Indigenous youth perspectives on extractivism and living in a good way in the Yukon

This chapter is part of the Routldege Research in Polar Regions book publication "Young People, Wellbeing and Sustainable Arctic Communities", edited by Florian Stammler and Reetta Toivanen.

By means of a case study, this chapter seeks to address how the historical and contemporary prevalence of extractivism influences contemporary Indigenous youth’s lives in the Yukon. How does extractivism impact the labour market, the environment, living off the land, wellbeing and health, as well as Indigenous languages and ceremony? How do art, ceremony and games as well as revitalizing Indigenous languages help create a better future for Indigenous (and non-Indigenous) young people living in the Yukon? The chapter emphasizes that mining provides opportunities to work for some, but not everyone feels comfortable with rigid rules and restrictions at camp. Sexist, racist and ageist assumptions still prevail in the industry, structural biases exist towards wage work versus living on the land, and the climate crisis makes living off the land more difficult. Living in a good way for study participants means not only to engage actively in their Indigenous cultures and languages, but also that legacies and contemporary forms of extractivism need to be addressed on all levels. Mining operations should always respect Indigenous protocols and relationships with the land, and mitigate adverse environmental impacts in order to maximize local benefits and minimize local risk.

The research this chapter is based on was funded by Resources and Sustainable Development in the Arctic (ReSDA), a Major Collaborative Research Initiative funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (http://yukonresearch.yukoncollege.yk.ca/resda/projects/research-projects/theme-2-sustainable-communities/labour-mobility/), Yukon Government, the Austrian Ministry of Education, Science and Research, the Association for Canadian Studies in German-speaking Countries, the First Nation of Nacho Nyäk Dun (in-kind contributions), and Nunataryuk - Permafrost Thaw and the Changing Arctic Coast (EU Grant agreement Nr. 773421).