News & Articles

Delgamuukw/Gisday’wa Changed Everything

Crown lands have always belonged to the citizens of indigenous nations. Twenty-five years ago this week, there was a profound change in the law regarding land and governance. On December 11, 1997, the Supreme Court of Canada rendered judgment in Delgamuukw / Gisday’wa vs The Queen. The Gitksan and Wet'suwet'en people used Canada’s common law to prove what they have always known - that their...

Youth Learning From Elders: Understanding Who We Are

Graphic Harvesting by Patuo’kn FIRST NATIONS YOUTH AND ELDERS GATHER FOR FIRST INHERENT RIGHTS YOUTH INITIATIVE STORYTELLING SESSION Article by Ben Sylvestre A thin trail of smoke streamed into the frame of Elder Jerry Fontaine’s video feed. An unseen bundle of medicines burned in the smudge bowl on the table before him. Two-dozen people videoing-in from First Nations across Turtle Island...

Indigenous Youth Inherent Rights Leadership Gathering

LANDS, LANGUAGES, and CEREMONIES Inherent Rights Leadership Gathering: Honouring our past, present, and future leaders October 7th, 8th, 9th, and 10th, 2021 This is an invitation to Indigenous youth from Indigenous youth. Join us as we reclaim and rebuild our identity through connections to our lands, languages, ceremonies and histories. We’ll be talking about our inherent rights and what we...

Six Year Project: Transition to Self-Determining Governments

First Nations across Canada are aware of the considerable opportunities that can come from self-governance, but they face the onerous task of addressing decades of damage caused by the 145-year-old Indian Act. To identify the most effective ways for First Nations to transition from Indian Act administrations to self-determining governments, the Centre for First Nations Governance and its...

It is Time to Transform Our Nations

All First Nations have stories about transformation, Transformers that narrate our creation stories. In the oral histories, the Supernatural beings are the characters who transform the landscape and prepared us to live in the places we do and in the ways that we do. Nations throughout North America have stories of Transformers. Some are attached to the Raven, some to the Crow, Coyote, or Humans....