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Mining News: Inupiat spirit thrives in two worlds NANA’s message of balancing business savvy and traditional values resonates with Inuit neighbors mulling resource development Shane Lasley Mining News
Two Worlds, One Spirit” is a motto that encompasses NANA Regional Corp.’s dedication to developing its natural resources in a way that preserves the integrity of its land and the traditional values of the people who have called Northwest Alaska home for millennia.
“At NANA we like to say we live in two worlds but have one spirit – meaning that we will not forsake our traditional values when participating in the modern economy. We can be Native people and bring Native values to the table when looking at business opportunities. In fact, I think it is our greatest strength,” NANA President and CEO Marie Greene told an audience at the 11th Inuit Circumpolar Council General Assembly held in Nuuk, Greenland last July.
In partnership with Teck Resources Ltd., NANA has been mining the zinc-rich ore at Red Dog since 1989. The income from this world-class zinc mine has served as a catalyst to grow the Inupiat-owned company into a global enterprise that generated US$1.6 billion in revenue in 2010.
Success in the executive boardroom is a means to an end for the Northwest Alaska Native corporation that regards subsistence – hunting, fishing and other traditional activities – as its most valued resources.
“In many ways, resource development has always been central to our economy as Inupiat. But, when we – as indigenous peoples – speak of resource development, we need to clearly define what ‘resources’ means to us so that the outside world can better understand our perspective and goals,” Greene informed the ICC General Assembly.
“At NANA, our subsistence resources are the basis of our wealth and the economic base on which we will build our future; therefore the highest use of our land is for subsistence. Any project we enter into must be consistent with this perspective – because to us, resource development means more than just extracting what is in the ground. It means the maintenance and development of our subsistence resources. It is using our cultural resources – our art, stories and dance – to strengthen and guide the next generation. It is developing the economies of our villages – so our people don’t have to choose between feeding their families and staying in their ancestral home – and – it is developing the potential of our people so they have an opportunity to engage fully in the present while honoring our past,” she added.
Inuit resource summit Greene’s message of savvy in the executive boardroom, while maintaining the subsistence skills that has sustained NANA’s Inupiat shareholders and their ancestors for some 10,000 years resonated with delegates attending the global Inuit gathering.
While risks to the environment and cultural values are a cause of trepidation for many Inuit who call the Arctic home, it is widely accepted that development of the mineral resources in theregion could lead to economic prosperity.
“One thing we can agree upon is that the Arctic and the Inuit need economic development in every sense,” said Greenland Premier Kuupik Kliest.
At the behest of the ICC, delegates attended a special meeting of Inuit leaders in February to discuss various aspects of Inuit engagement in resource development projects in their respective Arctic homelands.
“We were given a clear message from the delegates at the General Assembly to move forward on many mandates, but the most urgent they told us was to plan an Inuit leaders’ summit on resource development,” said ICC Chair and Greenlander, Aqqaluk Lynge.
During the resource development summit held in Ottawa, Greene shared with her Inuit counterparts the success and challenges that NANA faced as its shareholders weighed the potential risks and rewards of developing the Red Dog mine
“NANA leaders had similar discussions to the one Inuit leaders had in Ottawa,” she reflected in a column in The Hunter, a NANA publication. “They asked themselves similar questions to the ones we are asking ourselves now; and came to the conclusion that development at Red Dog Mine could be done in a way that was in concert with our values and our subsistence lifestyle. We developed a measurement scale that worked for our region and struck a balance that is still in place today.”
NANA’s board of directors, comprised of 23 shareholders, is one mechanism that helps assure that the corporation’s business decisions remain aligned with the traditional values of its more than 12,000 Inupiat owners.
Critical communication The NANA CEO said the corporation does not take a top-down approach to running its businesses or managing its resources. Instead, the corporation and its potential partners actively consult with shareholders and don’t move ahead with projects without the blessing of the people in the region.
“Through experience we have come to realize the importance of communication. It is so critical in anything we do, including potential resource development,” Greene told Mining News.
This type of communication was a key component to NANA’s decision making process during the decade leading up to the development of Red Dog.
