CIRCUMPOLAR INUIT
PROTOCOLS
FOR EQUITABLE AND
ETHICAL ENGAGEMENT
Inuit Circumpolar Council
CIRCUMPOLAR INUIT PROTOCOLS
FOR EQUITABLE AND ETHICAL ENGAGEMENT
INUIT CIRCUMPOLAR COUNCIL
This report’s information and concepts should be cited as: Inuit Circumpolar Council. 2022.
Circumpolar Inuit Protocols for Equitable and Ethical Engagement.
This report and associated materials can be downloaded for free at the Inuit Circumpolar
Council websites: iccalaska.org (Alaska), inuitcircumpolar.com (Canada), inuit.org (Greenland)
and iccchukotka.ru (Chukotka).
Graphic design/layout by Northwest Strategies.
© 2022, Inuit Circumpolar Council, all rights reserved. This report or any portion thereof may
not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the prior permission of Inuit
Circumpolar Council. The Indigenous Knowledge, inclusive of concepts and information derived
from this Knowledge sources in this report, remains the collective intellectual property of the
communities, organizations and people who provided the information reected herein.
Ukpik Chase and Qunasiq Carroll ice shing on Kotzebue Sound in Alaska. Photo: Maija Lukin.
4 CIRCUMPOLAR INUIT PROTOCOLS FOR EQUITABLE AND ETHICAL ENGAGEMENT
CIRCUMPOLAR INUIT PROTOCOLS FOR EQUITABLE AND ETHICAL ENGAGEMENT
Copyright Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
About the Inuit Circumpolar Council. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Developing the Circumpolar Inuit Protocols for Equitable
and Ethical Engagement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Acknowledgements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Foreword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Inuit-Driven EEE Protocols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Guided by Our Values – Taking Time to Listen, Build Relationships,
and Responsibility. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Implementation and Use – A Road Map to the EEE Protocols . . . . . . . . 14
Circumpolar Inuit Protocols for Equitable and Ethical Engagement . . . . . . . 17
Protocol 1: ‘Nothing About Us Without Us’ – Always Engage with Inuit . . 17
Protocol 2: Recognize Indigenous Knowledge in its Own Right. . . . . . . 18
Protocol 3: Practice Good Governance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Protocol 4: Communicate with Intent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Protocol 5: Exercise Accountability – Building Trust . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Protocol 6: Build Meaningful Partnerships . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Protocol 7: Information and Data Sharing, Ownership, and Permissions. . 27
Protocol 8: Equitably Fund Inuit Representation and Knowledge. . . . . . 29
Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Boxes and Figures
Figure 1. Map of Inuit Nunaat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Box 1: Why do we need International Protocols? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Box 2: Indigenous Knowledge: Our Knowledge – Our Way Of Life . . . . . . . 15
Box 3: Understanding a Holistic World View and Indigenous Knowledge . . . 16
TABLE OF CONTENTS
5
6
Greyson Alastair Ruben out on the land. Exploring and connecting to
Inuvialuit traditions and ways of living on the land is part of who we are
from the beginning. Canada. Photo: Rebecca Ruben.
Nora Nelson picking blueberries in Alaska. Photo:
Mary Sattler Peltola. Hooking a harp seal in Greenland. Photo: Johan Lund Olsen.
Going kayaking in Greenland. Photo: Mads Fægteborg.
The tastiest lunch. Sireniki village, in Chukotka. Photo:
Galina Kanikhina. Preparing sh to dry. Photo: Tom Grey.
Elder demonstrating drum dancing skills. Photo: ICC Canada Archives.
My native land. The village of Novoye Chaplino in Chukotka. Photo: Elena
Kaminskaya.
Stone sculpture by Aka Høegh in Greenland. Photo: Mads Fægteborg.
Boat in front of an iceberg in Ilulissat, Greenland. Photo:Kuupik V. Kleist.
CIRCUMPOLAR INUIT PROTOCOLS FOR EQUITABLE AND ETHICAL ENGAGEMENT
Since the Inuit Circumpolar Council (ICC) was founded in 1977 by the late Eben Hopson of
Utqiaġvik, Alaska, ICC has ourished and grown into a major international Indigenous Peoples’
organization representing approximately 180,000 Inuit of Alaska, Canada, Greenland and
Chukotka (Russia). ICC holds the Non-Governmental Organization Consultative Status II with the
United Nations Economic and Social Council and is a registered NGO with consultative status
with numerous UN specialized agencies and bodies (i.e., registered observer for multiple UN
treaties and conventions). ICC is a Permanent Participant of the Arctic Council.
ICC strives to strengthen unity among Inuit of the Circumpolar; promote Inuit rights and
interests at the international level; develop and encourage long-term policies that safeguard
the Arctic environment; and seek full and active partnership in the political, economic and social
development of the Circumpolar North. The ICC represents the interests of Inuit and we have
ofces in four Arctic regions – Alaska, Canada, Greenland and Chukotka. We are one people, in a
single homeland, across four countries.
The ICC receives its mandate from a General Assembly held every four years. At the Assembly,
delegates approve a declaration that is the international organization’s mandate for a four-
year term. The mandate to develop the Circumpolar Inuit Protocols for Equitable and Ethical
Engagement is included in the Utqiaġvik Declaration (2018-2022).
ABOUT THE INUIT CIRCUMPOLAR COUNCIL
Greenland Sea
Baffin Bay
Beaufort Sea
Chukchi SeaChukchi Sea
Bering Sea
Arctic OceanArctic Ocean
Labrador
Sea
U.S.A.
CANADA
INUIT HOMELAND
INUIT NUNAAT
NUNAVIK
NUNATSIAVUT
NUNAVUT
NORTH
SLOPE
NORTHWEST
ARCTIC
BERING
STRAIT
YUKON-
KUSKOKWIM
RUSSIA
U.S.A.
CANADA
KALAALLIT NUNAAT
GREENLAND
Inuit Circumpolar Council, 2017.
Prepared by Agata Durkalec. Basemap from the Atlas of
Canada Reference Map Series produced by Natural
Resources Canada, 2008.
Azimuthal Equidistant Projection
Kilometres
90 0 90 270 450
Scale 1 : 9 000 000
Anadyr
Provideniya
Uelen
CHUKOTKA
INUVIALUIT SETTLEMENT REGION
Figure 1. Map of Inuit Nunaat
7
The Circumpolar Inuit Protocols for Equitable and Ethical Engagement was developed through
two primary processes:
1. An ICC-developed synthesis
1
report of Inuit-produced materials and voices that address
existing rules, laws, values, guidelines and protocols for the engagement of Inuit
communities and Indigenous Knowledge,
and
2. A series of workshops convening Inuit Delegates that captured Inuit knowledge,
perspectives, needs, priorities and guidance on future engagement processes.
2
Additionally, this work has been informed through decades of Inuit input to governments,
international fora, negotiations, and ICC-led workshops, meetings, discussions, conferences, and
projects occurring across communities, regionally, nationally and internationally. Our people
from across Inuit Nunaat have reviewed the protocols. They have been agreed upon by the ICC
Executive Council and formally approved.
Acknowledgments
These protocols reect the combined efforts of Inuit across Alaska, Canada, Greenland and
Chukotka. Much of the information has been adapted from materials previously developed by
the Inuit Circumpolar Council, Inuit communities, organizations and governments. ICC is grateful
to all those who have provided decades of input, guidance and knowledge and to everyone
who provided their time, direction, information, rst-hand accounts and knowledge to develop
these Protocols.
We are grateful to our allies that offered friendly reviews and to the many contributions Inuit
made through reviews and discussions across Inuit Nunaat.
Photographs aid us in telling a story and demonstrating why this document is important. We are
grateful to all the photographers that generously contributed their photos. Photos were provided
by: Billy Adams, Irina Akhsakhtikak, Brandon Ahmasuk Qetun’aq Charles, Jacki Cleveland, Mads
Faegteborg, Tom Gray, Inuit Circumpolar Council Alaska Staff, Inuit Circumpolar Council Canada
Archives, Elena Kaminskaya, Galina Kanikhina, Maria Karnaukhova, Chris Kelly, Kuluk, Kuupik V
Kleist, Brandon Lampe, Maija Lukin, Andrei Makotrik, Ludmila Makotrik, Cameron Okbaok, Johan
Lund Olsen, Mary Sattler Peltola, Rebecca Ruben, Vladimir Silpin, and Duane Smith.
