ABSTRACT
The idea of the Arctic as constituting a resource-rich economic frontier is often contrasted sharply in the social sciences literature with the view of the Arctic as a homeland for indigenous peoples. This chapter aims to review indigenous perspectives on the Arctic environment, summarizes the contemporary situation regarding self-determination and self-government for indigenous peoples, and considers the consequences of global social and economic processes such as globalisation and modernity for local communities. For the indigenous peoples of the Arctic, self-determination is the right to live a particular way of life, to practise a specific culture or religion, to use their own languages, and the ability to determine the future course of economic development. The integration of Alaska’s indigenous peoples into mainstream American social, cultural and economic life has followed a pattern similar to the experiences of indigenous groups living elsewhere in the Arctic.
