On April 1, 1999, Nunavut Territory, Canada, exists. Carved out of the eastern half of the Northwest Territories, Nunavut will in many ways be controlled by its majority population, the native Inuit.

The population of Nunavut, some 24,665 people, are spread over 818,745 square miles, one fifth of Canada's land mass. The enormity of the Northwest Territories as a whole, and the sparseness of its population, contributed to the creation of the new territory.

In 1966, a government commission called for dividing the Northwest Territories (NWT) into two smaller and more manageable regions. In 1982, a majority of the people of the territory voted to divide into two separate territories..

Earlier, in 1976, the Inuit of Canada first called for the creation of Nunavut ("Our Land" in Inukitut). They negotiated a land claim settlement with the Canadian government. The Inuit approved the final agreement in 1992, and the government passed it in 1993. Called one of the most innovative of Canada's modern aboriginal treaties, the land claims settlement led directly to the creation of the new territory.

The agreement calls for the institution of the new territory to take place over 16 years, 1993 to 2009. Services and structures have, over the last six years, been transferred to the new Nunavut government. This year, the elected government of Nunavut begins to assume authority from the central government of the NWT. By 2009, the Nunavut government will operate all the mechanics of territorial government.

The Inuit comprise 83% of the population of Nunavut. They can expect to play as large a part in the future of the territory as democracy will allow.

Additional to proper democratic representation, the land claims agreement provides for some economic recompense for stealing the land in the first place. The Inuit get to take part in the modern corporate government of Canada, along with all the other citizens. This is of course half good and half bad. The bad part is that it's not as good a deal as the Inuit had before Canada ever existed. The good part is that it's better than nothing. The Inuit can finally be at home in Canada. That's the good part for the Inuit. The good part for the rest of us (we don't get a bad part to this deal), is that a large chunk of the North American Arctic has a potentially powerful voice for environmental sanity.

The settlement includes giving title to 136,000 square miles of land to the Inuit. Some 35,000 square miles of that land includes mineral rights. They will receive royalties from development of resources (including petroleum) on Crown land within the territory. They also receive cash payments totalling $1.148 billion (Canadian). This is particularly significant given the recent discovery of enormous oil reserves in eastern Nunavut and the northern shore of Greenland, equivalent to those on the northern slope of Alaska.

A new set of government wildlife management, resource management and environmental boards is being created with equal representation from the Inuit. Along with the ability to create territorial laws and participation in much of the territory's development, this is the beginning of a new opportunity.

Elders play an important role in Inuit society. Their opinions are respected and they take their role seriously. We can hope that the voice the earth speaks loud, as Canada, our neighbor to the north, reinvents herself.

Welcome to Nunavut!