| Summary: | Questions about First Nation self-determination and resource development were prominent in the 1970s as pressure for oil and gas development emerged across the Canadian North. In the past thirty years unprecedented changes in First Nations-state relations have occurred, including the negotiation of land claim settlements and self-government agreements. What remains unchanged however is the continued global demand for finite resources and the development of non-renewable resources on First Nations lands. In this dynamic environment, the question must be asked: are changes in governance providing First Nations peoples sufficient tools and opportunities required to meet their goals of political, economic and social well-being? Offering a view from one remote Arctic community, this paper draws on preliminary fieldwork findings to identify ways in which one self-determining First Nation in northern Canada, the Vuntut Gwitchin of Old Crow, YK, is responding to the needs of its constituents while also carving out space within the global marketplace. Working in partnership with the VGFN I seek to determine if changes in governance have given them enough control over the impact that economic development has on them. This paper represents a preliminary effort to conceptualize the role of First Nations in a post-claims era, and forms part of a larger IPY project.
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