Reclaiming Indigenous Governance
352 pages, 6 x 9
8 b&w illustrations, 4 tables
Paperback
Release Date:22 Oct 2019
ISBN:9780816539970
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Reclaiming Indigenous Governance

Reflections and Insights from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States

The University of Arizona Press
Reclaiming Indigenous Governance examines the efforts of Indigenous peoples in four important countries to reclaim their right to self-govern. Showcasing Native nations, this timely book presents diverse perspectives of both practitioners and researchers involved in Indigenous governance in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the United States (the CANZUS states).

Indigenous governance is dynamic, an ongoing relationship between Indigenous peoples and settler-states. The relationship may be vigorously contested, but it is often fragile—one that ebbs and flows, where hard-won gains can be swiftly lost by the policy reversals of central governments. The legacy of colonial relationships continues to limit advances in self-government.

Yet Indigenous peoples in the CANZUS countries are no strangers to setbacks, and their growing movement provides ample evidence of resilience, resourcefulness, and determination to take back control of their own destiny. Demonstrating the struggles and achievements of Indigenous peoples, the chapter authors draw on the wisdom of Indigenous leaders and others involved in rebuilding institutions for governance, strategic issues, and managing lands and resources.

This volume brings together the experiences, reflections, and insights of practitioners confronting the challenges of governing, as well as researchers seeking to learn what Indigenous governing involves in these contexts. Three things emerge: the enormity of the Indigenous governance task, the creative agency of Indigenous peoples determined to pursue their own objectives, and the diverse paths they choose to reach their goal.
William Nikolakis is a lawyer in both Australia and Canada. He is a lecturer in the Faculty of Forestry, University of British Columbia, and the executive director of the Gathering Voices Society, a Vancouver-based foundation focused on building land management partnerships between Indigenous communities and the natural resources sector.

Stephen Cornell is faculty chair of the Native Nations Institute at the University of Arizona, where he also is emeritus professor of sociology, emeritus director of the Udall Center for Studies in Public Policy, and affiliate faculty in the College of Law. He co-founded the Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development.

Harry W. Nelson is an associate professor in the Department of Forest Resources Management at the University of British Columbia. His interest is natural and environmental policy emphasizing forestland and forest resources and improving the sustainability of Canadian forests and the communities and ­businesses that rely on them.
Foreword
Sophie Pierre with Gwen Phillips
Introduction
William Nikolakis, Stephen Cornell, and Harry Nelson

PART I. STRATEGIC ISSUES
1. From Rights to Governance and Back: Indigenous Political Transformations in the CANZUS States
Stephen Cornell
2. The Shareholder Who Never Dies: The Economics of Indigenous Survival and the Development of Culturally Relevant Governance
Sir Tipene O’Regan
3. The Evolution of Indigenous Self-Governance in Canada
William Nikolakis
4. Ngarrindjeri Nation Building: Securing a Future as Ngarrindjeri Ruwe/Ruwar (Lands, Waters, and All Living Things)
Steve Hemming, Daryle Rigney, and Shaun Berg

PART II. BUILDING INSTITUTIONS
5. Ancient Spirit, Modern Mind: The Huu-ay-aht Journey Back to Self-Determination and Self-Reliance
Angela Wesley
6. From Little Things, Big Things Grow: Exercising Incremental Self-Governance in Australia
Diane Smith
7. Whānau Ora: Building Māori Self-Determination in Aotearoa / New Zealand
Sacha McMeeking
8. Indigenous Commercial Codes: Sovereignty and International Trade Agreements
Douglas Sanderson and Bradon Willms

PART III. LANDS AND RESOURCES
9. Place of the Falling Waters: How the Salish and Kootenai Tribes Dealt with Settler Colonialism to Acquire and Name Se̓ liš Ksanka Qĺispe̓ Dam
Ronald L. Trosper
10. Natural Resources and Aboriginal Autonomy: Economic Development and the Boundaries of Indigenous Control and Engagement
Ken Coates and Carin Holroyd
11. Creating Space: Comanagement Considerations in Kakadu National Park
Justin O’Brien
12. Land, Public Trust, and Governance: A Nez Perce Account
Jaime A. Pinkham
Conclusion: Building Yourself and Your Community
Garry Merkel

Contributors
Index
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