Program Mission and Overview

The Arctic Circumpolar Route (ACR), involving the heritage of peoples in Russia, Canada, Norway, Sweden, Denmark (Greenland), Finland, Iceland and the USA (Alaska), was recognized by UNESCO in 1999. The ACR is sponsored by UNESCO and the Arctic Institute of North America, and joins UNESCO's Silk and Spice Route, the Slave Route, and others to illustrate conceptual pathways by which information travels.

The ACR's mission is to facilitate information development and exchange in all media, to benefit Arctic peoples and to collect and conserve their stories. The goal of the ACR is to reinforce connections among peoples of the Arctic and with the global community. The ACR adopts and supports significant projects which have been launched by communities, and therefore directly reflect their values and priorities. Some partner projects are also conducted in partnership with institutions in the "South".

ACR partners are autonomous community-based projects in the eight Arctic countries to create wider awareness and to disseminate information about Arctic peoples, their traditions and priorities, from their own perspectives and in their own words. This web site is increasingly interactive, and aims to be multilingual.

Activities Leading to Describing Conceptual Pathways

Electronic communication offers an opportunity to incorporate northern history and tradition into the mainstream of global knowledge systems, without negatively impacting established ways of life in the Arctic. Obstacles to communication - small populations, large geographical areas, and hostile climatic conditions - diminish with global information and communication technologies.

The ACR’s role is the identification, conservation, and communication of environmental, education, social and cultural information which incorporates local knowledge and ways of knowing into new communication techniques. Arctic resources are then preserved and developed through a thematic digitized collection, managed electronically. An interpretive framework will incrementally relate these resources, from an Arctic perspective, to the circumpolar world’s history. Northern peoples benefit by retaining, safeguarding, and caring for their heritage; acquiring advanced skills and techniques; and sharing knowledge with related organizations and individuals. ACR participants, related by media and presenting information they choose to share, are the circumpolar “route”. Each partner is a “node”, connected to others by virtual “bridges”- their shared values and interrelationships.

It is important that these stories be told from the perspective of northerners, balanced with interpretations of traders, scientists, explorers and adventurers who have visited and lived there. Markers and artifacts along the virtual trails and pathways, in their original context, retain the meaning and significance of journeys past and present. A prototype is the symbolic “meshkanu” (Elizabeth’s Walk, Indigenous Affairs 4/01), the making of a path to the future through retracing the steps of the past. New partnerships, techniques, and cooperative arrangements shed a different light on the history of the world.

Background to the Arctic Circumpolar Route

The stories of the circumpolar northern peoples and their unique cultural heritage is among the least familiar histories in the world today. The extreme climate which makes these regions inhospitable to outsiders, has also preserved the evidence of ancient cultures, and of routes and pathways by which cultural dialogue has taken place over millennia. Relatively recent contact with “southern” Asian and European cultures means that traditional languages and lifeways have endured – sometimes marginally – into the 21st Century.

At the same time, Arctic dwellers are not at present full participants in the economic wealth of their countries. There is a deep division between the riches of the South and the poverty of the North. Arctic peoples seek support for global inclusion, without weakening their sources of strength from the past. There is a need among indigenous and non-indigenous peoples for accurate, accessible information among northern communities to vitalize heritage, to share issues and solutions, and to validate values. This information also informs non-northerners of Arctic realities and priorities, leading to better environmental and cultural policies and practices.

Guidance and Direction

The ACR can be characterized as a holistic research and communication initiative. It is guided by two advisory groups. The Arctic Circle of Indigenous Communicators (ACIC) (http://acic.on.to) is a group of northern-based professional aboriginal communicators and managers in all media, representing all the circumpolar countries. The ACIC serves as a voluntary advisory group and source of information on northern issues and potential partner projects. The ACIC was formed at the World Summit on the Information Society, and the Global Forum on Indigenous Issues, held in Geneva in December, 2003. In addition, a Consultative Committee made up of distinguished northern specialists also provides guidance. The Consultative Committee includes Dr. Charles Arnold, Executive Director of the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre, Yellowknife; Dr. Peter Schlederman, former Executive Director and Senior Research Associate of the Arctic Institute of North America, University of Calgary; and Ms. Kim Crockatt, Executive Director of the Nunavut Literacy Association and President of the Kitikmeot Heritage Society; and Steven Loring, Director of Anthropology, Smithsonian Institution, USA

Requirements for Progress

New uses of media, and access to them, are required to meet the potential of re-telling northern stories. Traditional oral societies suggest extended use of audio and visual tools. Innovative approaches to developing content appropriate to the Arctic should incorporate Elders, youth, and other village dwellers. It is essential that northern residents actively participate in all research and reporting which concerns their interests. Clear principles for participation, disclosure, ownership, and ongoing sensitivity need to be developed and implemented.

Holistic research is an approach well suited to the development of conceptual pathways and routes. The incorporation of traditional knowledge and academic study are not always familiar to either researchers or funders. There is a clear need to develop funding programs which respond to the remote and northern context, while broadening understanding with government, industry, and the academic community on the value and uses of local and traditional knowledge.

The active participation and generous sharing of Arctic partners indicates that there is potential for further expansion of the ACR. The partners at this time include societies representing Inuit and aboriginal communities in the Arctic regions of Canada, Greenland, Norway and Russia, as well as outside researchers.

How to Contribute

The basic work and funding of ACR partners is done on site in the villages where the projects are located. The number of requests for participation received by the ACR is increasing, and it is now time to establish funding for expansion and improvement of the website and outreach. Current partners represent Inuit, Dene, Nenets, Itelmen, and Saami peoples in Canada, Greenland, Russia, and Finland. These projects are not static, but are continually increasing local content. An international indigenous intranet is being developed among peoples, to make information available outside the North. There is increasing worldwide interest in developing literacy in indigenous languages. Interpretation of the significance of the projects within a wider context is an important step, to be approached with the University of the Arctic Bachelor of Circumpolar Studies program. The ACR has received contributions in kind and in cash from the Arctic Institute of North America, Canadian Polar Commission, the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, and UNESCO. Over $100,000 in private contributions have also been received. All contributions are tax deductible. The Arctic Circumpolar Route has a separate and dedicated account within the Arctic Institute of North America, University of Calgary. Contact Mary Stapleton at mary_stapleton@circumpolarRoute.org, or by telephone at +1.403-931-2453, or by fax at +1.403-931-2454.