Arctic Peoples

The AAC’s most recent newsletter is now available at Arctic Athabaskan Council Newsletter.

For those who wish to regularly receive the Arctic Athabaskan Council newsletter please contact:

Cindy Dickson
Executive Director
Arctic Athabaskan Council
cindy.dickson@cyfn.net

Arctic Council Ministerial meeting" id="image75" title="Indigenous Leaders at the Arctic Council Ministerial meeting" src="http://www.arcticpeoples.org/wp-content/uploads/2006/10/pp_salekhard.jpg" />

At the Arctic Council Ministerial meeting in [GP:Salekhard], Russia, Indigenous Leaders from the circumpolar Arctic region delivered strong messages to the Arctic Council .

Watch the statements here in their original languages. Russian/English transcripts will be added later.

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NEWS RELEASE 26/10/2006

Leaders of Indigenous Peoples from around the Arctic wrapped up their meeting with the Arctic Council in [GP:Salekhard] today. The end of the meeting marks the end of Russia’s two-year chairing of the eight-nation Council. It was attended by Foreign Ministers from several countries, as well as the Indigenous Leaders. While the Indigenous Leaders praised the achievements of the Council over the past two years, they also took the opportunity to point out to the Ministers that many pressing issues in the Arctic remain. The Russian Association of Indigenous Peoples of the North ( RAIPON ) told Ministers that development pressures, particularly in areas such as the Amur River watershed are facing development pressures and pollution that are threatening reindeer pastures, hunting and fishing activities, and sacred sites.

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Interview with Chief Gary Harrison, International Chair of the Arctic Athabaskan Council , on Yamal regional TV during the ongoing Arctic Council SAO-meeting in [GP:Salekhard], Russia.

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The eight states that make up the Arctic Council are meeting along with Arctic Indigenous Leaders this week in [GP:Salekhard], Russia. Much of the discussion to date has focused on what is maybe the biggest issue in the Arctic at the moment, climate change. Indigenous Peoples had hoped that the release of the Arctic Climate Impact Assessment would lead to immediate action on climate change by the Arctic states. However, much of the two years since the ACIA was released has been taken up with discussing what to do next. Chief Gary Harrison, from Chickaloon Village in Alaska, is the Chair of the Indigenous Peoples’ Secretariat, the organization that helps to coordinate the work of the Indigenous Peoples at the Arctic Council . He says that he is particularly concerned that the states should take actions that reduce the production of climate change.

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It is now unclear whether or not the post of Arctic Ambassador has been cut by the Canadian government. Initially, it was reported that the position had been cut as a cost saving measure, and that the former ambassador, Jack Anawak, was out of the job. Spokespersons for the Canadian government now say that although Anawak is gone, there is no news on whether the actual position remains. They say what is known is that the functions previously performed by the ambassador will now be performed by a senior government official.

Anawak, an Inuit former politician from Nunavut, had been the ambassador since 2004. The post was created twelve years ago. Anawak is reported by CBC Radio saying he is disappointed with the decision.

“In view of the fact that the Arctic Council is a very important body, and upcoming issues, like climate change and global warming, are very important issues that Arctic Council is dealing with, as well as the upcoming International Polar Year.”

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The Arctic Athabaskan Council advocates strongly for action to mitigate the human induced Climate Change the world in general and the Arctic in particular is experiencing. To contribute to public awareness of the evidence of change in the Arctic region, Arctic Athabaskan Council ">AAC has produced a film called “Through Arctic Eyes”. This is now made available online.
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Nations around the Arctic are increasingly looking north for new sources of oil and gas. Some Indigenous Peoples are treating this interest as an opportunity. Others are not so sure.

“Oil and gas can promote the worst case scenario in dealing with government. The Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act is a case in point. My community is 20 miles (32 kilometres) from a pipeline, but the (United States) federal legislation left native communities at a great disadvantage. We live 20 miles from a pipeline, but our community is impoverished. There is no direct benefit to our community while other governments are made rich. We have no running water in one of the richest nations on earth.”

Randy Mayo, Arctic Athabaskan Council , Alaska

Arctic Day was an event during the United Nations Climate Change Convention meeting in Montreal. It was a joint effort between the Canadian Government and several Indigenous Peoples’ Organizations (for more on this see the story below). The Arctic Athabaskan Council produced this film from the event:

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The Arctic Leaders summit at K’atlodeeche took place on the traditional land of the Dene people. The Dene call their traditional area Denendeh. The chief of K’atlodeeche, Roy Fabian, explained the meanings of ‘Dene’ and ‘Denendeh’.

“Dene means two things: ‘De’ meaning river or the radiance of the sun, and ‘Ne’ meaning earth; we believe we’re from mother earth. Our elders taught that to be Dene people, you cannot break your ties with her. We call our land Denendeh. That doesn’t mean Dene land, it means Dene with the land. In our language there’s no such thing as ownership. We need to re-educate our young people to change what’s going on in mother earth. There must be a big paradigm shift. Ninety percent of our people think they own the land, but that’s a ludicrous idea. As Dene people, the land owns us.”