Qujanaq / Taikuu / Quyana / Igamsiqanaghhalek / Quana - ᖁᐊᓇ / Koana / Qujanaqut - ᖁᔭᓇᖁᑎᑦ
/ Quyanainni - ᖁᔭᓇᐃᓐᓂ / Ma’na - ᒪ’ᓇ / Qujannamiik - ᖁᔭᓐᓇᒦᒃ / Nakurmiik - ᓇᑯᕐᒦᒃ / Nakummek -
ᓇᑯᒻᒥᒃ /
Ӄуянаӄ / Игамсикаюӄамси / Cпасибо / Quyanaqpak!
DEVELOPING THE CIRCUMPOLAR INUIT PROTOCOLS FOR
EQUITABLE AND ETHICAL ENGAGEMENT
1
Inuit Circumpolar Council. 2021. Ethical and Equitable Engagement Synthesis Report: A collection of Inuit rules,
guidelines, protocols, and values for the engagement of Inuit Communities and Indigenous Knowledge from Across Inuit
Nunaat. Synthesis Report. International. Accessed on March 21, 2022, at https://iccalaska.org/our-work/
2
Workshop Report, Inuit Circumpolar Council. 2021. Ethical and Equitable Engagement Workshop Series Summary Report.
Accessed on Jan. 31, 2022, at https://iccalaska.org/wp-icc/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Inuit-Circumpolar-Council.pdf
CIRCUMPOLAR INUIT PROTOCOLS FOR EQUITABLE AND ETHICAL ENGAGEMENT
The world community is increasingly responsive to and respectful of the rights of Indigenous
Peoples. However, for decades the interest in and research regarding the Arctic “cryosphere”
has emerged without a full understanding of Inuit Nunaat -- our traditional homelands and
territory, which includes Inuit, our way of life and our knowledge. Yet, through our persistence
and our work as an Indigenous Peoples’ Organization, we are moving away from an approach
that dismisses our Indigenous Knowledge and our way of living and closer to conditions that
respect and recognize our distinct status, rights and role in the Arctic.
The Circumpolar Inuit Protocols for Equitable and Ethical Engagement are intended by ICC as
a pathway for others to understand this essential dynamic. Today we maintain that the “intricate
knowledge” that our founder Eben Hopson invoked in 1977 is necessary for understanding the
transformations that the Arctic region and indeed the world is facing.
Knowledge and the co-production of knowledge consistent with Inuit perspectives,
values, rights and protocols will result in a more genuine collective effort to create greater
understanding about Inuit Nunaat, about the Arctic. Co-production of knowledge with
Indigenous Peoples across the globe is gaining a foothold, bit by bit. Triggered to a substantial
degree, by our input as well as our political and intellectual force, we are seeing evidence of this
dynamic in various contexts ranging from the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change to
the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change to the Agreement to Prevent Unregulated High
Seas Fisheries in the Central Arctic Ocean to the Food and Agriculture Organization to the Arctic
Council.
This document should be accepted and seen by others as an invitation to consult and cooperate
with Inuit by illustrating for researchers, decision-makers and others what is needed to genuinely
be responsive to the urgent call for recognizing the interrelated, interdependent and indivisible
rights of Inuit. The elements embraced in this publication can be employed by others in any
facet of engagement with Inuit and the diverse subject matter that affects our day to day
lives. We especially invite scientists, researchers, funders, and decision-makers to digest and
ultimately implement these protocols with Inuit. Finally, we insist in a good way that overall
results will produce a higher standard and quality of research benecial for Inuit and all others.
– Dr. Dalee Sambo Dorough, International Chair, Inuit Circumpolar Council
FOREWORD
9
A June evening in the village of Novoye Chaplino in Chukotka. Photo: Irina Akhsakhtikak.
“Indigenous Knowledge is directly connected
to our sovereignty, past and future and
should always play a key role at all levels
and types of work. Climate change is
making wildlife more vulnerable, the Inuit
need the tools to protect their homeland
and values. Invasive species in the Arctic,
as well as slumping and shoreline erosion
are increasing due to climate change and
require additional research. Inuit are a
valuable and meaningful participant in all
stages of research, decision-making, political
and economic issues. Our knowledge has
meaning when we sit at a table of peers. Inuit
and Indigenous Knowledge deserve respect
and dignity. “- Jerry Inglangasuk
“We know from experience that it is always
benecial to all involved to treat each other
with the belief that we are all people and
equal and that we all want to contribute to a
better world for all.” – Kuupik Kleist
“There must be true recognition or status
of Inuit within our respective countries. This
seems to be an obvious point. But, in many
U.S. decisions, Inuit are treated like any
other stakeholder. Any comments provided
by lnupiat are not given any additional
substantive weight or consideration by the
agencies tasked with making management
decisions that affect our lands, waters,
lifestyle and well-being. We have seen
decision-makers give greater consideration
to threatened lawsuits from outside interest
groups than what we as lnupiat want and
need for survival.” - Mayor Harry Brower, Jr.
“Our knowledge tells us to always be mindful
of our environment and the resources around
us. It is up to each family member to always
take care of the harvested cleanly and to give
away the rst season’s catch, such as beluga
or bearded seal. It is always common to give
Elders and those with lots of children sh,
meat and plants. It is our belief that giving
is a practice we share throughout. Not only
do we give resources, but also western food
when people run out of food or funeral
expenses. It doesn’t matter who we are, we
should always partake to donate nances and
food to the bereaved family.” – Hannah Loon
“When we try to explain Inuit knowledge,
they downplay it and say it’s anecdotal and
say it’s hearsay and put it down, it can be
very frustrating. A lot of the issues we deal
with are western science-based, so when
we try to explain another perspective using
our knowledge they downplay and don’t
accept it. That is a barrier we have. We deal
with it internationally too. When we go to
CITES (Convention International Trade in
Endangered Species), only western science
and knowledge is accepted.” - Paul Irngaut
“Knowledge from our ancestors is vital for
the survival of our peoples, spirit, languages,
ways of being and knowing, lands, cultures
and traditions. For these reasons, we not
only need to treasure and safekeep Inuit
Knowledge, but we also have to actively use
it and pass it on to generations to come.”
- Regine-Ellen Møller
QUOTES PROVIDED FROM OUR PEOPLE IN REFLECTION OF
EQUITABLE AND ETHICAL ENGAGEMENT
10 CIRCUMPOLAR INUIT PROTOCOLS FOR EQUITABLE AND ETHICAL ENGAGEMENT
CIRCUMPOLAR INUIT PROTOCOLS FOR EQUITABLE AND ETHICAL ENGAGEMENT
“Since childhood, I was brought up with the
instructive idea that EVERYTHING around us
is ALIVE (a pebble, a blade of grass, water...).
And I remember this and am grateful to my
fellow countrymen who support this attitude
to everything that surrounds us, feeds us,
and lets us live. I know and I am sure that
our Protocols will be alive and will help us to
continue to live in harmony with nature, in
peace with everyone.” - Liubov Taian
“When I was a child, my grandmother,
Keynon Evdokia, told me that when there
were northern lights in the sky, it was our
ancestors playing Eskimo ball with their
heads. She also said that when a baby was
born in the family, one of the ancestors came
back. Since then, when the northern lights
are shining, bursting with sparks, ickering
colors in the dark northern sky, I constantly
remember her, and feel that she is looking
down and smiling. She tosses the ball, and
sends her kindness to us, all her relatives.
I think that’s how everyone born in this
harsh and beautiful land, in our land, feels.
