Field research in Greenland and Sacred Sites in the Circumpolar Regions

The field reports are as follows:

• “Perspectives on Colonialism in Greenland”, by Martin Binachon, Rachael Lorna Johnstone and Jonathan Wood, addresses some of the main questions concerning how Greenlanders experience colonialism today, how Greenland can decolonise, and whether the Greenlanders from Avanersuaq or the far northwest of Greenland have experienced colonialism differently.
• “Colonisation then and now in Avanersuaq”, by Martin Binachon, is a fieldwork report on how colonialism affects the Inughuit People of Avanersuaq today.
• “The Greenland Reconciliation Commission: One more step towards independence?”, by Rachael Lorna Johnstone, is a field report on the Greenland Reconciliation Commission (2014-2017) and its work.
• “Seeking Community Consent for Resource Development in Greenland” is a field report by Jonathan Wood on the decision-making processes related to developing or not some of the most abundant deposits of rare earth elements (REEs) on the planet.
• Issue 17(3) – sacred sites in the circumpolar region.
• “Preserving Sacred Sites in the Arctic: Lessons from elsewhere?”, by Akwoni Ayonghe, who reflects on whether Cameroonian indigenous experiences in land co-management can be applied tosacred sites in the Arctic without jepoardizing their cultural importance.
• “‘To be or not to be?’ Tourism development plans and the voice of the river”, by Anna Stammler-Gossmann, reflects on the sensitivity to the tourism devleopment plans in relation to the Amma River that has an iconic status as the most beautiful and the cleanest river in the whole region of the Republic of Skha Yakutia.
• “Protection of Sacred Sites – Between Legal Pluralism and Cultural Ecology”, by Dawid Bunikowski, addresses the combination of the theory of cultural ecology with the theory of legal pluralism, so as to help recognise indigenous customary laws in the Arctic.
• “Recognizing Innu Sacred Natural Sites as Aboriginal-led Protected Areas by UAPASHKUSS: Innu Sacred Sites Guardians”, by Dolorés André, discusses the work of the UAPASHKUSS, an indigenous apolitical group in Canada, and the importance of Indigenous-led governance and conservation systems in the preservation of natural sacred sites.
• “Protection of Sámi Sacred Sites and Culturally Sensitive Tourism in Sápmi Under the Threats of Land-use”, by Eleonora Alareisto, discusses the growing phenomenon of tourism in Sámi homeland area and the various impacts of its expansion with regard to Sámi sacred sites, which are called sieidi.
• “How Sacred Should Spiritual Knowledge Be? Human-spirit relations in the Nenets tundra”, by Florian Stammer, highlights the ways in which Nenets people in the Russian Arctic display or hide their relations with the local spirits.
• “Sacred Natural Sites in the Arctic North: Living memory, traditions,, cultural heritage and exploitation through tourism and inadequate protection”, by Francis Joy, is a description of a planned research on threats to Finnish sacred sites because of fires, camping, rock-climbing and leisure activities, among others.
• “Sacred Places as Cultural Ecologies: Making space for the intangible”, by Patrick Dillon, discusses various forms of sacred places and how they are experienced and understood in many different ways.
• “Sacred Sites: Destruction or counter-hegemonic resistance?”, by René Kuppe, discusses a particular form of ongoing colonization of non-European societies, hardly noticed or even discussed: the destruction of traditional beliefs and worldviews of Indigenous Peoples by fundamentalist Christians, Muslims and Hindus .
• “The Nenets’ Sacred Places: The singing mountain Yanganya Pe”, by Roza Laptander, casts light on the sacred mountains in the Polar Ural Mountains that are revered by the Nenets.
• “Climate Change and Underwater Cultural Heritage. Utilizing international law to empower communities to protect their coastal sacred sites and sea-level rise”, by Stefan Kirchner, discusses coastal communities across most of the Arctic and the need for them to consider the impacts of sea-level rise on their communities, including sacred sites.