthusiastic discussions and exchanges.

Field Investigation in Sámi Reindeer Herding Communities

From April 3 to 11, I conducted fieldwork in Alta, Karasjok, and Kautokeino in Norway's Finnmark County, interviewing over 10 reindeer herders about climate change and traditional knowledge. During this period, I visited the Alta Museum and established academic collaborations, inspected the Sámi Parliament in Karasjok, exchanged with scholars at the Sámi University of Applied Sciences (SUAS) in Kautokeino, and agreed with Director Oscal of the International Centre for Reindeer Husbandry (ICR) and Professor Eira from SUAS to translate two recent ICR academic works on reindeer research into Chinese, which will be included in the "Arctic Translation Series" published by Economic Science Press. 

Additional Achievements

1. Together with Researcher Yang Lin from the National Museum of China, we visited the Arctic Council and held talks with Anna Degteva, the Executive Secretary from the Indigenous Peoples' Secretariat, reaching preliminary agreements on academic cooperation.
2. During the visit, I engaged in multiple academic discussions with researchers from the Arctic University of Norway (UiT) and visiting scholars, including Professor Florian Stammler, Head of Anthropology at the Arctic Centre, University of Lapland (Finland). Based on discussions with scholars including Professor Stammler, we have made plans to invite Professor Fraser and Professor Stammler to visit the Arctic Research Center at Liaocheng University in spring 2025 for academic exchanges and to jointly organize a workshop.
3. During the fieldwork and academic exchanges, I successfully drafted and submitted a research proposal titled "Traditional Ecological Knowledge of China's Evenki Reindeer Communities from a Climate Change Perspective" to the National Social Science Fund, which is currently under review.
4. During the visit, I conducted research at the Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research (NIKU) in Tromsø, where I engaged in in-depth academic exchanges with Professor Damm and Professor Gjerde on rock art archaeology and whaling archaeology. Under their guidance, I participated in field investigations of rock art sites. Following the visit and after returning to China, I completed an English academic paper titled "Archaeology of Whaling in Arctic Prehistory," which has been submitted to the journal Advances in Polar Science for publication consideration.

Holding the workshop "From Archaeology to Ethnology: Research on China's Sub-Arctic Cultures".

Visited the Arctic Council and talked with Anna Degteva, the Executive Secretary of the Indigenous Peoples' Secretariat.

Participated in a seminar at UiT

Talked with Professor Fonneland at the Museum of Arctic University of Norway

Conducted investigation of rock art archaeological sites with Professor Dam and Professor Gjerde.

Talked with Mr. Oscal and Professor Eira at ICR.

Talked with Professor Stammler from the University of Lapland and Professor Aytalina from North-Eastern Federal University.