They feel their centuries-long connection,
uniqueness, and unity with nature.” - Irina
Mishina
“For Inuit, our past is our pathway to the
future. For this work, the EEE Protocols,
embodies a great deal of wisdom and our
knowledge. The words ethical and equitable
are values we have applied to how we live
and work. They have always been there for
us, and we learned these values from our
Elders, we learned them from the land and
animals. Now we need to dene this process.
To be a guide for those outside our culture
on how to engage if they wish to work within
our homelands. For too long Inuit Free,
Prior and Informed Consent have been a
secondary thought. We must implement
this. We have a right to maintain, control,
protect and develop our knowledge – our
protocols for ethical engagement. We have a
responsibility to decide how we want to share
our knowledge and how we want to engage.”
- Lisa Koperqualuk
11
INTRODUCTION: CIRCUMPOLAR INUIT PROTOCOLS FOR EQUITABLE
AND ETHICAL ENGAGEMENT
The Arctic has been our homeland for over a millennia. Throughout this time, we have amassed
bodies of extraordinary and unique knowledge. Our knowledge and our ways of knowing
continue to develop and guide us as a living part of the Arctic environment. There is a growing
need to understand the changes occurring across the Arctic and, more importantly, an urgent
need to accept how Inuit Knowledge may enhance humanity’s understanding of these changes.
Our knowledge will strengthen the quality of research and the best available information
3
needed to inform adaptive and holistic decisions and policy.
As the global community becomes increasingly focused on the Arctic due to climate change and
intensied development, Inuit face persistent challenges. Many of these challenges result from
the lack of our equitable engagement in decision-making, policy development, and the diverse
activities occurring within our homelands. While these concerns manifest themselves differently
across Inuit Nunaat, they are the result of decades of top-down approaches that inhibit the
equitable and ethical involvement of our voices, knowledge and values.
Equitable and ethical engagement and the utilization of Indigenous Knowledge is required to
inform research, assessments, monitoring programs, decision-making, policy and governance.
Such an approach will ensure that all will have the best available information to make sound
decisions that respond to conditions facing the entire global community. In recognition of
these continuing challenges and with a desire to provide guidance, the 2018 ICC Utqiaġvik
Declaration directed the Inuit Circumpolar Council (ICC) to facilitate the development of the
Circumpolar Inuit Protocols for Equitable and Ethical Engagement, hereafter referred to as the
EEE Protocols.
Inuit-Driven EEE Protocols
Discussions, agreements, research, decisions, and policy development at national and
international levels affect our daily lives, including our sovereignty and self-determination, food
security, health and well-being, environment and much more. We need to be at the forefront
of these discussions. A growing number of institutions, governments and others recognize the
importance of developing guidelines and protocols to enhance engagement with us. Many
have, or are in the process of creating documents to aid these efforts. However, if protocols
and guidelines to engage us are primarily written from the perspective of non-Inuit, we will
continue to face many of the same challenges that we do today. These challenges include the
historical and colonial roots of existing power structures. These challenges have caused barriers
to equity; clashes with our knowledge and understanding of the interconnecting nature of the
Arctic environment, including our place within it. Understanding these challenges will help lead
to actions that advocate for and lead to equitable and ethical engagement. This requires respect
for and recognition of our values, rules, laws, guidance and overall distinct way of knowing.
3
Best available information includes Indigenous Knowledge and science. See glossary for denition.
12 CIRCUMPOLAR INUIT PROTOCOLS FOR EQUITABLE AND ETHICAL ENGAGEMENT
CIRCUMPOLAR INUIT PROTOCOLS FOR EQUITABLE AND ETHICAL ENGAGEMENT
Guided by Our Values – Taking Time to Listen, Build Relationships, and Responsibility
There is great diversity across Inuit Nunaat, but we have shared values that always guide us.
These values have developed over many lifetimes and are manifested in our actions and
experiences. They are at the core of our identity as distinct Indigenous Peoples. These values
include the importance of respect, cooperation, consensus-building, patience and are centered
on living in unison with each other, the land, the sea and animals. Our values and worldview
have supported our survival and our success in establishing the northern regions as the Inuit
homeland. Consider our shared customs to celebrate and share a young hunter’s rst catch.
In our world, young hunters learn the skills required to be a harvester through observation,
patience, and discipline. As a seal gives itself to the hunter, they also learn to share the seal with
their family, the community, to those that are unable to hunt, to widows and to people who may
be sick. Often this rst catch is prioritized for an Elder. We share our knowledge in the same
way that we share our food. Within our worldview, we are taught to demonstrate respect in the
caring of our families, elders, and those in need through the values of sharing, responsibility,
generosity, love and overall contributing to our communities in useful ways. These values and
many more all reinforce each other.
The strengths of the EEE Protocols lie within these values and our unique way of knowing
and way of life. We call upon people coming into Inuit Nunaat to respect our knowledge,
governance systems, and values and to behave according to them. This includes taking
responsibility and building their own capacity to recognize prevailing power dynamics and leave
them at the door, take the time to understand, to listen to us, learn and be humble. Before any
work can start, a relationship needs to be established and trust needs to be built to allow for a
meaningful partnership to develop over time. This will ensure respect for and awareness of the
diverse experiences and histories to support learning across knowledge systems, cultures and
generations.
Box 1 – Why do we need International Protocols?
The EEE Protocols are not a denitive list of directives or actions. Nor do they replace
existing or future Inuit protocols, guidelines, laws, or rules put forward by Inuit at the
community, regional, or national levels. Some Inuit communities and organizations
have already developed protocols and guidelines. The best way to work with a
community is to spend the time, money, and energy getting to know them – this
includes understanding and respecting their values and guidelines or protocols in
practice. ICC recognizes that sometimes the standards of engagement differ from one
community to the next. The EEE Protocols do not replace or diminish the importance
of these differences. Instead, they highlight the commonalities and offer a way forward
within international fora that provide every community the latitude to determine what
is right for them and their own specic context. International work can move forward in
adherence to these protocols and existing protocols put forward by our communities.
We emphasize that these protocols do not replace any local, regional, or national
guidance provided by Inuit.
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Implementation and Use – A Road Map to the EEE Protocols
There are positive examples of meaningful engagement and equitable practices across the
Arctic through long-held relationships. We are calling for a paradigm shift in which positive
examples become the norm and establish a standard for international work with these protocols.
There are Eight protocols:
• ‘Nothing About Us Without Us’ – Always Engage with Inuit
• Recognize Indigenous Knowledge in its Own Right
• Practice Good Governance
• Communication with Intent
• Exercising Accountability - Building Trust
• Building Meaningful Partnerships
• Information, Data Sharing, Ownership and Permissions
• Equitably Fund Inuit Representation and Knowledge
Under each Protocol are directives needed to move toward equitable and ethical engagement.
Following the conclusion is a glossary. The glossary offers a description of how words are used
within this document. We encourage you to review and use the glossary.
There are many steps and processes required to build long-lasting relationships, trust, and
respect and to implement appropriate approaches, such as bringing together Indigenous
Knowledge and science through a co-production of knowledge. The EEE Protocols and
directives must be practiced collectively. For example, one cannot take one Protocol or directive
under that Protocol and use it as the sole foundation of equitable and ethical engagement.
These are not boxes to check - they are a collective pathway to equitable and ethical
engagement.
The EEE Protocols are for all our people who wish to use them to aid in advancing our
sovereignty and interests. And for all those conducting work within and outside of international
fora at all scales (nationally and internationally), such as researchers, funders, non-prot
organizations, decision- and policy-makers and governments. We look forward to working with
you as you implement them into your work, approaches and processes.
Inuit from Alaska and Canada taking a break from discussions to sing, dance, drum and celebrate. Photo: ICC Alaska staff.
14 CIRCUMPOLAR INUIT PROTOCOLS FOR EQUITABLE AND ETHICAL ENGAGEMENT
CIRCUMPOLAR INUIT PROTOCOLS FOR EQUITABLE AND ETHICAL ENGAGEMENT
Box 2. Indigenous Knowledge: Our Knowledge – Our way of life
Indigenous Knowledge guides our understandings of, and relationships with,
everything. Our knowledge cannot be separated out from our identity, our
values, spirituality and worldviews. While words alone cannot explain our
knowledge, ICC utilizes the following denition –
Indigenous Knowledge is a systematic way of thinking applied to
phenomena across biological, physical, cultural, and spiritual systems. It
includes insights based on evidence and acquired through direct and long-
term experiences and extensive and multigenerational observation, lessons,
and skills. It has developed over millennia and is still developing in a living
process, including knowledge acquired today and in the future, and it is
passed on from generation to generation.
