Inuit

Since the late 20th century the Inuit have become more assertive, forming organizations to represent their interests, such as the Alaska Federation of Natives (1966). The organizations have been instrumental in resolving land claims since 1971 (see Native Americans of North America: Post-Contact History). In Greenland the 1970s and 1980s were marked by a campaign for home rule from Denmark. In 1991 the Canadian government, yielding to ongoing Inuit pressure, agreed to the creation of a new territory known as Nunavut (Inuktitut for 'our land') in eastern Northwest Territories. Approved by referendum in 1992, Nunavut came into being in 1999. The Inuit have political control and broad economic rights over the territory.

The international Inuit Circumpolar Conference, founded in 1977, meets every three years. It provides a forum for Greenland and North American Inuit to discuss common problems, lobby for an Inuit voice in the planning of economic development, and promote the preservation of the environment.