ABSTRACT
This chapter explores these tensions to articulate the contrasting paradigms in relation to Indigenous migration between, on the one hand, governments and society demanding that remote Indigenous people engage with mainstream economies and organisations. It presents that dichotomy does not sit well in industrialised societies where migration, rightly or wrongly, is a defining feature of the success of individuals against Western ideals. The discourse of association between Indigenous people and short-term movements predicated on the influences of 'culture' lacks sophistication and is outdated in the globalised world; pinpointing a need for the field of study to drive new perspectives. Aboriginal mobility is mostly characterised as problematic, especially from a service delivery perspective. The broader context of the settlement consolidation strategy is change to the social contract between government and Aboriginal people. Alaska Economic Trends, 'Movement to Anchorage from Alaska Majority Native Area', illustrates the use of this data to track the circulation mobility of persons from rural Alaska to/from Anchorage.
