FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
KUUJJUAQ, NUNAVIK – February 5, 2026 – Makivvik, which represents the Inuit of Nunavik, stands with Inuit in Kalaallit Nunaat (Greenland) in response to recent remarks by U.S. President Donald Trump claiming a U.S. right, title and ownership” over Greenland. Makivvik rejects this claim outright as illegitimate and unacceptable. At the time of this release, a delegation including President Pita Aatami is on its way to Nuuk in an Air Inuit Boeing 737-800 to demonstrate solidarity.
Greenland is not a commodity, a strategic asset to be claimed, or a territory open to acquisition. It is Inuit land. Any attempt to speak over Kalaallit or to treat their future as a matter for another state to decide is unacceptable.
Kalaallit leadership and people have been unequivocal. Greenland is not for sale, and its future will be determined in Kalaallit Nunaat, by its people. Inuit in Nunavik are paying close attention as this rhetoric is not new. It is the same colonial mindset that powerful states have used for generations to justify taking Inuit lands, dismissing Inuit authority, and imposing decisions without consent. This colonial logic no longer holds. In 2026, Inuit self determination is not aspirational or negotiable: it is a legal, political, and moral reality. Any attempt to frame Inuit lands as assets to be acquired rather than homelands governed by their people ignores both history and present-day Inuit authority.
There is more at stake here than geopolitics,” declared Pita Aatami, President of Makivvik. When Inuit land is discussed as something to be obtained, it is an attempt to strip Inuit of our authority and to turn our homelands into property for outsiders. That reflects a fundamental disregard for Inuit as peoples and for the lands we have occupied, governed, and cared for since time immemorial. Inuit are one people across the Arctic, and Kalaallit are our relatives, we are one family. Their future will be decided by them, not by outside powers. Inuit are not bystanders in the Arctic. We are rights-holding nations with authority over our lands and futures.”
At a time when climate change and growing interest in Arctic resources are placing the region under an intense spotlight, Inuit attachment to the land and Inuit knowledge must be treated as foundational. It is Inuit leadership, Inuit consent, and decisions shaped by the people who have lived on, understood, and sustained these lands for generations that will protect the land, safeguard communities, and ensure responsible and sustainable choices in the Arctic. Any approach that sidelines Inuit authority and ignores Inuit realities will deepen tensions and make an already fragile situation worse.
Makivvik calls on:
• Governments and institutions to state clearly and publicly that the future of Kalaallit Nunaat belongs to its people and that no Inuit land is open to acquisition, negotiation, or purchase.
• International law and human rights bodies to uphold Inuit self-determination and to reject any statements or actions that bypass Inuit authority or treat Inuit homelands as strategic assets.
• Civil society and Indigenous organizations worldwide to stand with Inuit and to affirm that the Arctic s future must be shaped with Inuit at the centre, with Inuit rights and consent as the starting point.
This episode has reinforced Inuit resolve across Kalaallit Nunaat, Nunavik, and beyond. Makivvik rejects any effort by any state to frame Inuit lands as prizes in global power struggles. Unilateral claims over Arctic territories are unacceptable and will be met with opposition.
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Contact:
Katharine Morrill
Director of Communications, Makivvik
kmorrill@makivvik.ca
www.makivvik.ca
Makivvik is the land claims organization mandated to manage the heritage funds of the Inuit of Nunavik provided for under the James Bay and Northern Québec Agreement. Makivvik’s role includes the administration and investment of these funds and the promotion of economic growth by providing assistance for the creation of Inuit-operated businesses in Nunavik. Makivvik promotes the preservation of Inuit culture and language as well as the health, welfare, relief of poverty, and education of Inuit in the communities.