The creation of the Arctic Council in 1996 represented a new chapter in Arctic cooperation, and the forum has since been instrumental in efforts to protect the Arctic environment and support sustainable development in the region. It is a unique forum consisting of eight Arctic states (Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Iceland, Russia, Canada, and the United States) and six indigenous peoples’ organizations (the Arctic Athabaskan Council, Aleut International Association, Gwich’in Council International, Inuit Circumpolar Council, Russian Association of Indigenous Peoples of the North, and the Saami Council) that hold the status of Permanent Participants, as well as observers from various non-Arctic states and organizations. The involvement of indigenous organizations to such a degree is unique. With current environmental and geopolitical changes in the Arctic, interest in the Arctic Council has grown in intensity, which places unprecedented pressure on the Permanent Participants. In a world that is already experiencing the effects of climate change, it is critical that the indigenous communities of the North are considered and actively involved in decision-making, policy-making, and science in the Arctic. As a result, the main goal of this dissertation is to examine the ways in which the participation of the Permanent Participants can be strengthened within this forum. Because sustainable development remains a top priority for the council, the author also examines the way in which sustainable development has been understood by the council, which unearths a number of tensions when attempting to involve indigenous perspectives. Ultimately, this dissertation demonstrates how indigenous participation will require the equal and full inclusion of traditional knowledge into Arctic Council activities. Although this has been a long-term goal of the council, little concrete progress has been made in ensuring the inclusion of traditional knowledge, and the reasons for this are examined. By analysing the existing literature, policy documents, and interviews with experts such as indigenous leaders and representatives from the Permanent Participant organizations and anthropologists, this dissertation demonstrates the need to adopt a fuller understanding of sustainable development that seriously takes into account the perspectives of indigenous peoples in the Arctic. Furthermore, the interviews conducted demonstrate that traditional knowledge is inseparable from the people who hold this knowledge, and consequently the efforts to include traditional knowledge into the Arctic Council can be considered as a part of a much larger project: that of empowering indigenous communities in the Arctic. As a result this dissertation examines themes such as power, hegemony, and representation, all of which are central to the effort to include traditional knowledge into Arctic Council activities and projects.