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Aboriginal/Indigenous Justice

Indigenous Studies 419 / Criminology 419

Fall 2023

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[This page was revised last on 27 November 2023]

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Class Date	Activity/Readings to Prepare
12 Sept	Organizational Meeting * Course Syllabus
Part I: A Brief History of Indigenous/European Settler Relations in the Western Hemisphere
19 Sept	Early Contact and International Law * Pope Alexander VI's Papal Bull, the Inter Caetera (1493) * Video: Doctrine of Discovery * The Spanish Requerimiento (1510) * Video: Bartolomé de las Casas and the Devastation of the Indies * The Royal Proclamation (1763) * Video: Nation to Nation: 250^th Anniversary of the Royal Proclamation * BORROWS (1997). Wampum at Niagara * Video: Justice Murray Sinclair on the Royal Proclamation of 1763 * PowerPoint slides for 19 September
26 Sept	Our Home and/on Native Land? Canada's Policies Regarding Indigenous Peoples * CARDINAL (1969). Excerpt from The Unjust Society * TRC (2015). Preface from The Survivors Speak * Video: As Long As the Sun Shines & the Rivers Flow: The Spirit and Intent of Treaties * LAWRENCE (2003) Gender, Race & Regulation of Native Identity * ALFRED & CORNTASSEL (2005) Politics of Identity: Being Indigenous * Video: Sharon Venne on Treaty Rights to Education * PowerPoint slides for 26 Sept
03 Oct	Outcomes * ALFRED (2017). The Great Unlearning * CHARTRAND (2019). Colonialism and the Penitentiary * SINCLAIR (2017) Murray Sinclair urges Canada to fix ‘racist’ proclamation in its constitution * Kanehsatake (1993) * Take-home Assignment 1 is due on October 10 by 11:59:59 PM
10 Oct	All Classes Cancelled in relation to Thanksgiving
Part II: Dealing with Crime and Trouble in Indigenous Communities
17 Oct	Philosophies of Indigenous Justice * SINCLAIR (1994). Aboriginal Peoples, Justice and the Law. * HENDERSON (1995). Exploring Justice as Healing * MONTURE-OKANEE (1995). Justice as Healing: Thinking About Change * VICTOR (2007). Indigenous Justice: Clearing Space and Place for Indigenous Epistemologies * Video: Jonathan Rudin of Toronto Aboriginal Legal Services * PowerPoint slides for this unit
24 Oct	* PALYS (1999). Vancouver's Aboriginal Restorative Justice Program: The Challenges Ahead. * PALYS, SCHAEFER & NUSZDORFER (2014).  Lessons From a Case Study of Aboriginal and Canadian Justice Coexistence in Vancouver * Special Guests from Vancouver Aboriginal Transformative Justice Services Society: Jenna Forbes (Executive Director) & Allie Pev (Indigenous Resource Worker) * VATJSS Presentation
31 Oct	Indigenous Justice Programming in Canada * TAURI (2014). Criminal Justice as a Colonial Project in Contemporary Settler Colonialism * NAPOLEAN (2019). Recognizing Multiple Legal Systems: Decolonizing Our Understandings of “The” Law * McGUIRE (2022). Reflections on Decolonization and XaaydaGa Tll Yahda TllGuhlGa: A Haida Justice System * MULGREW (2022). First Nations Justice Moves Forward * Here is Assignment 2. Here is a link to the BC First Nations Justice Strategy in case you choose to respond to Question 2.
Part III: Possible Routes to Justice in Indigenous/Settler Relations in Canada
07 Nov	Seeking Justice through Direct Action * SANCHEZ & STUCKEY (2009). The Rhetoric of American Indian Activism in the 1960s and 1970s * COULTHARD (2012) Canada's First Nations – A History of Resistance * KIEL (2013). Rebuilding Indigenous Nations: Native American Activism and the Long Red Power Movement * ALFRED (2015). Twenty-Five Years After Oka, It’s Still About the Land * PowerPoint notes for 07 Nov
14 Nov	Seeking Justice through Law * Delgamuukw headline from 1997 * BORROWS (1999). Sovereignty’s Alchemy: An Analysis of Delgamuukw v British Columbia * WHITE (2016). Making Space for Indigenous Law * VENNE (2018). Crown Title - A Legal Lie * PAUL & COATES (2019). How a fishery ruling redefined First Nations relations in the Maritimes * NAPOLEAN (2019). Recognizing Multiple Legal Systems: Decolonizing Our Understandings of “The” Law * PowerPoint notes for 14 Nov
21 Nov	Seeking Justice through Treaties and Other Nation-to-Nation Agreements * The Nisga'a Treaty (see especially Ch. 12 on Administration of Justice) * Video: Nisga’a Dancing in Both Worlds * Map of Canada Treaty areas * VENNE (2007). Treaties Made in Good Faith * ALFRED & TOMLINS (2009) The Politics Of Recognition: Colonial Groundhog Day * Video: Interview with Taiaiake Alfred * New Treaty Policy re extinguishment (2019) * PowerPoint notes for 21 Nov
28 Nov	Seeking Justice in The International Arena * The Last Speech of Deskaheh * SCHABUS (2018). Going International to Decolonize * United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples * ANAYA (2014). Report of the Special Rapporteur on Canada * CCPA & UBCIC (2018). True, Lasting Reconciliation: Implementing the UNDRIP in BC (Summary) * MORALES & NICHOLS (2018) Reconciliation: Beyond the Box * Video: Indigenous Peoples at the UN * PowerPoint notes for 28 Nov * Here is Assignment 3
05 Dec	To a Better Future * SIMPSON (2016). Indigenous Resurgence and Co-Existence * MANUEL & DERRICKSON (2017). The End of Colonialism * PALMATER (2018). Decolonization is Taking Back Our Power
Monday 11 Dec	Assignments 2 and 3 are due. There is no final exam in this course.

Other interesting links involving Aboriginal issues, peoples, resources

Some key Supreme Court decisions involving Aboriginal rights and title:

Calder et al. v. Attorney-General of British Columbia (1973) -- Aboriginal title

Guerin v The Queen (1984) -- The Crown's fiduciary responsibility to Aboriginal peoples

R. v. Sparrow (1990) -- Aboriginal rights

R. v. Sioui (1990) -- Aboriginal rights, Huron/Wendat treaty

Delgamuukw v British Columbia (1997) -- Aboriginal title

R. v. Gladue (1999) -- Alternatives to incarceration

R. v. Marshall (1999) -- Aboriginal rights, MiqMaq treaty

Corbiere v Canada (Minister of Indian and Northern Affairs) (1999) -- Aboriginal rights, off-reserve Natives

R. v. Powley (2003) -- Métis rights

Haida Nation v. British Columbia (Minister of Forests) (2004) -- Aboriginal rights and title; duty to consult

Taku River Tlingit First Nation v. British Columbia (Project Assessment Director) (2004) -- Aboriginal rights and title; duty to consult

R. v. Marshall; R. v. Bernard (2005) -- Aboriginal right to log; MiqMaq Treaty

Tsilhqot'in Nation v British Columbia (2014) -- Aboriginal title; logging rights

Daniels v Canada (Indian Affairs and Northern Development) (2016) – federal relation with Métis and non-status Indians

Ktunaxa Nation v. BC (Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations) (2017) – protection of religious freedom and adequacy of consultation

Tsleil-Waututh Nation et al v Attorney General of Canada et al (2018) – Federal Court of Appeal: Aboriginal rights and title; consultation

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