4
Under this denition, Indigenous Knowledge goes beyond observations and
ecological knowledge, offering a unique way of knowing to identify research
needs and apply to research, monitoring, assessments, decision-making, policy
and overall understanding the Arctic – it is a way of life.
4
ICC’s denition embraces additional denitions of Indigenous Knowledge that have been
developed and adopted by Inuit communities. Inuit may refer to their knowledge as Indigenous
Knowledge, Inuit Knowledge, Yup’ik Knowledge, Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit (IQ), native knowledge,
traditional knowledge, hunters’ knowledge or additional other names that specically identies
their knowledge. The denition provided above is understood by ICC to apply to all these terms.
Regardless of the term used, the status, rights, role and values of our knowledge holders remain
constant in the engagement of Indigenous Knowledge.
Sharing country food at a community feast in Nunavut. Photo: ICC Canada Archives.
Shamil and the Chukchi lilacs. Photo: Elena Kaminskaya.
Inuit gather for discussions during community consultations in Qaanaaq, Greenland, as part
of the Pikialasorsuaq work. Photo: Kuupik V Kleist.
15
BOX 3. Understanding a Holistic World View and Indigenous Knowledge
Our Indigenous Knowledge teaches us to pay close attention to the connections between everything
that makes up the Arctic ecosystem. For example, a walrus hunter understands the connection between
sea-ice thickness and walrus, the connection between benthic animals and walrus, the connection
between benthic animals and currents, etc.
This drawing is made up of Indigenous Knowledge and reects a healthy environment, our worldview.
This is the Inuit ecosystem. This ecosystem is made up of multiple and diverse parts. Everything shown
is needed and is equally important. Here you have feasts – this is as important as the whales, and these
are just as important as the zooplankton and as the lichen – here, a youth shares his rst catch. The Arctic
ecosystem is like puzzle pieces, such as language, sharing, education and beluga. All these pieces are
needed to make up the entire picture. These pieces are continuously adjusting to one another but are all
connected – they are related. To make decisions in this ecosystem, it is important to understand and pay
attention to relationships. It is important to understand that the health of a hunter depends on a whale,
but also that the health of a whale depends on the health of the hunter. This is a holistic worldview.
A challenge arises when some look at only one piece of this puzzle and begin to make decisions, policy
recommendations and regulations without understanding the interconnecting components, cumulative
impacts, our holistic world view – or how the young hunter giving their rst catch to an elder is an
intricate part of this ecosystem. Our knowledge, our way of life, holds the ability to illuminate the worlds’
understanding of the Arctic and enhance ecosystem-based/holistic decision- and policy-making.
16 CIRCUMPOLAR INUIT PROTOCOLS FOR EQUITABLE AND ETHICAL ENGAGEMENT
CIRCUMPOLAR INUIT PROTOCOLS FOR EQUITABLE AND ETHICAL ENGAGEMENT
CIRCUMPOLAR INUIT PROTOCOLS FOR EQUITABLE AND
ETHICAL ENGAGEMENT
PROTOCOL 1: ‘NOTHING ABOUT US WITHOUT US’ – ALWAYS ENGAGE
WITH INUIT
‘Nothing about us without us’ is our call to others to respect our rights and promote Inuit
self-determination and self-governance. To protect and promote our collective rights, Inuit
emphasize the need for the world to adhere to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights
of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). UNDRIP afrms the Inuit right to engage in the governance
of all things related to us and our lands, territories and resources. This includes all research,
economic, and decision- and policy-making activities. As we seek to uphold our sovereignty,
self-determination and self-governance, we must continue to afrm and implement these rights.
Action – Recognize Inuit Rights.
Protocol 1 Directives:
• Implement UNDRIP – Be familiar with and implement the provisions of the UNDRIP
within all aspects of your work. Collaborating with Inuit partners, you can work together
to identify the best pathways to ensure that you are implementing UNDRIP. This directive
applies to all phases and types of work – research, decision- and policy-making, and any
additional actions that may affect our people and Inuit Nunaat.
• Involve Inuit from the beginning – With consistent, clear, and continuous communications,
work with us throughout the development, interpretation and implementation of all
agreements, policies, laws, enforcement and other activities within our homelands.
• Prioritize Inuit rights – Our concerns and our voices must be heard, and dialogue should
be a substantive exchange of ideas, knowledge, and views between equally engaged
partners. Ensure equitable weight is given to Inuit perspectives, approaches, ideas,
decisions, and knowledge.
• Approach Inuit engagement through ‘Free, Prior, and Informed Consent’ – Working
within Inuit Nunaat, with Inuit, and Indigenous Knowledge is always subject to this right
and principle, which includes the ability to say ‘yes’, ‘yes with conditions’, and ‘no’. It is
important to note that silence does not mean agreement or yes.
• Seek Inuit authority and guidance – Engage with us before initiating any proposals,
research, or other work. To engage with us, become familiar with our institutions at
local, regional, national, or international levels. Inuit-driven publications can aid in
understanding Inuit positions on different points. For example, A Circumpolar Inuit
Declaration on Sovereignty in the Arctic offers important insights and direction about Inuit
as active partners and much more.
5
5
A Circumpolar Inuit Declaration on Sovereignty in the Arctic. 2009. Accessed on March 21, 2022. https://iccalaska.org/wp-icc/wp-content/
uploads/2016/01/Signed-Inuit-Sovereignty-Declaration-11x17.pdf
17
PROTOCOL 2: RECOGNIZE INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE IN ITS OWN RIGHT
Indigenous Knowledge is directly connected to our sovereignty, past and future and should
always play a vital role at all levels and types of work. Our knowledge collectively belongs to
us - it is ours to apply, assess, interpret and share if and how we choose. Despite the increasing
recognition of the role Indigenous Knowledge has in strengthening decisions and outcomes,
there continues to be a lack of understanding of what Indigenous Knowledge is and has to offer.
Sharing our knowledge in research, decision- and policy-making processes is essential.
Action – Trust and Respect Our Knowledge.
Protocol 2 Directives:
• Recognize Indigenous Knowledge as a systematic way of knowing – Our knowledge
is unique and tied to our culture. It holds multiple methodologies, evaluation and
validation processes, ways of storing and sharing, and provides holistic contributions to
understanding Inuit Nunaat and the Arctic as a whole.
• Understand and respect Inuit values – Respect Inuit values, our worldviews, perspectives,
languages and experiences will result in a greater understanding of the signicance of
Indigenous Knowledge.
• Indigenous Knowledge must not be translated, integrated into, or validated by science –
Recognition, trust and respect must be given to the unique contributions of Indigenous
Knowledge as a way of knowing. With a clear understanding that Indigenous Knowledge
holds its own methodologies and objectives, one can begin to appreciate the importance
of not attempting to translate or integrate one source of knowledge into the other.
• Inuit need to determine when and how to use Indigenous Knowledge – Look to Inuit for
leadership and direction for when and how Indigenous Knowledge should be involved
during engagement and all other processes. Our people should be involved in all work
that includes our knowledge.
• Decisions must be informed by Inuit and our knowledge – This includes all matters
regarding research, management, decision- and policy-making, development, economics
and areas related to the governance of, within, and affecting Inuit Nunaat.
• Ensure use of Indigenous Knowledge and nal products are peer-reviewed and validated
by Inuit – Our people hold their own unique expertise needed to evaluate approaches,
processes and nal products. Scientic information is analyzed with a perspective uniquely
trained to scientists. The same is true of Indigenous Knowledge. While the two sources of
knowledge may complement each other in many cases, they are not the same and should
be appreciated for what each is able to bring to the table. Our organizations have the
authority to guide how to conduct the work, reviews and nal products.