“In fact, consulting our people was the single most important step we took,” the NANA leader informed her Inuit counterparts. “As Native people, we know that our idea of consultation – and the rest of the corporate world’s idea of consultation – is two very different things. Our consultations are not necessarily your average corporate discussions. They are more like family meetings. We move forward cautiously and deliberately, because we know that the business decisions we make affect much more than just a stock price – they affect every aspect of our lives.”
Greene said the decision to move forward with mining the zinc-rich ore on its Northwest Alaska lands was not one its people took lightly.
“Our people knew we were balancing responsible resource development with our traditional way of life. We knew there were risks. We knew there were benefits. But, more importantly, we knew we wanted to be the ones to weigh them. We – as a people – wanted to have a unified decision to move forward. It took us 10 years to begin development on the mine, but it was worth every moment. As a result, today, we have the best of both worlds – a mine that allows us to maintain our traditional subsistence lifestyle and to participate in the modern American economy,” she told the ICC delegates.
Greene told Mining News that NANA is more diligent than ever about consulting with its shareholders – not only consulting with them on new initiatives but also keeping them informed on developments at ongoing projects such as Red Dog. Due to this active engagement, 78 percent of NANA shareholders support responsible resource development on their lands, according to a poll taken by the corporation in 2009.
New opportunities With a majority of its Inupiat owners in favor of continued responsible resource development, NANA is seeking new mineral opportunities that will carry the corporation beyond Red Dog, which has entered its third decade of production.
“Based on the direction of our board and armed with our shareholder priorities, we have built a resources department with the expertise to approach projects from a pro-active standpoint that, we hope, addresses our financial as well as our cultural needs,” Greene explained.
NANA’s resources department has identified a number of opportunities, not only on the corporation’s 2.2 million acres of titled land, but on public lands within the larger 28.4-million-acre NANA region of Northwest Alaska.
In January the NANA Board of Directors passed a resolution for the Inupiat corporation to partner with NovaGold on exploration of the copper-rich Ambler Mining District.
NovaGold has been involved in exploration of its properties in the upper Kobuk River region since 2004.
In its role as a resource development partner, the Vancouver B.C.-based explorer is expressing its commitment to respecting Inupiat values as it explores and develops mineral resources in the NANA region.
“NovaGold believes that mining projects can be developed in a manner that brings tangible benefits to all stakeholders. As an Alaska Native corporation, NANA values subsistence as the best use of its traditional lands, and all development projects must embrace this perspective. NovaGold is committed to respecting and protecting the culture of its community partners and using traditional knowledge to enhance project development,” the explorer informed its shareholders.
Greene said before the decision by the board, NANA and the exploration company conducted a number of meetings in the upper Kobuk villages of Shungnak, Kobuk and Ambler.
In June, 2010, a committee representing the upper Kobuk villages unanimously passed a resolution in support of responsible resource development and associated infrastructure in their area.
“In our region, there are many partners – public and private – working cooperatively to build a viable future for our communities. NANA is blessed to have the capital and the expertise to contribute to this process,” Greene told the ICC General Assembly. “But, truly, without resource development, we would not be in the position we find ourselves in today. The Red Dog Mine provides the financial foundation of our current land management, natural resource development and business development strategy.”
Outside influences Though NANA has found success in its partnerships, Greene warned her Inuit neighbors to tread carefully when forming bonds with the “Outside world” – not only in collaborating with resource development companies, but also with environmental and other nongovernmental organizations that have their own agendas.
“In our region, we are being pulled– on all sides – by the politics of global warming, development, and conservation. NGOs and people from all sides of the political spectrum are coming to our region. Their message is the same: ‘We know what is best for this place; we know what is best for your people,’ ” she said.
I am concerned that these groups are working to create a political and economic environment where we must turn to them for permission, approval or partnership. They insist that we need to be protected from ourselves and they are dividing us.”
She called for all Inuit peoples to consult one another and stand together as interest in the Arctic grows.
“We must remind the rest of the world who we are. We must remind them of our strength, resilience and adaptability. We must remind them that we are the original environmentalists and resource developers – we will determine – together – how to use our lands to benefit our people and protect our subsistence resources and cultures,” Greene rallied. “We will have a place at the table in all decisions that affect our lands. We will show the world that though we speak our different languages – we are one people – we are the Inuit – and this land is ours.”
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