"Inuit have had to figure out how to maintain our society, our culture and our self-determination in the midst of other people wanting different things from us or from our lands and territories. It was a past many thought they had left behind. The overtures from the United States and it isn't just one individual but a chorus of individuals all saying very similar things makes us incredibly worried that we are on the precipice of another age of disrespect for our collective rights,"
"That's the scariest part of the rhetoric that has been circulating, he said. I did believe we were beyond this central premise that if Indigenous peoples do not improve our land based on the criteria of imperialist actors, that somehow we do not have self-determination. The decisions that are made about our land and what we want for it are ours alone."
About 70 people protested in Nunavut against proposals to treat Greenland as a purchase, carrying signs emphasizing partnership rather than ownership. Indigenous leaders said U.S. interest in Greenland evokes centuries of imperialism and colonialism and raises fears of renewed disrespect for Inuit collective rights. Leaders described a long struggle to maintain society, culture and self-determination amid external demands on Arctic lands and resources. Particular concern centered on plans for mineral extraction and military positioning. Inuit leaders asserted that decisions about their land and its future belong solely to their communities. The White House signalled continued interest in controlling Greenland despite assurances against forcible acquisition.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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