• Ensure our knowledge is not used against us – Ensure that our knowledge provided
within research, management, decision- and policy-making, or other activities related to
governance does not subsequently harm us or our communities. Work with us to ensure
that our knowledge is correctly interpreted, understood and utilized to avoid its misuse
18 CIRCUMPOLAR INUIT PROTOCOLS FOR EQUITABLE AND ETHICAL ENGAGEMENT
CIRCUMPOLAR INUIT PROTOCOLS FOR EQUITABLE AND ETHICAL ENGAGEMENT
and potential harm to our people and homelands. For example, our knowledge is often
shared through stories. All the information in the story is needed to understand the
knowledge being shared. Consider a hunter sharing knowledge about polar bears. A story
shared will often communicate the relationship between the polar bear and everything
else, including our people. Work with us to understand the knowledge shared, how to use
the information to make holistic decisions and understand cumulative impacts. Working
with us will aid in avoiding unintentional harm to our people, the animals and all that
makeup the Arctic.
A spotted seal gives itself to Wyatt Ahmasuk for the rst time. Alaska. Photo: Brandon Ahmasuk.
UpaFest. “UpaFest” is a festival of upa (ascidia, sea potatoes). The village
of Novoe Chaplino, Chukotka. Photo: Ludmila Makotrik. Dog team in Nunavik. Photo: ICC Canada Archives.
Out on the ice in Greenland. Photo: Mads Fægteborg.
Heading out ice shing in Nunatsiavut. Photo: ICC Canada Archives.
19
PROTOCOL 3: PRACTICE GOOD GOVERNANCE
Adopt robust approaches that ensure the best information is
available to inform adaptive and holistic decision-making and
policy is our call to all that work with us, such as researchers,
decision- and policy-makers, governments and international
fora. To move toward equitable and ethical approaches
we need to build and practice good governance. This is
about human behavior and acting with intent. With good
governance, we will build a social norm that encapsulates all
the protocols shared here. The principles of Good Governance
rest upon respect for our human rights as reected in universal
human rights instruments, including the UNDRIP, as well as the
equal application of the rule of law. They also align with our
values and combined, they teach us how to see ourselves and
others, how to interact and how to respond to adversity and
tackle problems. Good Governance includes transparency,
responsiveness, equity and inclusiveness, and accountability
(see glossary). The components of good governance are seen
throughout all the Protocols.
Action: Practice Good Governance.
Protocol 3 Directives:
• Inuit governance structures must be respected – All
engagement activities must respect and work in
accordance with Inuit governance structures, institutions
and organizations, respecting our sovereignty and self-
determination, even when not required by regional,
national or international laws.
• Address power dynamics including those embedded
in formal processes – Shift power dynamics to ensure
equitable intellectual and political space, status and
participation for Inuit and Indigenous Knowledge.
There are many points to consider in evaluating how to
address power dynamics. For example, agreeing upon
timelines to support full participation; ensuring that
processes for providing input align with our seasons,
priorities and preferred ways of communicating. Work
with us to further identify the best ways to address
power dynamics within specic settings, approaches,
processes and work.
Tagiugmuit Dance group celebrating at the 2018 ICC
General Assembly. Photo: Kuluk.
20 CIRCUMPOLAR INUIT PROTOCOLS FOR EQUITABLE AND ETHICAL ENGAGEMENT
CIRCUMPOLAR INUIT PROTOCOLS FOR EQUITABLE AND ETHICAL ENGAGEMENT
• Respect cultural differences – Engagement activities
must respect and accommodate differences
in values, cultural norms and Inuit preferred
communication and decision-making styles.
• Give Back - Prioritize relationship building and
include reciprocity, community benets and giving
back. Work to shift the norm from people coming to
Inuit and taking (i.e., knowledge, time, expertise) to a
focus on reciprocity and giving back (i.e., information
in accessible formats, funding, equipment, tools).
Work to build reciprocal relationships. This will
increase the impact of plans, research, decision- and
policy-making and mutually benecial activities.
• Recognize Indigenous Knowledge as a critical
component of decision-making - Everyone involved
must support the ethical use and application of
Indigenous Knowledge within Inuit Nunaat. Begin
with following the directives provided under the
other Protocols. For example, respect Indigenous
Knowledge as its own unique knowledge and the
need to involve us in all aspects of work.
• Respect and honor Inuit community needs - Ensure
all activities, research, decision-making and policy
processes are not prioritized over Inuit community
needs. For example, research activities should not
interfere with hunting activities by disturbing animal
behavior, migration routes, or risking hunters’ safety.
And within decision-making, ensure that time is
adequately allowed for our meaningful engagement,
considering our seasons.
• Evaluate Process and Approaches - To aid in the
success of equitable and ethical engagement it
is important to continuously evaluate if the intent
matches the planned activities; what can be
improved; and what barriers may exist within a
process that are unintentionally working against
equitable and ethical partnerships. We all hold
different perspectives of success. Throughout
evaluation processes, it is important that our
perspectives and measures of success are at the
forefront.
Tagiugmuit Dance group celebrating at the 2018 ICC
General Assembly. Photo: Kuluk.
21
PROTOCOL 4: COMMUNICATE WITH INTENT
Communication with intent is our call to reframe how potential partners and decision-makers
engage with us. Communication requires consistent, continuous and culturally appropriate
methods. Communication with intent can eliminate unintended power dynamics and aid in
building long-term relationships. Inuit may hold different understandings of communication
needs and how we communicate through our body language, voice and silence. To build toward
a common understanding of communication needs and to aid in respectful and transparent
communication, it is important to agree upon methods, timelines, dening terms and approaches.
Action: Listen to Inuit.
Protocol 4 Directives:
• Ensure clear communication – Consistent, continuous and culturally appropriate
communication is needed for equitable and ethical engagement. Before work begins,
agree on denitions of terms and concepts; look to Inuit for guidance on the appropriate
lines of communication and frequency; use plain language, translation and interpretation
of the appropriate Inuit dialects as directed by Inuit involved.
• Listen more than you speak – There is a need to listen, learn and build relationships
to move toward meaningful partnerships and respect. Our discussions are held with
a strong intent to take in what we share and move toward understanding each other.
Researchers, decision- and policy-makers and international fora often take the view that
they know more than us. They often focus on teaching and explaining what the problems
and solutions are. Our voices hold knowledge and expertise that needs to be respected
during our communications. This often requires listening with an openness to hear what is
being shared before you speak.
• Come to the table with humility and respect – Enter discussions and work with humility
and respect promotes and advances a space for mutual learning and understanding.
• Invest in cultural translation – Hire and engage Inuit (under the direction of Inuit entities)
who can explain and demonstrate differences in linguistic and cultural meanings and
facilitate understanding of differences in values, communication styles and respectful
behavior.
• Inuit must direct the processes – Look to Inuit for leadership and guidance to set agendas,
facilitate dialogues and meetings and how to govern proceedings with respect to cultural
contexts. Including determining the format of the meeting (i.e., face-to-face, out on
the land), language and dialects, interpretation if needed, provision of food, and the
development of written materials and visuals.
• Gather as we gather – Behavior is extremely important to communication - key values
such as listening and sharing inuence how discussions occur. Meetings may also
require unstructured space and time for discussion, language interpreters, the inclusion
of appropriate dialects and the translation of materials available in multiple formats (i.e.,
written, visual and audio). For example, PowerPoint style information sessions and large
22 CIRCUMPOLAR INUIT PROTOCOLS FOR EQUITABLE AND ETHICAL ENGAGEMENT
CIRCUMPOLAR INUIT PROTOCOLS FOR EQUITABLE AND ETHICAL ENGAGEMENT
gatherings with a stage and a microphone are not our way of communicating. Many of
us prefer smaller, informal gatherings, where natural conversations occur, and privacy is
respected.
• Direction on safety must be taken from Inuit – We know how to navigate our homelands
and areas of potential safety concerns. Those coming into our lands and waters should
communicate with Inuit organizations to ensure activities do not compromise anyone’s life
and physical safety.
