First ICC Conference, Barrow Alaska

18 delegates from Canada and an equal number from Alaska and Greenland meet in Barrow Alaska for the first ICC Conference June 13 – 17, 1977

From the ITC media release

The single most important issue facing all Inuit, regardless of where they live, is the preservation of a unique culture, identity and way of life before they are destroyed by large-scale industrial development and the intrusions of southern society.

Growing political awareness among Inuit has made them realize they must speak out with a strong united voice to protect their national and trans-national interests. To that end, delegates in Barrow will discuss the forming of an ongoing internationally representative organization to promote and develop programs that may be setup by this conference.

Mayor Eben Hobson addressing the first ICC Conference in Barrow, Alaska

The hopes with which I have looked forward to this day are difficult for me to properly express. My being here to welcome you today means that I have survived a personal ordeal for which I praise God.

Serious illness causes a man to examine himself closely. Now that I am well, I know in my heart that we will do important work here this week. I believe that we are blessed here this week.

We Inupiat live under four of the five flags of the Arctic coast. One of those four flags is badly missed here today. But at least in Denmark, Canada and the United States, it is generally agreed that we enjoy certain aboriginal legal rights as indigenous people of the Arctic. It is important that our governments agree about the status of these rights if they are to be uniformly respected.

To secure this agreement, we must organize to negotiate for it. This will take circumpolar community organization, for the status of our rights as Inupiat is necessarily the core of any successful protection of our mutual Arctic environmental security.

Our language contains the memory of four thousand years of human survival through the conservation and good managing of our Arctic wealth.

Ours is the language of the very environment that challenges the environmental safety of existing offshore technology.

Our language contains the intricate knowledge of the ice that we have seen no others demonstrate. Without our central involvement, there can be no safe and responsible Arctic resource development.

We have the right and duty to negotiate with our governments the terms under which we can safely share our sub-surface wealth with others more in need of it. My hope for this conference is that we fan organize to begin these negotiations. Arctic resource development has placed special pressures upon us to organize now to meet our responsibilities to the land.

I am pleased that we have the Saami delegation with us today. The Saami have developed the kind of relationship with their governments that we week with ours for the North American Inupiat community.

Working with our people in Greenland and Canada, the Saami have been active in the organization of the World Council of Indigenous Peoples through which the settlement of land claims has become a world-wide movement.

We must elevate our Input Arctic claims to the status of an international effort to secure equal justice all across the North American Arctic.

Little known in America is the status of Greenland's home rule negotiations. Greenland's future is important to all of us here. Home rule in Greenland must uphold North American standards for home rule and democratic self-determination. Our people in Greenland are forty percent of our entire Inupiat community.

Greenland's home rule negotiations are an important part of our land claims movement. Through these negotiations, Denmark can become both an old and a new-world nation. And Greenland can become our link with the European Economic Community. We are only 100,000 but, working together, we can be strong far beyond our numbers.

Our strength must lie in home rule government. The ultimate result of our land claims movement will be the development of strong local government all across the North American Arctic. The defense of the world's Arctic environmental security must rest upon the strength of local, home rule government.

The motivation behind the North Slope Borough's work in the planning and conduct of this conference should be clear to all. The environmental security of our long municipal coastline depends upon the strength of home rule government in Canada and Greenland.

Only when there is effective home rule government for our people in Canada and Greenland will we be able to really trust any offshore operations in the Beau fort Sea, or in the Davis Strait.

I am confident that this conference will lay the foundation upon which we will be able to build this trust in the methods through which we are to share our oil and gas reserves with others.

Barrow is the seat of home rule in the North American Arctic. We are under constant attack by the oil corporations at Prudhoe Bay. I'm hoping we can place peace with the oil industry at this conference.

The oil industry should regard strong local government in the Arctic to be a good business investment, and a necessary result of all Arctic resource development. We badly need to be able to cooperate and plan with the industry. But there is no communication between us except as it takes place between our lawyers engaged in litigation between us. I'm hoping that we can turn this around this week.

You are here in Barrow during our Nalukataq, our whaling festival. You will be entertained by dancers from across the Arctic. You will taking part in a great celebration. We are glad you came.

Welcome home to Barrow.

[ source ]

Canadian participants

Michael Amarook
William Edmunds
Mark R. Gordon
Nelson Green
David Kaoson
Jose Kusugak
Robert Lyall
Jackie Nakoolak
Koonelodsie Nutarak
Naudla Oshoweetok
Josepi Padlayat
Randal Pokiak
Joanasie Salomonie
Mary Sillett
William Tagoona
Andre Tautu
Kane Tolomanak
C.W. Watt

[ source ]

Report on ICC founding meeting from July/August 1977 issue of Taqralik Magazine

The Inuit of the world met in Barrow, Alaska from June 13-18 to discuss policies and international co-operation that will benefit the generations to come. It was, of course, the Inuit Circumpolar Conference, a historic first.

