Meeting the challenges

Relations between Natives and the Canadian state are complex. Researchers from disciplines including Anthropology, Law, Political Science, Sociology and others continue to study the relationship, and the topic finds itself the subject of both academic research and current affairs. The five-year Indigenous Peoples and Governance project, now entering its second year, provides opportunities for researchers to explore ways forward on the many challenges of Aboriginal governance.

The multidisciplinary group led by Mr. Pierre Noreau is tackling the issue of the coexistence of the many distinct nations on the Canadian territory and is identifying models for Aboriginal governance.

The project, in summary

The Indigenous Peoples and Governance project addresses the basis and conditions for autonomous governance of Indigenous peoples in the contemporary Canadian context. This research breaks from the colonialism upon which historic relations between Indigenous and Non-Indigenous societies have been based in the West and looks at the possible forms of Indigenous governance that can respond to the principle of autonomy, as it is recognized in both Canadian and international law.

The research team intends to establish the characteristics of new forms of autonomous governance and the types of interactions these forms of governance favour in their relations with other governance structures. The project is based on a dialogue between two different analytical perspectives. Within the first perspective, the team proposes a critical analysis of existing Canadian political and legal frameworks relating to Indigenous issues and explores the constraints, challenges and potential solutions that can be found within political institutions, while taking into account current Canadian law.

In the second perspective, our work takes its starting point from Indigenous perspectives on the nature of law, forms of social and political life, and conditions of governance – such references being examined in their specific meaning without any a priori reference to the Canadian political and legal contexts.

The team is composed of 39 Indigenous and Non-Indigenous researchers (33 co-researchers and six collaborators), from 21 different universities. The project is coordinated by a multidisciplinary steering committee.

It allows for the very first gathering of prominent Canadian researchers working in almost all of the disciplines related to the study of Indigenous issues. This level of diversity and quality of expertise is required for the systematic analysis of the conditions for Indigenous governance and allows to explorate relational, jurisdictional and paradigmatic dimensions of Indigenous autonomous government.

DIALOG - Introducing an Ally

DIALOG is an inter-university, inter-institutional, cross-disciplinary and multi-sectoral cluster of 80 people—researchers, students, practitioners and analysts—from the academic milieu, consulting, government agencies and Indigenous organizations. These diverse stakeholders share the objectives of promoting, disseminating and renewing research relating to Indigenous peoples.

DIALOG is made up of a network of stakeholders from different regions and with various perspectives and research interests. It offers new services that are designed to highlight and promote scientific work relating to First Peoples within Québec, Canada, the Americas and worldwide; it serves as a forum, as a space for meeting, discussion, learning and partnership; it is a place for reflection and a platform for the development, deepening and renewal of knowledge.

DIALOG has been, since its creation in 2001, the point of intersection of a number of earlier experiences with teamwork and partnerships that resulted in collaborations between the academic and Indigenous milieus or in which DIALOG’s current members had worked together in the past. DIALOG is now building on all of these experiences and on the new capacities that they have helped to foster and develop.

We invite you to visit the website: www.reseaudialog.qc.ca

MISSION

TO DEVELOP the conditions for constructive, innovative and lasting dialogue among all the stakeholders involved in research from various regions, in order to revitalize and promote research relating to Indigenous peoples and contribute to the renewal of this research:

• By organizing scientific public events, colloquia and symposia in collaboration with Indigenous and academic partners;
• By regularly participating in the annual ACFAS conference (Congrès annuel de l’Association francophone pour le savoir);
• By fostering and strengthening collaborations between researchers in the context of new research projects;
• By exchanges of expertise and knowledge in the context of academic curricula;
• By providing additional financial support for partner activities that are in keeping with DIALOG’s mission in regard to research;
• By providing travel allowances to members and students who wish to present their research findings to Indigenous communities or Indigenous organizations.

TO DESIGN and promote new dissemination and synthesis tools to help publicize and highlight the scientific work of Québec researchers, the work of outside researchers whose field of study is Québec and the work of their colleagues and partners from various regions:

• The BIBLIOGRAPHICAL CODEX, which already includes more than 7,000 titles, is a unique database of scientific work on the First Peoples—First Nations, Inuit and Métis—since the nineteenth century.
• The WEB-ATLAS OF ABORIGINAL COMMUNITIES OF QUÉBEC presents a series of interactive maps from statistical sources for each of the First Nations and Inuit communities of Québec.
• The RESEARCH DIRECTORY provides an overview of past and current research by including, within a relational database, research projects conducted by DIALOG members, student work and documents (reports, orientation papers, discussion papers, presentations, etc.) that describe the work carried out. The database also includes a collection of teaching materials developed by DIALOG researchers and dossiers on specific topics.

TO HELP Québec researchers become better positioned at the national, intercontinental and international levels by supporting discussion and exchange activities and international scientific meetings, by welcoming researchers and students from outside Québec and by fostering the collaboration of Québec researchers on national, intercontinental and international research teams.

The Indigenous Peoples and Governance project fiscal year goes from June 1 to May 31. So we are now starting our second year. The first year has been very busy and very fruitful.

The first National Conference, with all the members of the team, was held June 28 to 30, 2006, in the Mjikaning First Nation (Rama) community, near Toronto. The research team also held a Conference on January 19 and 20, 2007, in Montreal, during which we held working sessions on specific topics. We also had the opportunity to hear from some of our Indigenous partners and we had the honour of receiving Professor Christophe Eberhard, as invited speaker.

The research team held a conference on May 27, 28 and 29 in Saskatoon. This third National Conference allowed us to take a major step forward in our research project. Notably, we identified a conceptual plan that is likely to guide our work. The plan is comprised of six different aspects that involve different dimensions of Indigenous governance and of governance relations between Indigenous people, and between Indigenous people and non-Indigenous people: JUSTIFICATION, PROCESS, MODELS, STRUCTURES, REEFS and INNOVATIVE EXPERIENCES.

Next meetings

We are in the process of consolidating student involvement in our project. On December 6, 7, 8, we will have our first Student Seminar. Approximately 50 students are expected to attend this seminar to be held in Montreal.

The next Conference of the research team will be held February 29 to March 2 in Victoria. The conference, entitled “Recognition and Self-Determination” is co-sponsored with another MCRI-funded research group, on Ethnicity and Democracy.

For more information, please visit the website www.pag-ipg.com, a site which is regularly updated.

Talk to you soon,
Pierre Noreau

It is with great pride that the Indigenous Peoples and Governance (IPG) Orientation and Coordination Committee (OCC) is providing this Newsletter to keep everyone informed of what is happening with the project, its activities and its members.

The OCC hopes this tool will be useful and enjoyable. Please note that any comments on the Newsletter are welcome.

Wampum makes reference to a necklace or belt swapped between parties when signing a treaty. It represented a very important means of communications for a number of First Nations.

The wampum is a string of beads. As with the other First Nations of the North-East, the six Iroquois Nations did not use a writing system. They used the wampum which depended on the simple material, its two colours and shell texture.) The two parallel purple rows on the white background represent the peaceful co-existence of two Nations, the First Nations and the Europeans, each with their own customs and with their own independence (shown by the two parallel rows). The white background symbolizes purity and the three white bead stripes between the two purple bead rows signify friendship, peace and respect.

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