Arctic/Amazon

“Sami people are very similar to us, even their land is very similar, except the fact that they have trees.” – Trudy Tulugarjuk.

I was quite moved by the above statement. It reminded me of the reactions by the participating artists in the 2019 Arctic / Amazon Symposium, who upon meeting each other for the first time remarked on their similarities. After the Symposium, we made the decision to expand to include artists and writers from other circumpolar Arctic regions, such as Greenland and Scandinavia, as they would bring additional perspectives to the global Indigenous. 

The entire circumpolar Arctic region has been similarly under continuous colonization from Western powers for centuries. Since the early 2000s, the Indigenous Samis of Finland, Norway, and Sweden have been working together on the Nordic Sami Convention, an agreement that addresses Saami rights to self-determination.

Though the Sami and Inuit originate in the Arctic, their logic as connections within a network of “global indigeneity” is only quite recent, especially when it comes to land, identity, and self-determination. Indigenous peoples in the circumpolar Arctic occupy seven of the eight Arctic states, while making up about 10% of its total population, or four million inhabitants. These modern geopolitical borders have often divided communities, thus creating transborder identities that are notable for the relations that continue on either side of the border, regardless of the nation who lays claim to their lands. These are inherent supranational cultural groups that exceed the boundaries of the Nation-State. 

Inuit, for example, live across contemporary geopolitical lines and are politically tied to Russia, USA, Canada and to Denmark (Greenland). They begin in Russia with the Siberian Yupiks. In Alaska they are referred to as Eskimo and have accepted the term. In Canada, Inuit live in the Inuvialuit settlement, comprising (Northwest Territories), Nunavut, Nunavik (Arctic Québec), Nunatsiavut (Labrador), and Greenland. Similarly, Sami live across the northernmost parts of Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia. They call this region Sapmi, which identifies the cultural region they traditionally inhabit.

Inuit are widely spread out and have focused their efforts on establishing regional governments, while Sami have focused on shared rule or integration within broader non-Indigenous government structures. Even in their difference in activating self-determining forms of governance, Inuit and Sami are united in their emphasis to protect the natural environment, preserve their cultural identity, and maintain political autonomy within settler colonial states. 

In 1999, the most important territorial claims in Canadian history led to the creation of Nunavut, meaning “our land,” which became a homeland to many Inuit across Canada. Inuit are the majority population and so their position of power appears a bit more secure, though Nunavut does not have the same political powers that all other Canadian provinces enjoy. The population does, however, enjoy the social benefits of circumpolar citizens, with the exception of Russia. 

Despite these modern advancements Inuit like other circumpolar Arctic Indigenous peoples are still under the authority of colonial agendas, which are often focused on natural resource extraction and northern border security. These are privileged white interests.