Delegates from Greenland, Alaska, and Canada attended the conference. There were also the Saami people from, Lapland, Finland, who came as observers. In addition, a number of interested groups showed up representing churches and governments.

Only the Inuit from Siberia did not attend because the Russian government would not allow it. Altogether, including the official delegates, the resource people, the observers, and the local people of Barrow, there were close to 500 people at the conference.

From all reports it appeared that everyone enjoyed themselves in Barrow. Aside from the important work done at the conference, the occasion also presented other benefits. It was a chance for the Inuit of three countries to get to know each other better. Many of the delegates had never seen each other before, and different dialects often made it difficult to communicate. But in the end it made no difference, as the Inuit of three countries stood together to pass resolutions that are designed to protect the North, "the Inuit Homeland". By the end of the conference many of the delegates had made new friends and new discoveries about the Inuit way of life in different parts of the North.

The meeting started with an opening speech by the conference host, Eben Hobson, the mayor of North Slope Borough. After the introductions, the Alaskans presented a proposed charter which was to establish an international Inuit organization with certain purposes.

However, the Canadians, and later the Greenlanders (after speaking to the Canadian Inuit) didn't agree with the proposed charter because there had not been a chance to study it before hand and because they would have to consult with their people back home for such an important decision. Also, the proposed charter didn't meet all the needs of the Canadians and Greenlanders.

After two days of debate and argument, the Canadian delegation presented a resolution which essentially called for the formation of the Circumpolar Conference as an international body, but without imposing the charter, so that people

would have time to define the purpose of the organization. The resolution also called for the appointment of an interim committee that would work on a draft of the charter over a period of time.

The Canadian delegation felt that it was premature to create a charter immediately during the course of the conference. They felt that more time and thought was required for this important document.

The resolution was finally adopted and an interim committee was formed for the purpose of taking all necessary steps to draft an adequate charter for the international Inuit organization. Also the charter will have to be ratified by the people who will be represented by it.

The charter that will be drafted will include, but not be limited to, the following areas of concern; to safeguard and protect the resources of the Inuit Homeland, the preservation, retention and further development of the Inuit language and culture in all their aspects; the development and improvement of adequate and safe transportation and communication systems for the Inuit Homeland.

The following are the members of the committee that is responsbile for drafting the charter:

Greenland: Carl Christian Olsen, Moses Olsen, Robert Peterson, Ové Rosing Olsen
Canada: C.W.Watt (Northern Quebec), Bill Edmonds (Labrador), Jose Kusugak (Eastern Arctic), Nelson Green (Western Arctic)
Alaska: Charles Edwardson Jr., Billy Neakok, Oscar Kwagley, Willie Hensley

Aside from the resolution dealing with the question of the international Inuit Organization and the drafting of its charter, another 16 important resolutions were passed at the conference.

The following is a summary of those resolutions passed by the first Inuit Circumpolar Conference:

• That the Inuit of Greenland have all rights to claim surface and subsurface resources of Greenland.
• That the Inuit of Canada have full rights to participate in the revision of Canada's constitution.
• That thought be given to the creation of an international Committee on the Inuit Education, Language, and Cultureo Such a committee would look into such things as the possibility of an Inuit University, a common writing system, the establishment of Inuit Olympics, etc...
• That all Inuit support COPE's effort to achieve a quick and fair settlement of Inuvialuit claims.
• That the environment be fully respected when developing Arctic resources.
• That the governments of Canada, Newfoundland, and Quebec respect the rights of the Labrador Inuit and that they negotiate a just settlement of their claims.
• That there be better health services for the Inuit and that they have more say in the planning of such services.
• That the Inuit of the three countries have access to government information about the North.
• That more money be made available and that the Inuit have more say in the planning of such concerns as the high cost of fuel, inter-community transportation, housing designs,etc...
• That the Arctic be used only for peaceful and environmentally safe purposes, especially in terms of military use such as the setting up of military bases, or testing weapons
• That the governments of the three countries help in establishing Inuit exchange programs in such fields as education, arts, game management,etc.
• That the three governments allow the Inuit unrestricted trade with each other along the lines Jay Treaty between Canada and the U.S.
• That the U.S. Government ensure that the Alaskan Native Regional and Village Corporations get all land title they are supposed to.
• That U.S. and Canadian delegates attend the International whaling commission to defend the Inuit's right to hunt whales in the Arctic.
• That all Inuit act as proper hunters to conserve our game and protect the future generations of our people.
• That the U.S0 and Canadian Governments change theirs laws so that it will not be illegal for the Inuit to hunt migratory birds in Spring.
• That the Soviet Union allow and encourage the Siberian Inuit to join Conference and attend its meetings.