Indigenous Legal Orders Conference 2024: Language, Culture, and Transforming Legal Institutions


Course Date: June 14, 2024

Full Course Materials
Total: 5h 46min
Total Ethics: 2h
Welcome and Land Acknowledgement (9:00 – 9:15)
 
Elder Carleen ThomasTsleil-Waututh Nation, North Vancouver
Teresa ShewardProgram Lawyer, CLEBC, Vancouver
Leah Sisi-ya-ama George-WilsonMiller Titerle + Company LLP, Vancouver
Dr. Sarah Morales (Su-taxwiye)Associate Professor, Faculty of Law, University of Victoria, Victoria
 
Coast Salish Legal Protocol: Witnessing Ceremony (9:15 – 9:45)
 
Speaker George Harris, Sr. (Whul Qul Latza) Stz'uminus First Nation, Ladysmith
Kalila George-WilsonLanguage and Culture Consultant, Tsleil-Waututh Nation, North Vancouver
 
Witnesses:
The Honourable Grand Chief Steven L. Point, OBC (Xwĕ lī qwĕl tĕl)Stó:lô Nation, Abbotsford
Halie Kwanxwa'loga BruceCedar and Sage Law Corporation, Cultus Lake
Lavatta FrankSonghees Wellness Centre, Victoria
Aaron WilsonMandell Pinder LLP, Vancouver
 
Language, Stories, and Legal Orders: Indigenous Language and Law Revitalization (9:45 – 10:45) (virtual presentation)
 
  • introduction to Indigenous law revitalization methodologies, particularly the story/narrative method and linguistic methods
  • illustration of meta-principle and story-clustering methods using the Glooscap Project (law revitalization project in progress in Nova Scotia)
Naiomi MetallicAssociate Professor of Law; Chancellor's Chair in Aboriginal Law and Policy, Aboriginal Law Certificate Coordinator, Schulich School of Law, Dalhousie University, Halifax
 
BREAK (10:45 – 11:00)
 
Transforming Existing Legal Institutions: The Cowichan Example (11:00 – 12:00)
 
  • how Indigenous laws can transform legal institutions and processes
Robert B. MoralesChair, First Nations Summit Chief Negotiators Forum;  Negotiator/Lawyer, Cowichan Tribes, Duncan
 
LUNCH (12:00 – 1:30) with Featured Speaker (12:40 – 1:10)
 
Keynote: "Pluralism and Inclusion"
The Honourable Chief Justice Leonard S. MarchandChief Justice of BC, Chief Justice of the Court of Appeal for BC, and Chief Justice of the Court of Appeal of Yukon
 
Creating New Legal Institutions: Sto:lo Qwí:qwelstóm Justice Program (1:30 – 2:30)
 
  • my journey through the justice system and alternative justice
  • identifying and defining Sto:lo law
  • laying the foundation for resolution processes through perspectives of Sto:lo law
  • how Indigenous laws can create new legal institutions and processes
The Honourable Grand Chief Steven L. Point, OBC (Xwĕ lī qwĕl tĕl)Stó:lô Nation, Abbotsford
 
BREAK (2:30 – 2:45)
 
Language, Culture, and Legal Orders (2:45 – 3:45)
 
  • preservation and revitalization of languages
  • how and why we need language in our legal orders
  • why it is difficult to translate some concepts
  • young people who are doing great work in this area
  • a young person's perspective: often asked to translate
  • the Elders' perspective: being mindful of using our language in a good way
Speaker George Harris, Sr. (Whul Qul Latza) Stz'uminus First Nation, Ladysmith
Daniella Harris-DavidStz'uminus First Nation, Ladysmith
Kalila George-Wilson
Language and Culture Consultant, Tsleil-Waututh Nation, North Vancouver
 
The Way Forward: Reflections from Witnesses (3:45 – 4:15)
 
Witnesses:
The Honourable Grand Chief Steven L. Point, OBC (Xwĕ lī qwĕl tĕl)Stó:lô Nation, Abbotsford
Halie Kwanxwa'loga BruceCedar and Sage Law Corporation, Cultus Lake
Lavatta FrankSonghees Wellness Centre, Victoria
Aaron WilsonMandell Pinder LLP, Vancouver
 
Closing Comments (4:15 – 4:30)
 
Leah Sisi-ya-ama George-WilsonMiller Titerle + Company LLP, Vancouver
Dr. Sarah Morales (Su-taxwiye)Associate Professor, Faculty of Law, University of Victoria, Victoria