Sen. Mark Begich and Sen. Lisa Murkowski hosted a field hearing of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee on Saturday, hearing testimony at the Alaska Federation of Natives convention about subsistence concerns.

Begich called the field hearing to discuss “rural food security,” which the Democrat said centered around the ability of Alaska Natives to practice a traditional subsistence lifestyle.

Both Begich, a Democrat, and Murkowski, a Republican, said it’s a poorly understood issue among many of their colleagues.