The Greenland Self-Government Act: The Pitfall for the Inuit in Greenland to Remain an Indigenous People?

• Published in: The Yearbook of Polar Law Online
• Main Authors: Mortensen, Bent Ole Gram, Barten, Ulrike
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: Brill 2017
• Subjects: Greenland; greenlander*; inuit; Yearbook of Polar Law
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/22116427_008010008; https://brill.com/view/journals/yplo/8/1/article-p103_8.xml; https://brill.com/downloadpdf/journals/yplo/8/1/article-p103_8.xml

Are the Inuit in Greenland an indigenous people under international law? And what are the consequences of that categorization? This article focuses on the right to self-determination as the Inuit are recognized as an indigenous people; however, the Greenlanders have the explicit right to independence. The article concludes that the Self-Government Act can be regarded as the pitfall for the Inuit as an indigenous people. So far, nobody has fallen in; however, independence may mean an end to the status as an indigenous people. While the law might be considered relatively clear on this, the self-identification as an indigenous people will most likely not stop overnight.