Inuit gather for discussions during community consultations in Savissivik,
Greenland, as part of the Pikialasorsuaq work. Photo: Kuupik V Kleist.
Gervasio Igtanloc at the Nuiqsuit Blanket Toss. Photo: Brandon Lampe.
Enjoying tea and bannock in Nunavik. Photo: ICC Canada Archives.
Yunga Sergey. The village of Novoye Chaplino, in Chukotka. Photo: Lyudmila Makotrik.
23
PROTOCOL 5: EXERCISE ACCOUNTABILITY - BUILDING TRUST
Exercise accountability and work to build your capacity to address inequalities are our calls to all
those who work with us. Exercising accountability comes in many forms. Here we focus on two
critical parts of accountability that reect responsibility and obligations. Those who work in our
communities within research and decision- and policy-making hold obligations towards us and
our lands, territories and waters to work with intent and do no harm. Additionally, they also hold
a responsibility to build their capacity to understand our historical, colonial, and present realities
and the wealth of information that Inuit have generated. These inequities can only be addressed
by those operating in those systems and the burden of educating others should not fall on Inuit.
Action: Be Accountable and Build Your Capacity.
Protocol 5 Directives:
• Take responsibility and meet your obligations – Demonstrate a willingness to account for
your actions and subsequent outcomes in a way that is respectful of our distinct status and
values.
• Take responsibility for educating yourself – The cultural and historical contexts of working
with us and within Inuit Nunaat need to be understood. Take responsibility to learn Inuit
histories, values, culture, and communication norms. Learn about Inuit government
structures, institutions and the wealth of information we have publicly available. These
efforts should be made before your work begins.
• Recognize and overcome the barriers of time – Agree upon timelines with Inuit partners
before beginning work. Build into project and initiative timelines the time needed to build
relationships and your capacity to conduct all the work in a way that everyone agrees
upon.
• Engagement efforts should not be duplicative – Go the extra mile to understand who and
what else has already been engaged in the communities and regions you are working
in. Much Indigenous Knowledge has already been shared and it is important to identify
and credit this information before entering into duplicate engagement efforts. Often
Indigenous Knowledge and a high amount of effort have been provided by our people
without reection of these efforts, without sharing the data that has been collected and
without addressing the challenges or concerns raised. All of this can lead to research and
engagement fatigue within communities and Inuit organizations.
• Be transparent and honest – This begins at project conception and includes the intention
and scope of work, the intended use of information, potential benets and harm, the
dissemination of information, and all other components related to the engagement (i.e.,
developing grants, research, decision- and policy-making).
24 CIRCUMPOLAR INUIT PROTOCOLS FOR EQUITABLE AND ETHICAL ENGAGEMENT
CIRCUMPOLAR INUIT PROTOCOLS FOR EQUITABLE AND ETHICAL ENGAGEMENT
PROTOCOL 6: BUILD MEANINGFUL PARTNERSHIPS
Meaningful partnerships are our call to institutions, governments and individuals to make
a paradigm shift in your thinking, approaches, research, and decision- and policy-making
processes. The paradigm shift is needed to create, maintain and hold equitable and ethical
intellectual and political space for Inuit and our knowledge. Inuit values guide our lives
and teach us how to interact within our communities and our environment – they shape our
engagement expectations and norms. We develop meaningful partnerships through the
understanding of and adherence to these values.
Action: Adopt Processes and Approaches That Foster Meaningful Partnerships.
Protocol 6 Directives:
• Adopt processes that support multi-knowledge and holistic understanding - Work in
partnership with us to evaluate current processes that may impede equitable and ethical
engagement and utilization of our knowledge.
• Prioritize Relationship-building – Recognize that trust takes a long time to develop but can
be easily and quickly lost. Take the time and actions needed to establish and nurture trust
within developing relationships.
• Develop agreements with Inuit partners – Ensure a shared understanding of terms,
intentions, roles, processes, outputs and all other components as they pertain to
relationships and the purpose of the engagement.
• Ensure exibility, adequate time, and recognition of seasonal calendars – Look to Inuit
potential partners to dene what is needed to ensure our meaningful partnership in all
work (i.e., research, monitoring). Throughout all processes, it is necessary to work with
exibility as Inuit lifestyle depends on the weather, the rhythm of animal movements and
ultimately work within different seasonal calendars than many of the international fora.
• Support Inuit-driven research and monitoring – Inuit are providing signicant insights
and the evidence-based information needed to support adaptive and ecosystem-
based decisions and policies. Looking to and advocating for, Inuit-driven research and
monitoring efforts for direction will inform additional work (i.e., research, monitoring)
needs.
• Practice the co-production of knowledge – Follow Inuit-guided processes to successfully
bring together Indigenous Knowledge and science, while ensuring that our knowledge is
trusted and respected as a unique knowledge system that comes with its own evaluation
and validation processes (i.e., A Framework for Co-Production of Knowledge in the
Context of Arctic Research).
6
6
Ellam Yua, J. Raymond-Yakoubian, R. A. Daniel, and C. Behe. 2021. A framework for co-production of Knowledge in the context of Arctic
research: Negeqlikacaarni kangingnaulriani ayuqenrilnguut piyaraitgunkangingnauryararkat:. Ecology and Society, in press. Accessed on
March 16, 2022, at https://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol27/iss1/art34/
25
• Support opportunities for our people to convene and discuss our knowledge with
each other – Respect the processes of coming together. Holding discussions, feasts,
celebrations and other culturally appropriate gatherings are equally important practices
for sharing information, knowledge and making collective decisions.
• Ensure the results of your work have equitable outcomes – Inuit should not bear the
burden of work or decisions enacted by others. Historically and today, many climate
change initiatives, conservation strategies, industry development and international
policies have burdened our people. The burden is the result of work, research, decisions
and policies made without our equitable involvement, approaches that do not reect our
way of life, our concepts of balance and taking care of the environment and recognizing
that people are part of the ecosystem.
Ludmila Makotrik at UpaFest and her delicious
soup made of walrus meat and upa. The village
of Novoye Chaplino in Chukotka. Photo: Maria
Karnaukhova.
Cutting up a harp seal in Greenland. Photo: Kuupik V Kleist.
Landing a beluga whale: family and friends exercising food sovereignty. Photo: Duane Smith.
Cameron Okbaok from Alaska. Cameron shares, “As I was growing up, my
father Jerry made me see the importance in going out in the country to get
our own food.” Photo provided by: Cameron Okbaok.
26 CIRCUMPOLAR INUIT PROTOCOLS FOR EQUITABLE AND ETHICAL ENGAGEMENT
CIRCUMPOLAR INUIT PROTOCOLS FOR EQUITABLE AND ETHICAL ENGAGEMENT
PROTOCOL 7: INFORMATION AND DATA SHARING, OWNERSHIP, AND
PERMISSIONS
We call on researchers, funders, decision-makers, governments and international fora, to follow
our guidance and respect our knowledge and recognize our distinct contributions. This must be
reected in all outcomes, materials, nal reports and products and be completed in accordance
with both the terms set by the individuals and collective institutions engaged. The same must
apply to data sharing as well as the institutions and repositories identied to store such materials
and products.
Inuit need access, ownership and control over information, data and materials pertaining to our
knowledge, people, culture, resources and homelands. This includes application to all aspects
of monitoring and research design, information/data management planning and data collection.
Our access, ownership and control extends to the archiving and preservation of Indigenous
Knowledge, information and materials. Concepts of data sharing, ownership, and permissions
must be discussed at length with the Inuit communities, organizations and governments
involved to ensure Inuit communities and our knowledge are protected and properly used.
Action: Recognize Inuit Ownership of Information.
Protocol 7 Directives:
• Agree upon principles of ownership of and permission – These concepts should be
discussed early with us, and work should be responsive to our direction. Processes and
agreements should ensure Inuit ownership of and access to their knowledge. Inuit should
direct permission for how this knowledge is used. Agree upon a process for seeking
permission to utilize information from the Indigenous Knowledge shared in future
applications. It is important to remember, as shared in Protocol 1, FPIC applies to all these
directives, including ownership and permission.
