Sustainable Socio-economic Development for Indigenous People through Mining?

This paper demonstrates substantial local social and economic benefits for Iñupiat people from development of the Red Dog Mine, including rents and royalties to the Native regional corporation, revenues to the Iñupiat majority regional government, local employment, personal income from wages and dividends, and increases in educational attainment. The Red Dog story illustrates that, with strong indigenous control over the terms of development, mining can make a major contribution toward the social and economic development of indigenous communities. The strong indigenous control piece is important, because it is the local indigenous themselves that must consider the inherent tradeoffs and find their own balance between embracing new opportunities and preserving traditional ways—a balance that provides for cultural continuity, self-determination and social and institutional development that is sustainable.