Mining Project Reignites Global Debate Over Indigenous Rights On Resource-Rich Land

Around the globe, the discovery of precious resources has proven both a blessing and curse for native people. They have sometimes tapped riches via profit-sharing and employment opportunities, but they have also seen the toll that mining takes on land and wildlife, disrupting subsistence economies. In Alaska, the pursuit of oil has brought development and jobs to some of the poorest, most remote settlements in the U.S. But it has also left bitter feelings among the people whose ancestral lands have been devastated by the crude rush.
From Greenland to Australia to Nigeria, mining companies often encounter opposition and roadblocks from the native communities that sit on mineral-rich land. And the clash is expected to become more pronounced in the coming years as indigenous people increasingly see their rights enshrined at national and international levels and exercise them more effectively.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/23/canada-ring-of-fire-mining_n_4581364.html