Nunavut: The Still Small Voice of Indigenous Governance

• Main Author: Jull, Peter
• Format: Report
• Language: unknown
• Published: 2001
• Subjects: Nunavut; Inuit; indigenous self-determination; indigenous self-government; Canada; 370103 Race and Ethnic Relations; Patience; inuit
• Online Access: https://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:10496/jull_ia_3_01.pdf; https://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:10496

Nunavut is important to indigenous peoples everywhere. Inuit hunter-gatherers living scattered over a vast, isolated, and politically undefined region have created a strong modern government there with all the latest gadgets and fashions of contemporary 'first world' countries as the means to strengthen their traditional culture, solve recent social ills, protect the environment and vital resources, and decide their own future in their own language and in their own way. Despite the incredulity of many including the world news media since Nunavut's launch in April 1999, the fact of many serious social problems at family and community levels, and the lack of a resource export or secondary economy, were actually reasons for Inuit wanting to establish their government as quickly as possible. Canada's political principles of sharing financial resources with 'have-not' regions and of rejecting 'user pay' notions for political rights meant that economic issues were not a major obstacle. Nevertheless, Inuit only succeeded through a generation-long determination and patience in the face of changing governments and ministers.