• Access to Information and Data – Inuit access to all raw information and data collected
within Inuit Nunaat should be agreed upon and ensured. Including scientic information
and data.
• Involve Inuit in the analysis and interpretation of results – Inuit organizations,
communities, or individuals providing Indigenous Knowledge must participate in the
analysis of information and the interpretation of research, decision and policy outcomes.
This includes equitable involvement in the determination of relevance and applicability of
the results and policy outcomes to our people.
• Give credit where credit is due – Inuit organizations, communities, or individuals must
be acknowledged and receive credit for the Indigenous Knowledge, expertise and
information provided to others in a way that has been agreed upon and directed by the
community or individuals.
• Require Inuit review and agreement on all materials and products – Inuit engaged in
producing those materials, information and products must have the opportunity to review
results prior to public release in order to identify incorrect or sensitive information.
27
• Report back in appropriate and accessible language – Engagement does not end when
materials are made public. The impact of such materials or nal products should be
communicated and provided to Inuit concerned. For example, sharing information and
products through discussions.
Out on the water preparing for whaling season in Alaska. Photo: Billy Adams.
Lene Kielsen Holm and colleague. Lene embodied our values in all of her actions.
She advocated for the equity of our people and knowledge Internationally and
nationally. Photo: Mads Faegteborg.
Air Inuit Twin Otter in Ivujivik, Nunavik, Canada. Inuit own and operate numerous
successful businesses across Inuit Nunaat and beyond, including Air Inuit.
Photo: Stephen Hendrie.
The beginning of the long-awaited hunt. Novoye Chaplino village in Chukotka.
Photo: Andrei Makotrik. Smoking char in Greenland. Photo: Kuupik V Kleist.
Heading home in Nunavut. Photo: ICC Canada Archives.
Qetun’aq, a Yup’ik artist in Alaska, shares
a Yup’ik bow he made following his
Grandfather, Ayaginar’s work. Qetun’aq
shares that the process is rooted deep in
spiritually while thinking in my own language.
Photo: Qetun’aq Charles.
On the tundra. Village of New Chaplino
in Chukotka. Photo: Elena Kaminskaya.
28 CIRCUMPOLAR INUIT PROTOCOLS FOR EQUITABLE AND ETHICAL ENGAGEMENT
CIRCUMPOLAR INUIT PROTOCOLS FOR EQUITABLE AND ETHICAL ENGAGEMENT
PROTOCOL 8: EQUITABLY FUND INUIT REPRESENTATION AND
KNOWLEDGE
Equitable funding of our representation and knowledge is our call to reform funding for
research and decision- and policy-making structures that impact our homelands. With equitable
funding, our experts can represent the breadth of Indigenous Knowledge, which by its nature
includes Inuit priorities, perspectives, expectations and culturally appropriate solutions. The
means are required to enhance capabilities across communities, places where gaps exist,
empowers us and contributes to long-term efciency in future projects.
Action: Provide Equitable Funding.
Protocol 8 Directives:
• Evaluate, reform, and work to address inequities in funding structures – Equitably support
Inuit engagement and Inuit driven-work through processes that are compatible and
acceptable to our people and our communities.
• Require culturally appropriate ethics training – Funders need to ensure that those they
support hold the appropriate knowledge and training to work within the Arctic. Requiring
culturally appropriate ethics training specic to working with Indigenous Peoples will aid
in ensuring a standard level of competency.
• Support Inuit organizations and governments in determining their funding needs – Work
with Inuit to identify what funding needs are and the most effective ways of receiving
the funding to support the work. Agreeing upon the needs ahead of time will ensure
adequate funding to support the many components needed for equitable and ethical
approaches. Work to ensure that the funding structures can accommodate these needs
and approaches. For example, funding should support all that an Inuit organization
identies as needed to bring our people together to share information and make
decisions. Bringing people together may require having food and gifts to share, cultural
performances, and translating materials into different Inuit dialects. Another example is to
ensure that funding structures support processes that an Inuit organization would use to
establish a monitoring program rooted in Indigenous Knowledge and science.
• Determining the allocation of funds – Uphold Inuit authority to determine the allocation of
funds and logistical support to communities. Such funding should be increased annually
beyond the rate of ination and in proportion to need.
• Take direction from Inuit – Working with us and agreeing upon the needs ahead of time
will ensure adequate funding to support the many components needed for equitable and
ethical approaches.
• Research and Monitoring funding should ow to Inuit entities - Outside research and
monitoring projects should heavily involve Inuit input and direction. The establishment
of Inuit-led review bodies for funding applications will help gain needed insight into
appropriate approaches and guidance to improve potential work. Crucially, it will shift
29
power dynamics that are associated with decision-making about what is funded (i.e., Inuit
Qaujisarnirmut Pilirijjutit).
7
• Provide appropriate compensation – Inuit need to be compensated for our knowledge,
expertise, time, and labor. Agree upon appropriate compensation before work begins.
This compensation should be reective of a person’s expertise. For example, a Hunter’s
knowledge is extensive and should be par to that of a researcher or technician or the
amount that the Hunter has identied as required.
• Prioritize local hiring – Take the necessary measures to provide locally paid positions and
work early in the process. Inuit organizations and governments can provide direction
regarding appropriate skills, strengths and knowledge required for the work, as well as to
determine the compensation and pay rates.
7
Inuit Qaujisarnirmut Pilirijjutit. Accessed on March 21, 2022. https://arcticnet.ulaval.ca/inuit-qaujisarnirmut-pilirijjutit/.
Aklavik Drummers and Dancers performing at the 2018 ICC General
Assembly. Photo: Jacki Cleveland.
Ensemble White Sails. The settlement of Laurentia, in Chukotka. Photo: Vladimir Silpin.
Drummers from Alaska celebrating at the 2018 ICC General Assembly. Photo: Jacki
Cleveland.
Singing Choir Qissiat celebrating at the 2018 ICC General Assembly.
Photo: Jacki Cleveland.
30 CIRCUMPOLAR INUIT PROTOCOLS FOR EQUITABLE AND ETHICAL ENGAGEMENT
CIRCUMPOLAR INUIT PROTOCOLS FOR EQUITABLE AND ETHICAL ENGAGEMENT
CONCLUSION
Inuit developed these protocols to support Inuit sovereignty, self-determination and self-
governance. It is through decolonization and cultural revitalization efforts that make room for
signicant changes, such as the EEE Protocols, that we continue to assert the future we want for
ourselves – a future in which we can fully, effectively and meaningfully participate in all activities,
conversations about, and decisions affecting our homelands. Implementation of the protocols
by international organizations, institutions and individuals will ultimately require a paradigm
shift in how they approach engagement with Inuit, the utilization of Indigenous Knowledge and
ultimately work to build equitable and ethical engagement and partnerships with us to establish
a standard for international work, making decisions and developing policies.
Our holistic approaches and living as one with the environment have enabled us to not just
survive but thrive in the Arctic, in conditions that others often describe as 'hostile' and 'harsh'.
We are living proof that our culture and our knowledge enable fruitful living under extreme
conditions and in a changing world. Our insights are valuable for all of humankind and are
indispensable for the Arctic. Inuit welcome institutions, people and governments to begin, foster
and continue meaningful relationships with us in all manner of work across our homelands and
throughout the Arctic. These protocols provide a foundation for success through equitable and
ethical engagement and partnerships.
The Chair and Executive Council of the Inuit Circumpolar Council hereby conrm the unanimous
approval and adoption of the Circumpolar Inuit Protocols for Equitable and Ethical Engagement.
Vera Metcalf
Member, Alaska
Nuka Kleemann,
Member, Greenland
Jim Stotts
Vice Chair, Alaska
Hjalmar Dahl
Vice Chair, Greenland
Monica Ell-Kanayuk
Vice Chair, Canada
Liubov Taian
Vice Chair, Chukotka
Lisa Koperqualuk,
Member, Canada
Elena Kaminskaya
Member, Chukotka
Dalee Sambo Dorough - ICC Chair
31
Accountability – Within good governance
speaks to the relationships, obligations
and responsibilities that we all hold. These
protocols seek to ensure that those who
work with us and within Inuit Nunaat, through
research, policy and decision-making take
their obligations towards us and our lands,
territories and resources seriously.
