The Nunavut Land Claims Agreement became law in 1993. Claiming Nunavut traces the Nunavut Inuit Land Claim from its roots in 1971 to the birth of Nunavut in 1999. From the mid 1500's onwards, the Inuit of Canada's Eastern Arctic began to experience the effects of colonialism in their homeland. This began with early European explorers and traders and eventually, in the 1960's led to police services, a military presence, and money economy, and the herding of Inuit into small settlements.

Negative colonial influences eventually led to the formation of the Inuit Tapirisat in 1971 and the desire for Inuit to create Nunavut, a new Territory and the first change to the map of Canada since 1949. Inuit succeeded in their negotiations, and the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement was passed through Canadian Parliament in 1993. This passing decreed that Nunavut would be formed in 1999. This book traces the Inuit lobby from 1971-1993 and the implementation of Nunavut from 1993-1999. This is the story of the Inuit who were at the forefront of this massive undertaking.

Nunavut is the first and only modern day treaty in Canada that calls for a new Territory. This is a direct result of the Inuit desire to have the ability to manage their land and resources in a way that reflects Inuit values and tradition.

The author, Stephen Mercer, lived in Nunavut from 1989 to 2003 and was fortunate to know many of the main personalities on a personal basis.

Immediately after WWII ended in 1949, Yellowknife, located 500 kilometers south of the Arctic Circle in the Northwest Territories, was already the centre of a gold boom with three new producing gold mines. It attracted prospectors, promoters, entrepreneurs, politicians, recently discharged servicemen, the mining and geological fraternities of the world, bankers, businessmen, bush pilots, preachers, teachers, nurses, natives, field and bush men, newly married couples, and rascals. Prospecting spread over all the NWT and although thousands of small gold discoveries were made, but most proved to be negative. The old town of Yellowknife soon became an overcrowded, unsanitary place, but in spite of healthy problems everyone had their own play and went about their daily businesses. A new town site was soon developed, and it is now the capital of the NWT and the centre of the Canadian diamond business. I was part of the boom and life there was, to say the least, exciting.