We are Inuit. Our people and culture have occupied the circumpolar regions of the world for more than 5,000 years - from Russia east across Alaska, across Canada's north to the coast of Greenland. Descendants of the prehistoric Thule, hunters who were drawn to Labrador by its abundance of whales and other wildlife, Labrador Inuit are one of the founding peoples of Canada. A maritime people, we are deeply connected to our environment. In Inuit culture, we speak of "the land" as encompassing the land, sky, watersheds and ocean areas on which our way of life has depended for thousands of years. Our long history is one of adaptation to change brought about by colonialism, resettlement and dislocation from our traditions. It is a story of how we have re-established control over our cultural, economic and political destiny and have readied ourselves for self-government. Most of all it is a story of persistence.