Arctic Peoples

While in some parts of the Arctic, Indigenous Peoples push for self-government, they have a different solution in the Yamal Nenets Autonomous Okrug in Russia. Indigenous Peoples here number just over 34,000 out of a total of more than 500,000 people, but they have managed to secure an impressive amount of control by working within the system. There is a quota system that sets aside positions in the Government of the Okrug for Indigenous Peoples. Sergey Kharuchi is President of the Russian Association of Indigenous Peoples of the North ( RAIPON ). He is also speaker of the Parliament for the Okrug, a powerful position. Kharuchi says the Yamal Nenets Government has passed legislation that supports the position of Indigenous Peoples in their dealings with resource companies.

“We have our own system,” says Kharuchi. “We are not separated, but integrated into the system. We think it is more effective.”

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