Indigenous Self-Government Structures in Canada, Greenland, and Sápmi

• Main Author: Kuokkanen, Rauna
• Format: Book Part
• Language: unknown
• Published: Oxford University Press 2019
• Subjects: Canada; Greenland
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780190913281.003.0003

Chapter 2 begins with a discussion of the related (but distinct) concepts of self-government, governance, and autonomy and how they differ from the concept of self-determination. It then examines in detail the scope and structures of the existing self-government arrangements in three regions: Canada, Greenland, and Sápmi (the Sámi region in Scandinavia) through participant discussions. In Canada, the focus is not on a specific First Nation or self-government arrangement; instead, Indigenous self-government is approached in broader terms with the focus on the discrepancy between aspiration of Indigenous nationhood and sovereignty and the structure and scope of self-government sanctioned by the state. Each section begins with a brief overview of the colonial history and political context leading to self-government arrangements.