Today indigenous peoples are an object of intense interest not only for the modern scientific community, but also from the position of society as a whole. This interest has not remained unchanged since its inception, as compared to the first and current definitions of the concept of "indigenous peoples": it went from paternalism, which accompanied the modernization plans of colonialism, to the reverse process of decolonization, recognition of the right to preserve a unique original culture, inviolability values, practices and options of these peoples. The article gives an overview of the indigenous research for 2014-2018 to identify the main trends in the study of indigenous peoples of the North. The review made it possible to identify the main topics of interest to contemporary researchers. In the first place is the problem of preserving the ethnocultural identity, the mechanisms for the formation of which scientists call art, traditional social practices and crafts, mythology, and the landscape. Next come the social problems that indigenous peoples faced as a result of the global transformations of their traditional way of life - the articles dealing with them primarily concern topics such as health and social inequality. Special attention of researchers is attracted to the problems of economic and legal regulation concerning both traditional economic activities of the indigenous peoples of the North, as well as their dialogue with the government and the extractive industry. Finally, the problem of the impact of climate change not only on the life of indigenous peoples, but also on their physical and mental health, is of no small importance. Domestic research is focused on the preservation of the unique culture of indigenous peoples and their interaction with the state and business structures, foreign researchers are more concerned with the social well-being of indigenous peoples, namely, health problems (Canada) and social oppression (the USA).