Frank Charles Dukepoo and the Role of Science Communication in Broadening Public Understanding of Genetics
During the latter part of the 20th century, genetics moved from the laboratory into mainstream culture, appearing on television shows, in the press, and in educational programming. As science extended its reach from the laboratory to policy and health decisions, there was an ever-growing need for effective science communication. Native communities in the United States, with their long history of skepticism towards scientists and an uneven distribution of access to information within their cultures, presented a particularly pointed instance of this need.
Frank Charles Dukepoo proved to be an essential part of this process. As someone with training in human genetics, he relied on his expertise to simplify complex concepts so they could be understood by people outside the field. Rather than attempting to simplify concepts to engage in an entertaining form of education, his point was to show that the information could be applied by those considering options related to their health and education.
One of the most public ways in which Dukepoo was involved with education through film was with PBS documentaries. In 1983, he was a consultant on “Four Corners: A National Sacrifice Area?” PBS documentaries would continue to be an essential method of science education in the 1980s. Another aspect of science documentaries in the 1980s was their growing importance in education.
Dukepoo continued to maintain his public image over the years. In 1988, Dukepoo delivered a prominent speech on environmental pollution and public health, topics also explored in The River That Harms. In 1993, The Frank Dukepoo Story highlighted his contributions to science and Native education, winning the Emmet Award for Educational Film Excellence and becoming widely popular within the education community.
Aside from film production, Dukepoo continued a regular pace in the national lecture circuit. For most of the 1980s and 1990s, he presented at university settings, conferences, tribal events, and government meetings. The lectures would often center on genetics, bioethics, and the health of Indigenous peoples, but would hardly go into the technical aspects of the matter. Education literature at the time indicated that public lectures remained the most widely accepted means of scientific outreach, especially when higher educational institutions did not readily exist within a community.
Partnerships with universities and tribal programs were another central plank of his activities. He worked with university and tribal education departments to create learning materials that integrated scientific and cultural learning. Such activities included teacher training, curriculum development meetings, and training for tribal staff members, each in accordance with the finding that culturally relevant learning in science has enhanced receptiveness to learning among members of Indigenous groups.
Dukepoo’s communication style also carried over into his written work. In 1998, Dukepoo published “Indians, Genes, and Genetics: What Indians Should Know About the New Biotechnology,” which he co-authored with other members of the Indigenous Peoples Council on Biocolonialism. This pamphlet covered topics in genetic research, DNA storage, and consent without using technical terms. It was distributed to Native American communities to educate tribal governments and educational programs about genetics.
Public knowledge of genetics in this period was uneven. Research from the latter part of the 20th century found that many American adults had limited familiarity with basic genetic concepts. This gap was even more pronounced in Native American groups because of disparities in access to education. Dukepoo’s work in outreach is characterized by a desire for clarity and relevance rather than rhetoric. Public engagement and education were also implicated in policy discussions.
As a public figure, Dukepoo’s opinions were frequently invoked in discussions of research ethics and public health, and helped construct genetics as a matter of governance. He helped shift how scientific information was communicated to Indigenous peoples. By the time of his death in 1999, Dukepoo had made a positive impact on film, print media, and public education. The effect of Frank Charles Dukepoo’s career clearly illustrates the vital role of communication in shaping genetics beyond scientific environments, particularly for people who have generally been excluded from scientific communication in the past.
