Inuit meet in Alaska

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Over one thousand Inuit are expected to meet at the seventh assembly of the Inuit Circumpolar Conference to be held in Nome, Alaska, July 24 through 28. Inuit from Greenland, Canada, Alaska and Russia meet every three years to discuss issues of common concern, define policies and elect a new council and president to head the conference. Circumpolar Inuit also use the triennial assembly to sing, dance, renew old acquaintances, meet with relatives and be entertained by throat singers, traditional dancers, mod-ern musicians and Inuit theatre groups.

The last assembly, held in 1992 in Inuvik, N.W.T., was the first time the Siberian Inuit, or Yupik, were allowed to participate. This time, they will have delegate status and be able to vote in the assembly.

The Inuit Circumpolar Conference was founded in 1977 to promote Inuit unity across the artificial boundaries cutting through their Arctic homeland, to promote the protection of the fragile Arctic environment and to make certain that Inuit have a meaningful role in policy-making and development of the North. The conference was also given the mandate to represent Inuit on and to international bodies, including the United Nations, to which the conference has non-governmental organizations consultative status.