Best available information – Best available
information may come from Indigenous
Knowledge or a combination of Indigenous
Knowledge and science. Within this
report, the term is used to indicate needed
information from both Indigenous Knowledge
and/or science needed for research and
decision- and policy-making.
Community – The term community includes
and extends beyond the towns, villages, or
settlements in which Inuit live to include the
people who live in our communities, our
governance structures, our chosen leadership
and those belonging to these communities
who may be living far away. Broad support for
work must be achieved through attention to
all components of the community.
Ethical – Work is ethical when it adheres to
principles of right and wrong, which must
necessarily include Inuit conceptions of
right and wrong and must also actively work
against colonial processes.
Equity and Inclusiveness – Within good
governance speaks to fairness, equitable
treatment and inclusion through direct and
meaningful actions, consistent with our
conceptions of engagement. Aligning intent
with actions (being effective and efcient)
through the implementation of these
protocols will ensure constructive outcomes
and prevent results that are inaccurate or
potentially damaging to our people, our
homelands and the Arctic.
Equitable – Equity is more than equality. It
includes providing the appropriate resources,
opportunities and responsibilities as others,
even if additional attention, resources and
space are needed to accommodate that
participation.
Fair – Ensuring that activities recognize and
respect cultural differences and values.
Funders – Individuals, organizations, agencies
and governments that donate money to
causes in line with their own work, ideals and
morals.
Governments – Local, regional and national
bodies that are in charge of governance. This
includes Indigenous governance structures,
whether as formalized governments or
Indigenous governments. At times, the term
governments may refer to all governments,
or only to external governments. External
governments refer to governments that do
not fall under Inuit democratic processes.
Indigenous Peoples – Inuit are an Indigenous
People of the Arctic. Our status, rights and
responsibilities as a people among the
peoples of the world and as an Indigenous
People, are exercised within the unique
geographic, environmental, cultural and
political context of the Arctic.
8
This has
GLOSSARY: These terms are dened as they are used in this document. Please note that
it is important to dene and agree upon terms with Indigenous partners during engagement
processes.
8
ICC. 2009. A Circumpolar Inuit Declaration on Sovereignty in the Arctic.
Caribou in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region. Photo: Chris Kelly.
32 CIRCUMPOLAR INUIT PROTOCOLS FOR EQUITABLE AND ETHICAL ENGAGEMENT
CIRCUMPOLAR INUIT PROTOCOLS FOR EQUITABLE AND ETHICAL ENGAGEMENT
been acknowledged in the eight-nation
Arctic Council, which provides a direct,
participatory role for Inuit through the
permanent participant status accorded to
the Inuit Circumpolar Council and ve other
Indigenous organizations.
International fora – International organizations
such as the United Nations, Arctic Council
and the International Arctic Science
Committee, which deal with the international
development of research, management,
policies and laws that inuence national
bodies. Associated working groups and
subsidiary bodies. For example, the Arctic
Council, UN bodies, such as the Convention
on Biological Diversity, the UN Framework
Convention on Climate Change and the
International Maritime Organization.
International work – Activities that involve
all manner of land, water, resources,
governance, education, research and other
areas within Inuit homelands or affect Inuit
within the international sphere. This includes
initiatives, international policies, conventions
and agreements that deal with Inuit or Inuit
territories, (i.e., work-related to decision-
making, policy development, observation and
monitoring programs, assessments, research).
It includes, but is not limited to, any work
conducted under the Arctic Council and any
United Nations body.
Just – Adhering to human rights conventions,
including recognition and respect for
Indigenous rights under the UNDRIP and the
responsibility of state parties and others to
enact those conventions.
Research – Refers to the collection of
information and encompasses monitoring
activities and assessments. At times, both
research and monitoring are referred to
within the document. When monitoring is
explicitly stated within a protocol, or narrative,
it emphasizes the need to apply the protocol
to monitoring activities.
Researchers – Those collecting information
through Indigenous Knowledge, science,
management, or policy on behalf of
institutions, organizations and agencies.
Resources – References to ‘resources’ in this
document can refer to (a) natural resources,
such as timber, minerals, energy, lands and
waters, to (b) wild living resources such as
plants and animals, food sources, and (c)
human resources, such as time, capacity and
funding. Some Inuit have expressed concern
with the way the term resources is used within
international fora. The use of the term can
often give the impression of objectifying
animals, plants, land, water and all other
pieces that are more than what they offer to
humans. When the term resources are used in
this document, it is with respect for all that we
hold a relationship within the Arctic.
Responsiveness – Within good governance
suggests reacting in a positive fashion to our
way of life, values, customs, ideas, priorities,
decisions and choices in the context of
monitoring, assessments, research, decision-
making and other activities within our
communities and in relation to our lands,
territories and resources. Responsiveness
also calls for a consensus-based approach
to ensure that all people involved are
meaningfully engaged.
Rule of Law – The “rule of law” refers to
impartial legal systems that protect the
human rights and civil liberties of all citizens,
particularly minorities. The United Nations
has afrmed that “human rights, the rule
of law and democracy are interlinked and
mutually reinforcing and that they belong
to the universal and indivisible core values
33
and principles of the United Nations.” In this
document, we include the rule of law as one
of the principles of good governance that
must be upheld in order to ensure ethical,
equitable engagement of Indigenous
Knowledge consistent with our distinct
rights as Indigenous peoples, and essential
to consultation and cooperation in all
dimensions of and actions concerning our
knowledge.
Science – As the Indigenous Knowledge
denition shared indicates, Indigenous
Knowledge is systematic and has its
own methodologies, validation and
evaluation processes. Similarly, science is a
systematic knowledge system, with specic
methodologies, validation and evaluation
processes. There is a distinction between
Indigenous Knowledge and science.
Indigenous knowledge is equitable to
western science.
Self-Determination – Is our legal right as a
distinct people to decide our own destiny.
Central to our self-determination is our right
to freely determine our political status, freely
pursue our economic, social, cultural and
linguistic development, and freely dispose
of our natural wealth and resources. This
includes the right to determine how and
when our knowledge will be used, the right to
say no and much more. States are obligated
to respect and promote the realization of our
right to self-determination.
9
Self-Governance – The ability for Inuit
to determine their own affairs, which is
protected under international conventions
and regional and national laws and policies.
Sovereignty – Sovereignty is a term that has
often been used to refer to the absolute and
independent authority of a community or
nation both internationally and externally.
Sovereignty is a contested concept that
does not have a xed meaning. For Inuit
living within the states of Russia, Canada,
the USA and Denmark/Greenland, issues of
sovereignty and sovereign rights must be
examined and assessed in the context of our
long history of struggle to gain recognition
and respect as an Arctic Indigenous Peoples
having the right to exercise self-determination
over our lives, territories, cultures and
languages.
10
Transparency – Within good governance
means that it is easy for us to see what
others are doing and what actions are being
performed within our communities and across
our homelands and to know about such
events in advance. Practicing transparency
requires openness, communication and
accountability.
Work – Activities that involve all manner
of land, water, resources, governance, our
people, animals, plants, research and other
areas within Inuit homelands or affect Inuit
regionally, nationally and internationally.
This work may be conducted by people
such as researchers, managers, practitioners,
decision- and policy-makers, international
fora, international working groups,
constituted bodies and subsidiaries and
governments.
Inuit from across the circumpolar drumming and dancing at the 2018 ICC General Assembly. Photo: Jacki Cleveland.
34 CIRCUMPOLAR INUIT PROTOCOLS FOR EQUITABLE AND ETHICAL ENGAGEMENT
9
ICC. 2009. A Circumpolar Inuit Declaration on Sovereignty in the Arctic.
10
See Footnote 9
CIRCUMPOLAR INUIT PROTOCOLS FOR EQUITABLE AND ETHICAL ENGAGEMENT 35
