Indigenous Sovereignty

With the actions of land defenders continuing across Canada on the traditional, ancestral, unceded land of the Wet’suwet’en, we encourage all students, staff, and Faculty, particularly those who are non-Indigenous, to become informed of the historical, persistent, and systemic issues faced by Indigenous peoples throughout Canada.

 

Resources to Become More Informed

Indigenous Foundations
An information resource on key topics relating to the histories, politics, and cultures of the Aboriginal peoples of Canada.

UN CERD Response Statement
United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination Response Statement to Canada’s Actions on Pipelines

Statement from the BC Human Rights Commissioner
BC Human Rights Commissioner Kasari Govender’s statement regarding the recent decision statement by the UN Committee for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD).

UNDRIP
United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

MMIWG Report
Reclaiming Power and Place: The Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls

TRC Reports
Truth and Reconciliation Commission reports, housed by the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation.

The Unis’tot’en Camp
The Unis’tot’en (C’ihlts’ehkhyu / Big Frog Clan) are the original Wet’suwet’en Yintah Wewat Zenli distinct to the lands of the Wet’suwet’en.

First Peoples Law
Established as a vehicle for protecting and advancing the rights of the Indigenous Peoples of Canada through providing the highest quality legal services while actively participating in public education.
The Wet’suwet’en, Aboriginal Title, and the Rule of Law: An Explainer

Sheryl Lightfoot, Publications
List of publications by Sheryl Lightfoot, UBC Senior Advisor to the President on Indigenous Affairs; Canada Research Chair in Global Indigenous Rights and Politics; Associate Professor, First Nations and Indigenous Studies and Political Science

 

Relevant News Articles

The road to reconciliation starts with the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples – The Conversation, 12 September 2019

The Wet’suwet’en are more united than pipeline backers want you to think – Macleans, 14 February 2020

Indigenous civil rights blockades should be met with a new diplomacy, not violence – The Conversation, 27 February 2020

 

UBC departmental Statements of Solidarity and Support, to-date:

Institute for Critical Indigenous Studies

Department of Art History, Visual Art, and Theory

Department of Geography