The issue of coastal erosion has become a pressing concern for many communities around the world, particularly those with a rich cultural heritage. For the Pleasant Point Passamaquoddy Reservation, or Sipayik, the ocean has always been a teacher, with generations of Indigenous people living along the coast and learning from the tides, the land, and their elders. However, the shoreline is changing more rapidly, with coastal erosion slowly taking land away, land that already holds a history of loss.
In recent years, the NASA Science Activation program has been working to connect Western science with Indigenous knowledge to study the changes happening in these communities. The Learning Ecosystems Northeast team began working with partners, including Indigenous leaders and scientists, to ask an important question: What does coastal erosion mean to people who have already lost land?
Coastal Erosion and Indigenous Knowledge
In the summer of 2023, a group of students from Sipayik Elementary School embarked on a project to study coastal erosion in their community. The goal was to bring together Western science and Indigenous knowledge to understand the changes happening in their own backyard. The lessons began in March 2025, with nine 5th-grade students exploring erosion in many ways, from visiting local field sites to listening to elders share stories about how the coastline used to look.
The students used these accounts to measure the changes, both on the coast and via maps back in the classroom. They built erosion trays from simple materials to test how waves shape the land, measured current high tide lines, and compared them to historical ones. They studied old photographs and aerial images from 1942 to 2023 to see how much the shoreline had moved, and even compared 300-year-old tribal maps with future flood projections.
Connecting Western Science and Indigenous Knowledge
The project aimed to show that science does not only live in textbooks. As one observer shared, ‘Our people were scientists without having to go to school.’ The students were curious, engaged, and proud, seeing that resilience is part of who they are. They have always adapted while holding on to culture, and this project was no exception.
In June 2026, the students were invited to the Gulf of Maine Research Institute to present their work to scientists, staff, and interns. They traveled 3.5 hours for this opportunity, and the journey proved worthwhile. During the Q&A portion following their slideshow, someone asked whether learning to read the various maps was difficult. One student responded with a reminder: these were not merely maps but NASA satellite images.
Future Goals and Implications
Future goals for the project include inviting more elders and adding more field sites, strengthening language and cultural connections, sharing student learning with other Native youth, and planning resilience strategies like marsh restoration in coordination with tribal leadership. When the students were asked if they planned to continue their studies and work on this cause after their time in the classroom ended, they all resoundingly stated ‘YES’.
The story of erosion is not just about land washing away; it is about memory, knowledge, identity, and the strength of a community that continues to learn from the shore. As the students demonstrated, connecting Western science with Indigenous knowledge can lead to a deeper understanding of the changes happening in their community and a stronger sense of resilience.
- Coastal erosion affects not only the environment but also the cultural heritage of communities.
- Connecting Western science with Indigenous knowledge can lead to a deeper understanding of the changes happening in a community.
- Resilience is a key aspect of Indigenous communities, and this project demonstrates that.
- The use of NASA satellite images and other Western science tools can complement Indigenous knowledge and lead to a more comprehensive understanding of coastal erosion.
Conclusion and Next Steps
The project to study coastal erosion in Sipayik is an example of how connecting Western science with Indigenous knowledge can lead to a deeper understanding of the changes happening in a community. As the students continue their work, they will face new challenges and opportunities, but their resilience and dedication to their culture will remain a constant. The story of erosion is not just about land washing away; it is about the strength of a community that continues to learn from the shore and adapt to the changing environment.
Source: science.nasa.gov.
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