Aims to provide the context for a better understanding of the political issues in the Northwest Territories, where a majority of the residents are native. The author discusses such issues as land claims, division, constitutional development, self-government and economic development.

Political change, political development, and the crisis of legitimacy; Geography, demography, economy, and cultures; Formulating process and policies: the historical dimension, 1920--50; Changing policies, not the process: the colonial legacy, 1950--67; Changing the political process of the Northwest Territories, 1967--79; A more autonomous government of the Northwest Territories, 1979--91; Self-government and political development in the Northwest Territories