Laws in other countries recognise 'rights of nature'. But even trees sacred to Indigenous Australian communities have no special protection.
The system of ‘birth alerts’ across Canada perpetuates the removal of children from Indigenous families begun by residential schools. Pictured here: a historical report on residential schools released by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada.
(THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck)
To make meaningful progress on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada's Calls to Action, all provinces and territories should promptly follow B.C. and ban discriminatory 'birth alerts.'
The sacred site of Uluru. In our Law we know that rocks are sentient and contain spirit.
Dan peled/AAP
There are memorial stones scattered along songlines throughout the Australian landscape, victims and transgressors transformed into rock following epic struggles to stand as cautionary tales.
The Bomvana say the global development agenda has created division because it sees people as individuals rather than primarily as members of a collective.
The government intends to destroy Djab Wurrung sacred trees and sites to upgrade the Western Highway at the same time as it seeks heritage status for the Eastern Freeway.
Allies Decolonising/gofundme
The Victorian government plans to destroy trees and sites sacred to Djab Warrung people to make way for the Western Highway at the same time as it seeks heritage listing for the Eastern Freeway.
A wildfire burns on a logging road in central British Columbia in August 2018.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
Laws and policies that marginalize Indigenous people and communities make these same people vulnerable to disaster.
Yolngu boys from north-eastern Arnhem Land perform the Bunggul traditional dance during the Garma Festival in 2018. The Yolngu have flourished for up to 50,000 years.
Mick Tsikas/AAP
It's time for a more reasonable, hybrid definition of civilisation that incorporates our Indigenous heritage.
Treaty 4, which covered present-day southern Saskatchewan and a small part of western Manitoba was negotiated and signed at Qu'appelle Lakes. Here Saulteux from Upper Assiniboine River, Oct. 16, 1887 were promised for every ‘man, woman and child $1,200 …blankets and other articles.’
(Library and Archives Canada/Natural Resources Canada fonds/PA-050799).
A recent historical win for Ontario First Nations against the government of Canada is as significant for the legal process, which took into account Anishinaabe law, as it is for the win itself.
Steve Courtoreille, chief of the Mikisew Cree First Nation, is seen on Parliament Hill in January 2013 after speaking about legal action against the federal government. The Supreme Court of Canada has ruled against the First Nation.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
The headlines suggest the Supreme Court of Canada has ruled against Indigenous consultation. But its recent ruling is much more nuanced and complex than that.
Debbie Baptiste, mother of Colten Boushie, is seen here in the House of Commons in February 2018.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang
Indigenous people are seriously questioning whether Canada is truly changing following the acquittal of the man accused of killing Colten Boushie. A Mi'kmaq lawyer explains the despair.
The Cree community of Peawanuck, located in northern Ontario, is confronting the realities of a changing climate and increasing pressure from mining companies.
(John Cutfeet)
Many Indigenous communities across northern Ontario are facing increased pressure to bring their land-use planning and decisions under the jurisdiction of the province
Colten Boushie’s uncle, Alvin Baptiste, and his brother Jace Boushie address demonstrators gathered outside of the courthouse in North Battleford, Sask.,on Feb.10, 2018.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Matt Smith
It's time for an overhaul of the justice system in Canada: How juries are selected, how Indigenous victims are treated and to challenge embedded racism within police forces and courts.
Maggie Cywink, of Whitefish River First Nation, holds up a sign behind Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during a summit in Ottawa in support of missing and murdered Indigenous women.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
The Indigenous in New Zealand have fared better than First Nations in Canada in terms of self-determination. Why? It's about a lot more than geography, land mass and language.
Jerry Natanine, community leader and former mayor of Clyde River, at a news conference in Ottawa in July following the Supreme Court of Canada ruling that upheld Inuit treaty rights in the Arctic. His lawyer and co-author Nader Hasan stands behind him.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
The Supreme Court of Canada's recent decisions on Clyde River and Chippewas contain key lessons to ensure that Indigenous rights are recognized and respected in the future.
Members of the W&J Traditional Owners Council outside the Federal Court.
W&J Council
The Carmichael coal mine requires a crucial native title agreement to build key infrastructure. But an Indigenous group is bringing legal action against Adani, which may create a fatal roadblock.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks in front of a portrait of former U.S. President Andrew Jackson.
REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
Comparisons often ignore the troubling history of how Jackson treated Native Americans. An expert on Native American history draws parallels to the new administration.
Most people against recognising Aboriginal customary law think there’s only one law in Australia.
AAP/Joe Castro
Few in Australia understand the context and true meaning of customary law. Denials of its validity are often based on ignorance or on specific examples devoid of context.
Adjunct Professor, Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences, Auckland University of Technology and Associate Professor of political science, Charles Sturt University